Candy Bars

I'm not someone who craves candy all that often.  I certainly have a sweet tooth, but I tend to crave baked treats like cookies, cakes and brownies over skittles, nerds and m&ms.  There are very important exceptions to this rule, however.  Warm, buttered movie popcorn just isn't as delicious without its accompanying box of milk duds.  For some reason, road trips just aren't the same without a cellophane bag full of squishy-sweet gummy bears from the gas station.  Halloween is another one of those occasions where eating candy just feels right.  For me, the end of October brings cravings of chocolate, more specifically, chocolate candy bars.  This year, instead of buying the extra-large bag of the latest trick-or-treat favorite, I decided to make a batch of homemade candy bars. Buttery shortbread and salty caramel enrobed in deep, dark chocolate.  Creamy, crunchy, rich and amazingly sweet.  This is a candy that I could get used to eating all year long.

Salted Caramel Shortbread "Candy Bars"
Makes 12 bars

12 store-bought shortbread fingers
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp sea salt + more for sprinkling on finished bars
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
11 oz dark chocolate (60 - 70% cocoa)

Spray an 8-inch square pan with non-stick spray and then line the pan with a long sheet of parchment paper, leaving an overhang of paper over two opposite sides of the pan.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  

For the caramel:

In a large sauce pot, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup.  Over medium-high heat bring to a boil just until the mixture turns golden.

Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream and butter in a small sauce pot and warm over medium-low heat. When the mixture comes to a simmer, turn the heat off and set aside.

When the sugar mixture is golden, slowly add the warmed cream and butter, being careful as the mixture will bubble.  Gently stir the mixture and decrease heat to medium-low.  Cook the sugar until the temperature reads 248 degrees on a candy thermometer (firm ball stage).

When the caramel is to temperature, remove it from the heat and stir in the teaspoon of sea salt and the vanilla.  Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared 8-inch square pan.  Wait approximately 5 minutes and then place the cookies, top side down, on top of the caramel, leaving a bit of space between each cookie.  Let the pan sit at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.

Once the caramel has chilled, using the parchment paper, lift the caramel and cookies out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Carefully cut the caramel around each cookie. Place the cookies on the parchment lined baking sheet, caramel layer down, and set aside.

For the chocolate coating:

To form a double boiler, place a large heat-proof glass bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Be sure to make sure that water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl and that the bowl fits tightly over the pot.  Place 6 oz of the chocolate in the bowl and stir until the chocolate starts to melt.  Once the chocolate is almost fully melted, turn off the heat and continue to stir until it fully melts.  Remove the bowl from the pot and add in the remaining 5 oz of chocolate.  Stir the chocolate until all of it has melted.  (This process will temper the chocolate and ensure that it hardens around the caramel and cookie).

Place a bar on a fork and dunk it into the tempered chocolate.  Once the cookie is fully covered, lift the cookie out and run the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove the excess, dripping chocolate.  Carefully, set the bar back onto the parchment lined sheet pan. Immediately, sprinkle the wet chocolate with sea salt.  Continue until all bars are finished.

Allow candy bars to cool at room temperature until chocolate hardens.  Trim excess chocolate from around the bars and enjoy.

Store bought shortbread cookies make these candy bars quick and easy.  Their buttery richness and crunch add delicious texture. 

To ensure that the hot caramel does not stick, spray the pan before lining it with parchment.

Bubbling caramel.

Hot caramel poured into the pan.

Cookie fingers placed in the pan of warm caramel.  

The bars cut and waiting to be covered in decadent, dark chocolate.

Chunks of dark chocolate, ready to be melted.

Smooth, silky tempered chocolate.

Dip each bar and scrape the excess chocolate on the edge of the bowl . . .

Carefully place on the parchment lined baking sheet . . . 

Sprinkle on sea salt . . . 

indulge.

Dinner with Mom

My Mom was in town over the weekend for a quick visit so we invited a few friends over for a small dinner party.  On the day of, Mom and I were having a wonderful time running errands, walking the dog, grabbing coffee and reorganizing my bookshelves. As a result, I found myself, at the eleventh hour, having a bit of trouble deciding what to make for dinner.  I speedily skimmed a few of my favorite cookbooks.  I hastily shuffled through my ever growing stack of dog-eared food magazines. Still, the menu for the party wasn't coming together. It was soon clear to me that I had to keep the menu simple. I was having a wonderful day spending time with my Mom so an elaborate meal wasn't in the cards.  Yet, I knew that I still wanted to prepare a special and delicious dinner.  The weather was cool and dreary so I decided to bring it back to basics. Soup and sandwiches. Despite its simplicity, the meal was a success. The dinner was easy to put together, our guests had fun and, most importantly, my Mom and I had plenty of time to enjoy a lovely afternoon together.

Menu:
Radishes with herb butter, hummus and toasts
Chicken noodle soup
Fontina, pear and harissa grilled cheeses
Maple, bacon and bourbon sundaes

A self-serve bar for pre-dinner cocktails.  Our gracious guests brought wine which we drank with dinner.  

Spicy, fresh radishes with sea salt and creamy parsley butter.  Hummus brings a new twist to this classicly French snack.

The table was set in advance so that I could focus on finishing the food and enjoying our guests.

Assembled sandwiches, filled with thinly sliced pear, Italian fontina and spicy harissa, ready to turn melty and golden brown.  Generously butter the outside edges of sliced crusty, Italian bread and throw them in the panini press.  Warm, gooey, crisped and flavorful. 

Easy chicken noodle soup.  Brown your vegetables in bacon fat for amazing flavor.  Rotisserie chicken and store bought chicken stock make this dish almost too easy.  Fresh herbs, rich egg noodles and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.  You really can't go wrong with a delicious chicken noodle soup.

Who gets the last sandwich? 

Creamy vanilla bean ice cream gets dressed up with an easy maple caramel sauce.  Sprinkle on some crispy crumbled bacon and dollop with freshly whipped cream, spiked with bourbon.  The perfect ending to a lovely dinner with friends and family.

Channeling Julia

Despite the fact that I've owned Mastering the Art of French Cooking for quite a few years, I had never attempted any of its hundreds of recipes. I've read it cover to cover so I'm not sure why it took me so long to prepare one of Julia's dishes.  I like Julia.  I envy the life she led and I admire her strength and dedication in pursuing a successful culinary career midway through life.

Dave's parents were in town over the weekend and I happily volunteered to cook one night.  On the morning of our dinner, still undecided on a menu, I suddenly had a thought:  Why not prepare Julia Child's famous boeuf bourguignon?  It was a cool day and a warm beef stew sounded delicious.  Other than a few minor adjustments, I stayed true to Julia's vision.  There are a lot of painstaking steps to this recipe, with perfectly written explanations for each.  This dish is quintessentially French, made with a bottle of delicious red wine, and full of flavor.  For sides, I prepared a simple green salad and a batch of rustic, skin-on mashed potatoes. Despite the long process, I enjoyed every minute of preparing this special dish.  It felt like Julia was there with me, teaching me each step along the way.

Boeuf Bourguignon
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck
Serves 6-8

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
6 strips of thickly cut bacon, coarsely chopped
3 lb chuck pot roast cut into 2 inch cubes
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp flour
3 cups full-bodied, dry red wine
2-3 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf, crumbled
3 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 lb chopped crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small shallot, finely diced
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the stew:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large dutch oven with lid (or other deep pot with lid) heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Saute bacon in the oil until slightly brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate. Turn off heat and set pot aside with the bacon fat remaining in the pot.

Dry the chunks of beef in paper towels to ensure browning in the pot. Return pot to medium-high heat. When the fat is almost smoking begin adding chunks of beef, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Brown the beef on all sides and then add it to the plate with the bacon.

Add the chopped carrot and onion to the pot. Saute the vegetables until browned. If there is still quite a bit of fat in the pot which has not been absorbed by the vegetables, drain that fat.

Turn off the heat and return beef and bacon to the pot with the vegetables. Season with 1 tsp of salt and a 1/2 tsp pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and toss lightly to incorporate the flour. Uncovered, set the pot in the oven for 4 minutes. Remove pot, toss the mixture again, and return to the oven for 4 minutes more. Remove pot and decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Add the red wine to the pot and stir into the mixture. Next, pour in enough beef stock so that the beef is almost, but not quite, covered with liquid. Add in the tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Stir to evenly incorporate those ingredients. Uncovered, bring the mixture to a simmer on the stove.  Once at a simmer, cover the pot and allow it to cook in the oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until a fork pierces the meat easily.

While the stew is cooking prepare the onions and mushrooms (see below).

When the stew is finished cooking, pour the mixture through a large sieve so that the liquid collects into a large saucepan. Return solid meat and vegetables to the original dutch oven. Mix the prepared onions and mushrooms into the meat and vegetables.  Set aside.

Over medium heat, bring the liquid to a simmer. Begin to skim the fat off the surface of the liquid, using a spoon.  (You could also use a fat-separator to dispose of the fat).  Continue to allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens slightly. Taste sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

For immediate serving:

Pour liquid back over the meat and vegetables and over medium heat, bring to a simmer.  Allow stew to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Sprinkle with a generous handful of chopped parsley and transfer to a serving platter for serving, or serve right from it's pot.

For later serving:

Pour liquid back over the meat and vegetables and allow mixture to cool. When the stew is cooled, cover and refrigerate.  Remove pot 20 minutes before serving and bring pot to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. This stew can be prepared a day in advance and only gets better as it sits in the refrigerator.

For the onions:

Gently roll thawed onions in a kitchen towel until they are completely dry. In a large oven-proof saute pan heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the fat in the pan begins to bubble, add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, rolling the onions occasionally to ensure even browning.  Turn off the heat and add the 1/2 cup of white wine.  Transfer the saute pan to the oven with the stew. Bake the onions for 45 minutes.  Once the onions are finished, transfer them to a plate and set aside.

For the mushrooms:

In a large saute pan heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Once the fat is hot and the butter begins to brown, add just enough mushrooms so that they do not overcrowd the pan.  (If there are too many mushrooms in the pan at once, the mushrooms with steam instead of brown). You may have to cook the mushrooms in 3-5 batches depending on the size of your pan. When the mushrooms have browned on both sides remove to a plate and continue with the rest of the mushrooms. Once all of the mushrooms are browned, set them aside.

Like all great recipes, this one begins with bacon.  

Browning vegetables in the bacon and beef fats adds an amazing layer of flavor to this stew.

Be sure to buy two bottles of the same red wine - one to cook with and one to drink with dinner.  Julia recommends a full-bodied French red but I used a California pinot noir (same grape as in French Burgundy) and had fantastic results.  

Simmering stew, ready for the oven.

Be sure to thoroughly dry thawed onions to ensure proper browning.

Sauteing mushrooms.  Julia's tip:  Do not overcrowd the pan or the mushrooms will never brown.

Almost ready to eat.  I prepared an all-French cheese plate complete with creamy Brie, nutty Gruyere, a salty Roquefort, fig preserves and a sinfully rich pork rillette made with Riesling.  Served with some sliced baguette, this spread wetted our appetites while we waited for the stew.

Ready to serve up the warm stew. 

I made some easy skin-on mashed red potatoes.  Flavored with roasted garlic, butter and cream, these were the perfect way to soak up all of the delicious red wine sauce.

A peppery arugula salad tossed with a simple vinaigrette and some freshly chopped tarragon and chives.   

Ready to eat.

This stew was certainly enjoyed by all.  Thanks to Julia.

The End of Thyme

Every summer I plant a large pot of thyme.  I am not exactly an expert gardner, but herbs, especially thyme, never let me down in their ability to thrive.  As luck would have it, thyme is probably my favorite fresh herb, and I use it generously in a number of my favorite dishes.  Before my thyme plant takes a turn for the worse from the impending first freeze, I thought it only appropriate to make one last dish using the leaves from my beloved plant.  The combination of lemon and thyme is one of the perfect flavor pairings and works brilliantly in this unexpected, sweet pound cake.  Bright, rich and buttery with a green, herby punch.  This cake is the perfect way to use up the last of my trusty back-stoop herb harvest.

Lemon Thyme Pound Cake
Makes one loaf

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure lemon oil
3 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
zest of one lemon
6 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.  Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer) on high speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add the vanilla, lemon oil, fresh thyme and lemon zest.  Mix until incorporated, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula when needed.  Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated.  On low speed, add in the flour and salt.  Mix until just combined.

Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan.  Smooth the top of the batter and rap the pan on the counter to pop any air bubbles.  Bake on the center rack of the oven for 50-65 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  The timing may vary, depending on your oven.  Cool cake on a baking rack until cool enough to handle, then remove cake from pan and continue to cool on baking rack until it is no longer warm.

Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, this cake can sit at room temperature for a few days.

Fresh lemon zest and pure lemon oil give this cake it's citrusy brightness.

Be sure to grease your pan and line it with parchment paper for easy release after baking.

Six fresh eggs gives this pound cake a rich, dense crumb.

The thick and buttery batter, flecked with green, bright and herby thyme.

Warm and golden, hot from the oven.

Moist, flavorful, herbed and delicious.

Cookie Medicine

For me, there is no better cure for a bad day than a great cookie.  A great cookie and a cold glass of milk.  Today was one of those days.  So as I usually do when I'm feeling down, I stopped by my favorite bakery, picked up some of their amazingly delicious chocolate chip cookies, came home and indulged.  These cookies are on the thin side, but don't let that fool you.  They are baked until golden and crispy around the edges and perfectly chewy and tender in the center.  They hold large pieces of dark, bitter and silky chocolate and their flavor is like no other chocolate chip cookie I have ever tried.  Dark, caramely, burnt-buttery, salty, sweet, spicy and chocolaty.  They are freshly baked all day.  Absolute cookie nirvana.  I usually eat two when I know I should only eat one. I'm feeling better already.

A stack of cookies and a glass of milk.  Pure bliss.

The first bite.   Crispy, chewy, buttery and divine.

I have to dunk the last bite.  

Birthday Boy

Our good friend Jason celebrated a birthday last week and his girlfriend (and my best friend) Heather asked me to cater a little party she threw for him.  The food was appropriately themed around all of Jason's favorite things to eat.  Lucky Charms breakfast cereal, asparagus, cheese, burgers, cupcakes and bacon, just to name a few. It was a fun challenge to think of menu options that incorporated Jason's favorite flavors, and I think the birthday boy was pleased with how it all turned out.  Happy birthday to you, Jason . . . and many more!

Menu:
Candied bacon
Cheese platter
Asparagus tart
Pepper-jack sliders
Vanilla bean cupcakes
Sugar cereal marshmallow treats

Southern Comfort + Coca-Cola = Jason's cocktail of choice.

A cheese platter including white cheddar, Manchego, a local blue with truffled honey and Brie.  Peppery salami and crisp sesame seed crackers served as accompaniments.  

Brown sugar caramelized bacon with a hint of cayenne pepper.  The perfect bar snack.  Who could resist candied bacon?    

An asparagus and Gruyere tart on a puff pastry crust.  Easy, quick, rich and delicious.  I used this recipe.

Beef sliders with pepper-jack cheese, a favorite of Jason's.  I added some caramelized onions, paprika aioli and arugula for added flavor.

Vanilla bean cupcakes.  Buttery, rich and sweet.  A birthday party staple.

Cereal and marshmallow treats made with Lucky Charms, Cap'n Crunch and Rice Krispies cereals.  Childlike, sugar-packed and completely irresistible.   

The man of the hour.