Espresso Caramel Bars!

Yes, I'm finally getting to that luscious and decadent sweet treat. I was intrigued when I saw Giada DeLaurentiis making these, and simply had to duplicate them! click here if you'd like the recipe.  This is not a recipe for beginners, or those who are short on time. In fact, I normally shy away from the baking/candy making arts, but it IS Fall, after all! I did not use the smoked sea salt on top, but that is optional... As always, first we prepare by making sure we have all the ingredients at hand, and at room temperature...

 

 

Clockwise from bottom, chocolate chips (semi-sweet), butter, instant coffee, graham crackers, white and brown sugar, and heavy cream. Not shown, additional butter. And yes, this is not a recipe for people watching their diets.....but an occasional splurge is what makes life so sweet, so....darn the torpedoes (or spare tummy tires) and go for it!

 

First, make sure you have the proper equipment. When attempting something that is difficult, or gourmet, or project-level cooking, I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Trying to "make do" in this situation will probably end up with a failed dessert, and waste of spendy ingredients! Here is the first necessity.....a spring form pan..

 

 

You open it up, and lay the insert on to a piece of parchment paper. Take a pencil and draw the circle, using the insert as your guide. Then, you cut the circle, place it into the reassembled pan, and spray with a non-stick cooking spray. Spray the sides of the pan, also...then, you'll actually be able to remove the bars, later!  A little fussy, but not difficult....that part is later, lol.

 

 

Now that you are ready.......we cook! First, buzz the broken-up graham crackers with the white sugar in your processor....until they are the texture and size of fine breadcrumbs...just like you'd do for a cheesecake crust.

 

 

Then, melt ye a stick and a half of butter....

 

Then, combine the two, and press on to the parchment paper bottom of your spring form pan.

 

Bake as per the recipe, until golden brown, and set aside...this is what it should look like when it comes out of the oven.

 

 

Now we begin the hardest part of the recipe....not that it takes any special skills, mind you, one just must have a candy thermometer, and make sure that you can devote your full attention to this part. I have several sugar burn scars on my hands that can attest to the dangers of cooking with caramelized sugar!  Get the cream, additional butter, and brown sugar going in a saucepan...

 

 

Now, place your candy thermometer into the mixture, and keeping the mixture bubbling along at a good clip, but not boiling over (see burn comments, above, ahem...), cook until your thermometer reads 240 degrees. The recipe states that this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Mine took longer, as I was very cautious about boiling caramel!  Here's what the death cauldron, um, caramel looks like, as it neared the 240-degree mark...

 

 

Yes, that's a hucka-hucka burnin' love right there! Immediately after you have reached that magical caramel-forming temperature, carefully.....and without kids, pets, or torchable skin nearby......pour on top of the semi-cooled graham cracker crust.  Here's how that layer looks...

 

 

 

Get that saucepan and candy thermometer soaking in some hot tap water straight away....unless you LIKE scraping off hardened caramel, later....why no, I don't have close personal experience with that...how dare you think so! (wink-wink). Now, pop the whole pan into the freezer for ten minutes, to firm up, sigh with relief (the hard part is over), and make the chocolate layer....

 

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips into the heavy cream, in the top of a double boiler (mine is always just two saucepans, one inside the other) over simmering water...stirring frequently until the chocolate is melted...

 

 

When the mixture is smooth, and all the chocolate chips are melted, stir in your instant coffee (or espresso), and incorporate into the mixture...

 

 

Yummmm....starting to look chocolatey-delicious!  Now, remove your spring form pan with the first two layers done, from the freezer, and pour the chocolate right on top of the caramel layer....

 

 

At this point, I tapped the pan gently on the counter to settle the chocolate, and release any air bubbles. Guess what? You are done! Pop that lovely dessert in the refrigerator (for at least an hour), and go do what I did.....clean everything so that A: you are not scraping hardened caramel off everything for hours, and B: You actually have a clean kitchen to prepare your supper in!

 

When the dessert has chilled for at least an hour, take it out and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes. I took mine out as I served supper....now here is another tricky part, but if you follow the instructions on the recipe, all will go smoothly. Wet your sharpest cutting knife with hottest tap water, wipe it dry, and gently run around the edge of the pan...encouraging the chocolate to separate...

 

 

 

Now, we plate! Unhinge and open your pan, remove the bottom (the crust will be firm), and peel off the parchment. Place the whole disk on a cutting board, and cut into serving-size bars. Warning....this is so rich, even the most die-hard sweet tooth may only be able to eat one small bar at a sitting!  My results?

 

 

 

What can I EVEN say about this treat? They are unbelievably delicious! Incredibly rich, chewy from the caramel layer, crunchy from the graham cracker layer, and creamy from the chocolate layer....every texture and taste that you could want in a sweet treat. My sweet tooth is small, however, and I can only manage about half of one of these!

 

A worthwhile, though not beginner-level dessert...that is still in my fridge (in an airtight plastic container), for when we have a sweets craving. Stay tuned for the soon-to-be famous "bowling banquet beans", a gourmet supper, and those sweet little Kitchen Angels. Eat well, my friends.

 

With love and kindness to all,

 

Pixie



Something From Nothing ~ Week 19

After a summer that has involved a rather large amount of stress (I will not bore you with the details), I am finally back! I have been looking forward to continuing this series, so I will get down to it straight away. Before I do, however....a big thank you to all who have been so supportive during the events of summer 2012!

So....I found myself with the remainder of some breakfast sausage patties - that were, as usual, heading South quickly...

Then I remembered! Dear Sister-in-Law C and Brother-in-law D had given us some of their own garden bounty - to be precise...these!

I have always been fascinated by the authentic Italian stuffed pepper dish called "Italian Hot Longs" (make your own joke), so with the sausage AND peppers needing used up, and us needing lunch...the answer was clear. First, to make the sausage Italian, I lined up the following ingredients..

Clockwise from left; red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, paprika, red pepper flake, the peppers, and garlic. I added about a half a teaspoon of the seasonings, a little salt and pepper, the garlic, minced, and about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar into the broken-up sausage patties..

Then, I mixed it until well-blended...just using a fork. I then cleaned and seeded the long, mild banana peppers, and cut them in half, lengthwise..

I blanched these peppers for five minutes in boiling, salted water...just to make sure that once baked, they were tender..

And drained them thoroughly in a colander..

Now, for a quick Italian red sauce to go over the peppers, I cooked one thinly sliced clove of garlic,  in olive oil over very low heat until softened...about five to seven minutes..

Then, added the following ingredients...

Salt, pepper, red pepper flake, parsley, oregano, and basil, one small can of tomato sauce, and a little olive oil. Whisk together over low heat and voila! You have a sauce for your peppers! Let it barely simmer while you prepare the peppers.

 Lay them in a casserole that you have put a little olive oil into...

Then, divide your sausage filling equally amongst the peppers...

Now, spoon over your nice red sauce...

And bake in a 350 degree oven for thirty to forty minutes...just long enough to cook the sausage. The results?

I must admit...I am going to make these again and again! Tender, with the tasty filling, and sprinkled with some chopped parsley, Parmesan, and basil....just perfect. I feel good knowing I did not let either the sausage or peppers go to waste!

What ingenious thing did you invent to keep food from going to waste?

In other news....the garden is threatening to take over the back yard...

The tomatoes have been preserved...and will continue to be, as marinara sauce, sun-dried...etc. This was my first round, and I canned them whole to use in recipes and sauces...

And yes....I grew...THE TUSHIE TOMATO...

Mother Nature can, in fact have a sense of humor. Oh, and appearances are decieving...this tomato weighed in at over a pound and a half! No ifs, ands or......BUTTS! HAHAHAHA....I kill me. 

Eat well, my friends, and stay tuned for the caramel espresso bars, and we will check in on the late-summer antics of the Kitchen Angels!

Love and Kindness to all,

Pixie



The Fruits of Summer ~ & THE CORN REPORT!

Sorry for the delay in this post. Life in Pixie-land has been rather busy.  However, I must go straight to THE CORN REPORT! (Always in all capitals, and always followed by an exclamation point, in my mind now). Let us see....

The tomatoes are booming....

The "Rainbow" Swiss chard is living up to it's name...

The corn has finally taken a stand, and decided to grow...

The broccoli is a brockin' (hahaha)....

And this giant, mutant vine that is taking over my fence is a type of squash called "buttercup". Now, truth be told....I bought these seedlings accidentally, as some helpful consumer placed them on the "cucumber" shelf. This may be one of those "happy accidents" as it is large, healthy, and as you can see toward the middle left of the photo, already producing these amazing-looking squash!

The yellow squash is a squashin'.......

The bell peppers are a-ringing (why no, I don't get carried away with this)....

The Petunias....well, I don't know is 15 BLOSSOMS on one plant a GOOD thing? Teehee.....

And the peas, well they are a-um, well, you get the drift!  I'm really happy with the Pixie-patch this year, and it is the culmination of the dreams I had as a sixteen-year old girl, reading my organic gardening magazines, and dreaming of an actual vegetable garden of my own! It was a long time to wait.....but boy, is it worth it! On to the fruits of summer.....

During our latest trip to the produce stand, I found these!

Ah, life is just a bowl of...well, you get it. The problem is this; Whenever I get a load of cherries, I want to make cherry pie...however, Dear Husband and I cannot finish it all, before it turns into a watery, less-than-appealing mixture of crust and fruit....in less than a week. The solution? Cherry "hand pies". Go here for the recipe I used...First, as always, get your ingredients together. Clockwise from bottom left, confectioners' sugar, salt, flour (all-purpose), sugar, baking powder, vegetable oil and butter. Not shown: cinnamon and a lemon.

Then, the hard part...pitting all those cherries! I tried the method (you can use a straw for this I'm told), of pushing a chopstick through the cherry to pit it, and it worked. Truth be told, though, it just took too long, and my tendancy to stab myself in the other hand with the chopstick necessitated me just resorting to my usual method. Which is to say, grabbing my small paring knife, and cutting the cherries in half to pit them. 

I had to let that project go for the moment, because we must get our dough together...it has to chill. Put your flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into your food processor (or in a large bowl with a whisk), and buzz or mix until combined...

Have your ice water, butter, and vegetable shortening or oil ready to go. Keep all as cold as possible, this is pastry making 101....

Add your butter and vegetable shortnening to the flour mixture, and buzz, combining gradually with the ice water until the mixture begins to hold together in the processor...if you can smash the sides of it with your hands (like in the next photo - look at right side of dough), and it holds together, it is ready.

Now, dump it out onto a sheet of plastic wrap....it will not look like a dough yet....don't panic...

Gather up all four sides of the plastic wrap, and form the dough into a disk....it will NOW look like a dough ;)

Place in the fridge, and go pit those cherries! After your fingers, countertops and shirt are purple, and you are cursing the day you were born, you will have....this!

You can, however, relax now....the hard part is over.  Place the fruit in a sauce pan with the cinnamon and the sugar, and bring up to a simmer...

Mix the cinnamon and sugar in until the sugar is dissolved, and the cherries are warming, and starting to produce some juice...

Mix the juice with the cornstarch in a small bowl...

Pour this back into the saucepan with the cherries...and bring back to a simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until thickened and juicy...

When thickened, empty into a bowl to cool (with the lemon juice), and get your dough out. Score your dough like a pie, to make four equal sections, like so....

Then, score it again to make eight seperate pieces....roll those eight pieces into balls...(make your own joke)...

Then, working quickly, roll each one out into an approximately 6-inch diameter circle. I did not happen to have any parchment paper handy, so I placed each one between sheets of plastic wrap to chill again...it works just as well.

Continue on until all eight are basically small-scale pie crusts!

Wrap this all up, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. I used this time to de-purple my kitchen. Um, yeah....on to the (finally) fun part!

When they have chilled again, take two Tablespoons of your cherry filling, and place in the center of each little crust, like so...

Then, fold them in half...

Fold the bottom part of the crust over the top like so...

Then, take a fork and crimp the edges. This not only looks attractive, but it helps keep the cherry filling from blowing out all over your cookie sheet/oven/etc.

Poke holes in the top to let the steam escape...

And place on a well-greased baking sheet. Beat an egg with some milk, and paint the tops, so that they get a nice, golden brown...

And bake in a 350 degree oven for about a half an hour - or until golden brown. This is where I deviated from the recipe, by not frying the hand pies. The result is not as sweet as regular pie, so that choice is yours to make.  My results?

Cherry-licious! AND they freeze well, too! So instead of having a whole pie that turns into a watery mess, we have our individual pies that can be warmed (microwave, hot oil, or in oven), and eaten individually. I'm going to freeze the rest of them so that we can have this little taste of summer for dessert, whenever we like! Note: yes, this is "project level" cooking, and takes the better part of a day (broken up, of course) to accomplish. This is not a recipe you want when you have errands to run, or a busy day. I will say this though.....worth it!

Stay tuned for another Something From Nothing post, and what Summer hijinks the Kitchen Angels are up to!

Love and kindness to all,

Pixie