A delicious treat...

English Toffee

 

How do you spend the day when the outside temperature is -6F with a wind chill of -30F? Stay home, stay warm and make English Toffee.

 

Toffee isn’t just for Christmas gifts. It is the comfort food of home made candy. So easy. So delicious. It is a sweet, buttery, crispy, nutty, chocolatey bite of goodness.

Here is my recipe. The original is from Chocolatier magazine from about 1980 something. I have been making it (usually at Christmas time) for many years.

Ingredients:

1 cup            Sugar                                       

1 cup            Unsalted Butter (not frozen) 

1 Tbsp.         Water or coffee                       

1/2 tsp.         Salt  - Do not leave out!

1 tsp.            Vanilla Extract

Melted chocolate, tempered.
Nuts of your choice - chopped and toasted.                    

                                                                         

Preparation:

1.	Melt the butter in a sauce-pan over low very low heat. Slowly add sugar and salt, stirring constantly. Add water. Cook over very low heat, continuing to stir, until you have a slightly thick solution. Take your time. This step is one of the most important components of the success of this recipe. If the ratio of sugar and water plus the fat and milk solids in the butter get out of balance, you won’t achieve the right result.
2.	Over Medium heat, cook to 301F stirring frequently. When the temperature reaches 301F, remove from heat immediately. It is really important (imperative) to use a digital thermometer on a cable. When this mixture hits 301F, you have to pull it right away – not after you lean over to look at a dial. This is the difference between a toffee that is nice and crispy and one that can damage your teeth. Stir in the vanilla right away.
3.	Spread the toffee in a 10”x10” square onto greased foil. Spread to fill the square shape. That keeps the thickness even. If you want to be able to snap the toffee into squares, mark it with a knife as the candy sets up. Let the toffee cool.
4.	Coat 1 side of the toffee sheet with melted tempered chocolate. Sprinkle with chopped toasted nuts (mixed with vanilla fleur de sel for an added taste dimension). Let set. Repeat on the other side. Break into pieces. Or dip cooled squares into melted tempered chocolate and set on a bed of chopped toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans or salted peanuts. Enjoy!!!

Rolling out your cookie dough

A Dough System that works….

* THE HEFTY BAG TRICK

How do you roll out your dough? Floured rolling pin, height guides, wood strips? Try this once and you will be amazed. I make a lot of cookie dough at one time  - about 12 lbs. at least. But even if you are making three lbs. you will save time and produce a consistent product.

Buy the Hefty Jumbo 2.5 gallon bags  - 14 3/8” x 16” (the best price I have found is on amazon.com). Weigh out 1 lb. 4 oz. of your dough. You can vary the weight depending on the thickness you need. Flour your hands and shape the dough into a loose log approximately 14” long. Place it in a jumbo bag  - across the sealed end. Press down with your hands.

Starting at the sealed end. Roll forward with a long rolling pin or a piece of PVC pipe to spread the dough the length of the bag. You may need to go at an angle at some point but that’s OK. What you are doing is the same as a fondant sheeter would do. You are just doing it manually. When you have it rolled evenly about 5” from the top of the bag, zip the top and put the sheet in the freezer (or refrigerator) flat on a cookie sheet. You can stack these up and keep them on hand. I usually have 12+ sheets in my freezer, ready to go. They are all the same thickness. 

If you are a cake decorator fortunate enough to have a fondant sheeter or you work in a bakery that has one, follow the same process but cut the top edge of the bag with the clip off before you put in your dough log.  The clip wouldn’t go through the sheeter very well.

When you are ready to cut, take the dough out of the refrigerator, slit the sides and peel off the plastic. The dough has to be cold for this to work. Flip the dough on to your parchment sheet. If you need to smooth the dough with your rolling pin go ahead but don’t thin it.

When you are done cutting out your cookies, gather your dough scraps and save them to roll out again. If you are making lot of cookies, just keep saving your dough scraps and filling a bag with them. When you are done for the day, weigh and roll more sheets. Put them in the freezer or refrigerator for your next baking session. Sometimes, I re-use the plastic bags I have cut.

Now, you have a “dough system” that works!

Gingerbread Cookie Dough Recipe

This recipe is adapted from the book, Gingerbread Things to Make and Bake by Teresa Layman. I have the first edition and I have used it every year since it’s copyright date of 1992. It is out of print but you can still get copies.  I consider Teresa to be my “gingerbread angel.” She has helped me through Gingerbread House competitions (I won!), Christmas Card Cookies, Gingerbread Lanterns for a former employer and so many more projects. I have modified the instructions, but the recipe is definitely Teresa’s. Feel free to double or triple it. 

6½ cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

1½ tsp. Ginger

½ tsp. Salt

1½ cups light or dark Corn Syrup (I prefer dark)

1¼ cups packed light or dark Brown Sugar (I prefer dark)

1 cup Margarine (not butter or shortening – they won’t work)

• ·      Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
• ·      Combine Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, and Margarine in a 2-quart
         saucepan. Stir
         constantly over medium heat until the Margarine has melted.
• ·      Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients.
• ·      Mix well using your hands to mix the dough as it becomes stiff.
         A Kitchen Aid or a Cuisinart Mixer (not food processor) works
         wonderfully.
• ·      Roll the dough out in a big Hefty* bag (see my next post) and
         refrigerate for a few hours or over night before using. The dough will
         be firm but flexible. You may freeze it too.

Cut your shapes on parchment paper. Put the cookie sheet back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Bake at 350F 12-15 minutes or until done.

Check for air bubbles and poke them with a toothpick or a knife. 

When done, slide the cookies on the parchment onto a surface such as granite or a cold cookie sheet. Trim if you need to. This recipe does not spread much. Immediately, cover with a piece of parchment paper and put a stack of cold cookie sheets on top. The center and the edges of the cookies cool at different rates. This is the best way to have flat cookies, especially if you are making a gingerbread house with peaks. The more control you have over the process at this basic level, the better your project will turn out.

Golden Retriever Reindeer Christmas Card Cookie Ornament

 

How was the Golden Retriever
in the Reindeer Antlers created?

Every year I make dimensional Christmas cards for clients and friends.

Over the years I have developed a process that you can use to make special cards to send to special people.

I start with an inspiration. This one started out with the reindeer antlers you can get for your dog at Petsmart. No - my dog, Brulee,  would not stand still for antlers but if she did, she might look something like this.
Here is how I approached this project.

• I made a sketch for the cookie, cut it out of a manilla folder and used it as a template for a gingerbread cookie about 6" high for my prototype.
• I cut out and baked a cookie from the recipe in my next post.
• I cut out a template for the gold modeling chocolate fur. I made a fur impression mat from Sculpey using my fondant modeling tools. I made a silicone mold from the mat to emboss the fur texture.
• The scarf and hat are hand sculpted modeling chocolate embossed with a tracing wheel. 
• The white fur is modeling chocolate snipped with sharp scissors.
• I sculpted the head out of Sculpey and made a silicone mold of it. I used the mold to make the modeling chocolate heads for all of my cookies. I added the features after unmolding- giving each cookie a slightly different expression.
• The antlers are piped with melted chocolate. 
• To make the hanger, I used my Dremel tool to make a hole in the gingerbread and thread a ribbon through.

 Once I was happy with my prototype I had a cutter made by  Bob and Mary Ann at a wonderful company called Cookies Cubed www.cookiescubed.com.They are known for their three dimensional cookie cutters but they also make the sturdiest custom cutters you can buy.

One of my favorite pictures from this project is the gallery of puppies - each one just a touch different from the others.

The most delicious candy bars...

Benchmark Bars
The Gold Standard for Artisan Candy Bars

So, the creator of this bar didn't call it the "Benchmark" but I do. All other artisan bars should be compared to this one.  To me, this is the Gold Standard of candy bars.

The creators are Liz Guttman and Jen King of Liddabit Sweets in Brooklyn, NY. They call it the "Snacker Bar." You will find it in their book, The Liddabit Sweets Candy Cookbook.

There are 4 parts to making this bar:

The Caramel - great for this bar but also great for anything else you make that requires caramel.

The Dark Chocolate Nougat - I could eat this alone as it comes out of the bowl.

The Enrobing - Take time to temper real chocolate - don't use the "coating" on this one. My favorite Dark Chocolate is Cocoa Barry - Favorites Mi Amere (pistoles). It is 58%. It is dark enough for the dark chocolate fans. The light chocolate fans have never complained either.

The Topping - Cocktail Peanuts (from the blue can) and Pretzel Salt - a double crunch.

Caramel Layer

• 1 3/4 cups (340g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz/375g) evaporated milk (NOT Sweetened Condensed)
• 2/3 cup (160g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 vanilla bean - split and scraped - seeds and pod, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (300g) light corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons pus 2 teaspoons (50g) high quality unsalted butter
  
• 1 tablespoon (18g) course sea salt
• 2 cups (300g) roasted and salted peanuts

 Spray a 13" x18" rimmed baking sheet (like a jelly roll pan) with cooking spray and set aside. You are going to build your bars in this pan. If you want to line the pan with foil and then spray, you can do that just to make sure you can get the pan off of the caramel layer or you can line the pan with a silicon sheet like a Silpat.

1. Combine sugar, evaporated milk, cream, vanilla bean with seeds (if using) in a large heavy saucepan - 4 to 6 quart. Stir well to combine (over low heat).
   
2. Bring to a boil over medium high heat uncovered and without stirring.
   
3. Add the light corn syrup and stir gently until mixed. Insert candy thermometer.
   
4. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook stirring-scraping the bottom of the pan to keep the mixture from burning.
5. When the mixture reaches 230F/110C (30 minutes or so) add the butter and vanilla paste or extract. Remove the vanilla bean with tongs (if you used it).
6. Stir continuously and cook to 241F/116C - no higher. Take the pan off the heat.
7. Stir in sea salt and peanuts. Pour onto the baking sheet. Set aside until room temperature.
   

Chocolate Nougat Layer

•  3 tablespoons (3/4 oz /20g) unflavored powdered gelatin
• 1/2 cup (120g) cold water
• 4 large egg whites
  
• 3 3/4 cups (1.3 kg) light corn syrup
• 2 1/3 cups ( 435 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (235g) water
• 12 ounces (340g) dark chocolate melted and cooled slightly to lukewarm.
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Mix gelatin and cold water in a small bowl and set aside to soften.
2. Place the egg whites in the mixer bowl and attach whisk.
3. Combine corn syrup, sugar and water in a 4 quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Insert candy thermometer, reduce heat to medium high and cook without stirring to 250F/120C.
5. Start whipping the egg whites on medium until they are foamy with soft peaks. The syrup should be at 265F/130C now. Remove it from the heat.
   
6. With the mixer on low, pour the syrup down the inside of the bowl. The only way to do this without splattering is to have the lip of the sauce pan on the inside edge of the mixing bowl and slowly tip the saucepan. Practice this with water before you make the nougat so you can feel how it works. I can't stress enough the importance of this technique to the success of this project.
7. Add the gelatin, increase the speed to medium high and whip until very thick - about 10 minutes.
8. Pour in the melted chocolate and vanilla and mix for about 10-15 seconds. Take the bowl off of the mixer and fold to thoroughly incorporate the chocolate.
9. Pour over the caramel layer and cool until it is set up and cool. At least 30 minutes.

At this point, you can wrap the pan in foil and save it for a day or two at room temperature  until you have time to finish, if you wish.

Enrobing the Bars

Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Cover with a sheet of parchment. Using a board on top of the parchment, flip the whole sheet over and remove the baking sheet.

Temper 13 cups of dark chocolate - Coat the slab - which is upside down now - with a thin coating of tempered chocolate. Let it set about 5 minutes. Flip the candy and trim the edges. Using a ruler and a knife, score the bars 1" x 4" then press firmly with the knife to cut into individual bars.

This is another stopping point. You don't have to enrobe the bars all at once. You don't have to devote your entire day to this. Take a break.

   

To enrobe the bars, place them chocolate side down with lots of space in between them. Ladle tempered chocolate over them, run a small spatula underneath and move them to a parchment covered baking sheet.

Let them set just a little and sprinkle with chopped cocktail peanuts and pretzel salt or large grain sea salt.

It looks like this recipe takes a long time and I guess there are a number of steps. Stopping points are so helpful. I have even frozen the uncoated bars  when I really ran out of time.

If you didn't want to use peanuts, you could substitute dried cherries and maybe fold some orange zest into the chocolate nougat. Toasted almond caramel with coconut topping is delicious. Think about the bases - caramel and cocolate nougat and make your own variations.

Enjoy!!!

 

Happy New Year - Yes, I know it's October

New Year - New Blog

I know that New Years Day is usually January 1 but Fall has always felt like the start of the year to me. New shoes, new clothes, new books, unbroken crayons.....

Welcome to my new blog. I plan to show you some of the "how I did it" steps that have gone into some of my pastry projects. 

Happy Halloween

My little witch here has an unusual infrastructure.
Here is how I brought her to life.

My inspiration - a coloring book page

We soldered together copper tubing from the plumbing section at Home Depot to make the skeleton of the tree. I covered the tree and the branches with modeling chocolate.

 

I poured clear Isomalt over crushed ice for the bubbling caldron.

I made the pumpkin out of rice cereal treats. I covered it with fondant and brushed it with dry colors. I made the witch's head out of modeling chocolate over Styrofoam. 

The figures and the clothing are all fondant.