The Taste of Fall

As the leaves turn their magnificent fall colors—brilliant gold, burnt orange, deep red—there’s nothing more warming than a hot cup of apple cider. Redolent with traditional spices of cinnamon and clove (with an occasional hint of ginger or cardamom), this distinctly fall beverage perfectly captures the apple harvest in our area.

 

But apple cider isn’t just for drinking. It also makes a delicious caramel that is easy, albeit a bit time consuming, to make. I happened across an Instagram post from the Smitten Kitchen blog with a drool-worthy picture of said caramels. What I liked about the recipe, aside from the flavor profile, is that it uses fresh, local apple cider. Right now…especially right now…we are trying to support our small local merchants and farmers, so what better way than to buy some fresh unfiltered apple cider and make these treats?

 

The process is simple and doesn’t require any fancy tools or pans, although a candy thermometer does help immensely. The time-consuming part of the recipe is boiling down the apple cider until it is almost syrupy. Going from 4 cups of cider to 1/2 cup takes 30-45 minutes. You don’t have to stand and watch it. Just stir now and then. As it gets close to the end, it’s wise to hover a bit, so it doesn’t burn. But once you have your concentrate, you add the main ingredients, stir and boil until it hits about 252 degrees. Really, it’s just that easy.

 

When you take it off the heat you hit the mixture with a bit of cinnamon and flaky sea salt, which really makes the caramel pop. (I’m sure you could eliminate both and they would still be out of this world, but why mess with perfection?) Pour into your prepared pan and refrigerate until hard. Then enjoy the goodness. And while you’re at it, why not double recipe and spread the wealth? I shared with all my neighbors, to help ease the pain of celebrating Thanksgiving in isolation. 

 

Note: If you don’t have access to fresh unfiltered apple cider from a local grower, most supermarkets carry unfiltered apple cider (NOT juice), which has been pasteurized and bottled and is shelf-stable.

 

Recipe after the jump…

Staving off My Sweet Tooth: Healthy(er) Peanut Butter Cups

You may have noticed that a significant number of recipes on this blog are of the sugar variety. I definitely have a sweet tooth. I like my muffins, coffeecakes, cookies, tortes, cupcakes…even candied bacon!

I’ve never been a junk food addict. I don’t down Coke every day, rarely eat at a fast food restaurant, don’t decimate a bag of chips in one sitting (like Mr. B), and rarely buy packaged or prepared cookies, candy, cakes or ice cream.

But I do bake. A lot. Unfortunately, as the years creep up on me, I just can’t have those temptations around. I still bake for Sunday dinners when the family is here, for special occasions, for friends. It’s just not enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

So what’s a girl to do???

I’ve been hunting around for something that is small in size, easy to prepare and that has less guilt attached to it (healthier), while at the same time able to provide me a satisfying sweet treat.

I found a recipe online for a paleo Reese’s Cup. It’s basically a nut butter cup with dark chocolate on top. I’ve been experimenting with the base recipe for a few weeks now, adding and subtracting unsweetened shredded coconut, using all almond butter, using a mix of almond and peanut butters, trying different chocolates, even using different pans.

I’ve finally hit upon the right combination of ingredients—and the right vessel to put them in—and it’s time to share the recipe with you.

I have to say that I really love these. I keep them in the freezer and take one out when I am in need of a sugar fix, usually at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and around 8 or 9 at night. They weigh in at under 100 calories a piece but also have some protein, given the quantity of nut butters. They are good for a paleo diet, low-carb diet, Atkins, etc. They are also gluten free and, if you use the right chocolate, dairy free.

I particularly like this combination of ingredients and have adjusted the amounts so that when frozen, the nut base doesn’t get all soft and gooey while the chocolate is harder than a rock. I found the best peanut/almond butter combo to be Trader Joe’s Creamy Almond Butter and Jif Extra Chunky Peanut Butter. For the top, I just use a thin layer of chocolate—Nestle Dark Chocolate Morsels are great—but you can go thicker if you want. You can also omit the coconut, as it acts more as a sweetener and to add some bulk to the candy.

Note: I originally used mini muffin pans for these. No grease necessary, just fill and freeze and then pop them out as needed. Now I use silicone mini muffin cup molds. I place them on a tray, fill and freeze. Once frozen, I put them in a Ziploc in the freezer. They pop out really easy and I get about 2 dozen this way. They are slightly smaller than the muffin pan I was using, and the perfect size for me.

Nut Butter and Chocolate Treats

½ cup smooth almond butter

½ cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, minced

2/3 cup dark chocolate chips (you can also chop up bar chocolate)

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Put your nut butters, coconut oil and honey in a glass bowl or measuring cup and microwave until mixable, about 30-45 seconds. Stir or whisk until the mixture is creamy. Add minced coconut and stir to incorporate.

Using a small ice cream scoop, ladle or tablespoon, fill your mini muffin cups about 2/3 full. Gently bang your muffin pan or tray on the counter to level the ingredients.

Place the chocolate and teaspoon of coconut oil in a glass measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave

a second time for about 20-30 seconds. Stir until the mixture is creamy.

Pour the mixture on top of the nut cups, starting at the outside edge and moving in. When done, gently bang the pan or tray again to even out the chocolate.

Yield: 2 dozen

Week 23: Coconut Cream Caramels

The other day I was making a lovely curry cauliflower soup and had a half can of coconut milk leftover. Hating to waste anything, I gave it some thought and came up with the idea to make coconut caramels. Everyone loves my bacon caramels, so using that as a base recipe, I made a batch. Supplementing the leftover half cup of coconut milk with a half cup of cream, I found the taste a bit too subtle. Barely noticeable. So I decided to give it a second try this week and kick it up a notch.

Instead of the coconut milk and cream mixture, I used a full cup of Trader Joe’s Coconut Cream. I also toasted up some shredded coconut to enhance the coconut flavor and give it a bit of texture. The result was a nicely sweet caramel with the toasty crunch of the coconut.

Coconut Cream Caramels

1 cup coconut cream

5 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup toasted flaked or shredded coconut

Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly oil parchment with vegetable oil or cooking spray.

Bring coconut cream, butter, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.

Boil sugar, golden syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.

Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 250 degrees on candy thermometer, which takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and gently press down into caramel. Cool for 3 hours. (Placing them in the refrigerator during the last 30 minutes will make them easier to cut.)

Cut sheets of wax paper into 4-inch squares.

Pull parchment and caramel out of the pan and cut into small squares or rectangles and wrap each in square of wax paper, twisting both ends to close. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: approximately 40 caramels

Week 9: Candied Bacon Lollipops

Recently, my brother shared with me this recipe for candied bacon lollipops, a gem he found in a recent issue of Wine Spectator, of all places. It was probably his passive-aggressive way of telling me that next time I visit, I need to bring a slab of our homemade bacon so that we can test this recipe. But I am not planning a visit any time soon, and I just cannot wait. I mean, really, who can resist a recipe like this? It cannot languish in my recipe pile, hidden away and forgotten. No, it must be tried….now.

Admittedly, I am making this in the morning, when in fact it is designed as a cocktail bite. But bacon of any kind is good in the morning, and I can tell you that not one person in my house is complaining about the hour these are being served. If I am lucky, we might have a few left to have tonight with a cold beer or maybe a glass of wine. (Given that this appeared in a wine magazine, I wonder what I should pair with these lollipops. Any suggestions?)

I was hesitant to use 2 1/2 pounds of bacon for only 20-25 lollipops. Not only did that seem like a lot of bacon, I thought that a 1” x 1” square might be on the large side. So I chose to make the pieces a bit smaller, which yielded a larger quantity. Some shrinkage does occur, so use your judgment on the size. (You can also halve this recipe if you are not serving a crowd – rule of thumb is half as much sugar as bacon. So if you are using 1 pound bacon, use 1/2 cup sugar.)

In addition to adjusting the size, I made a few other small adjustments to the recipe: (1) When tossing bacon pieces with the sugar, you will notice that not a lot sticks. I found that by putting a bit of the excess sugar in my palm and squeezing it around the bacon piece a few times, I could get more to adhere, meaning less was scattered willy nilly around the pan. (2) Placing bacon pieces closer together and toward center of pan helps reduce the amount of burning sugar, some of which is inevitable around the edge of the pan.  (3) After the pan has been out of the oven for one minute, remove bacon pieces from silicone mat with tongs and turn bottom side up on wax paper. If you leave the bacon pieces on the mat for the full 5 minutes to cool, the sugar starts to set up and adhere to the bacon in strange shapes, making for an unpleasant-looking appetizer.  

Note: I think you could cut the bacon pieces, coat it and stick the pan in the fridge until you are ready to cook them, making it a very easy party food.

Now to the taste test. As expected, these were a big hit with everyone who tried them. I also found them extremely addictive. I literally had to box up half the pieces and put them in the refrigerator for fear I might eat them all. The lollipops are sweet and salty, soft and crunchy all at the same time. Using a good quality, smoky bacon will yield the best result. You want some good fat in there so the softness contrasts with the chewy bacon and crispy sugar coat.

Considering how little time these took, the ease of cooking, and the resulting taste, this recipe is a winner. (Thank you Michael. I promise to make some for you next time we are together.) 

UPDATE 2/27/14: Said brother has recommended a "crisp Sauvignon Blanc" to pair with this awesome appetizer.