I’ve been working on this project for a couple of weeks and finished a few days ago but couldn’t post it because of the special few who are recieving it (hopefully today)! I put it in the mail as a suprise to people in my life whom I care about deeply but don’t necessarily tell them very often. On the lid I wrote a list of Things I Love About You and inside put my hand made chocolate truffles, butterscotch candies, salted caramels, and coconut fudge.
While making these sweet boxes, I was also exploring the history of sweet giving across history, time, and culture. In a book I am reading, Candy: A History of Sweet by Beth Kimmerle, talks about taste and memory. “Candy is with us at very special moments — we have candy at movies, we have candy at Easter, and we have candy at significant holidays like Valentine’s Day,” Kimmerle says. “People want those memories again, they want to be able to relive those days… They’re remembering their lives through candy.” This is true, but there are other factors that I rely on, especially in this project. I am a firm believer that food made with love tastes better, always. Smaller batches where one or two people’s creativity flows through their thoughts, down their arm, through the wooden spoon that is stiring, and into their finger that occasionally tastes the progression of the edible gift is what really makes something taste really good. Thus the preference for many people of a ‘home cooked’ meal, because one can usually taste the time and love put into what is inevitably nourishing them both body and heart.
Happy Valentines Day!
Fleur de Sel Caramels (Epicurious)
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon fleur de sel*
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
Special equipment: parchment paper; a deep-fat thermometer
Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.
Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.
Boil sugar, corn 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 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into baking pan and cool 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close.
Chocolate Truffles (Martha)
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen
8 ounces best-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon liqueur, such as triple sec or framboise (optional)
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling
Pour chocolate mixture into a shallow 8-inch dish or pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until mixture is very cold and set but still pliable, about 30 minutes.
Using a teaspoon or a 1/2-inch melon baller, scoop balls of chocolate mixture, transferring them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper as you work. Refrigerate truffles 10 minutes.
Using hands dusted with cocoa powder, dip each truffle in cocoa powder to coat, then quickly shape truffle into a rough round. Refrigerate truffles in an airtight container until ready to serve, up to 2 weeks; before serving, reshape into rounds, and roll each truffle in cocoa powder, if desired.
This recipe for Butterscotch Drops produces a hard candy that has the classic butterscotch taste. If you don’t want to make the candy into drops, you can pour it into a greased 9×9 pan and break it into small pieces once it is set.
Butterscotch Candies
(Elizabeth LeBau)2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup cream
2/3 cup water
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
6 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with cooking spray.
Combine the sugar, cream and water in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add the cream of tartar and boil the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees (soft-ball stage). Add the butter and continue boiling until the mixture reaches 280 degrees (soft-crack stage).
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Using a very small teaspoon, carefully drop spoonfuls of the hot candy onto the prepared baking sheets. It is important to work quickly before the candy begins to set. The drops will spread, so leave a bit of space in between your spoonfuls. Continue forming small butterscotch drops on the prepared sheets until you run out of candy or it becomes too hard to work with. Allow the drops to set at room temperature, then lift them off the baking sheet. Serve immediately, or place them in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Coconut Fudge (see previous post The Best Fudge Recipe Ever)
