Deviled Ham

I am feeling a little guilty. Guilty for many things, but this blog isn't going to turn into a personal confessional anytime soon. No, what I am feeling guilty about is that I have not shared any recipes other than baked goods this month. We all know that one cannot live on or serve only baked goods alone. Well maybe for a short period of time one can, but not without consequences (particularly on one's waist and thighs). So I thought that with so many opportunities for entertaining and even tailgating in the weeks ahead, maybe I would share the new Deviled Ham recipe I found and tried this past weekend. It was OMG wickedly delicious and definitely a nice change of pace to the usual suspect appetizers served during the cocktail hour.

So what exactly is deviled ham and how is it different from ham salad? The simple answer is that deviled ham is flavored with spices, like mustard, hot sauce and even cayenne pepper. Ham salad is generally flavored with pickles and can be a little sweeter. In other words, one is the evil and the other is the good version of a finely chopped ham spread. As much as I like them both, for me the sweeter ham salad works better on a sandwich for lunch while the deviled ham is a better prelude to dinner, a perfect pairing with a platter of cheeses, and goes perfect with either beer or wine. It might be fair to say that deviled ham is the trifecta of ham spreads! And if that isn't enough it is sinfully addictive (okay you knew that was coming at some point).

In spite of adding one tablespoon of hot sauce, the deviled ham really wasn't that 'hot'. The hot sauce added just the right amount of complexity and combined with the whole grain dijon mustard made for more hearty ham spread.

This is a perfect recipe to make with leftover ham, however, there is no need to worry because it can easily be made with a wedge of a fully cooked ham found in the grocery store. And it that isn't available, then you could use a high quality ham found in the deli (like Boar's Head).

The recipe in Bon Appetit called for the use of a cured, smoked and aged country ham. Because that was not available, I use a fully cooked ham (Leily's Boneless Ham) found in meat section of the grocery store where you find ham steaks and Canadian bacon. This recipe calls for ham that has already been cooked, so look carefully at the labels when you deciding on which ham to buy. Remember, you want a fully cooked ham for this recipe.

Once the ham is coarsely chopped, it is pulsed in a food processor until finely chopped. You will still be able to see small pieces of ham. Remember, don't over process as you do not want a ham paste.

The finely chopped ham is transferred to a medium sized bowl. The cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce and mixed until well blended.

A freshly chopped scallion (aka green onion) and two tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley are then folded in. For me the right amount of seasoning was 3/8 teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon of finely ground pepper.

I served the Deviled Ham with sliced baguettes, however, you can use rye bread, pumpernickel, crackers, or lightly toasted baquettes. It will not matter what you decide to use because your family and friends won't remember what they put it on, they will only remember how it tasted. I am thinking that this Deviled Ham will become one of the new go-to recipes when having company as it is so easy to put together, different enough from the usual cocktail hour fare, and perfect to wet everyone's appetites for dinner.

Recipe
Deviled Ham (slight adapation of the Deviled Ham recipe printed in the October 2013 Bon Appetit)

Ingredients
8 ounces of fully cooked ham (used Leidy's Boneless Ham), coarsely chopped (if a cured, smoked Country Ham is available, recommend using)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup mayonnaise (recommend Hellman's mayonnaise)
1 Tablespoon hot sauce (used and recommend Cholula Hot Sauce)
2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard (used Maille)
1 scallion thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
3/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon finely ground pepper
Baguettes, rye bread, pumpernickel or crackers for serving

Directions
1. Place coarsely chopped ham in food processor and pulse until finely chopped (you will still see small pieces of the ham).
2. Transfer finely chopped ham to a medium sized bowl and stirlin cream cheese, hot sauce, and whole grain mustard. Mix until well combined.
3. Fold in chopped scallion and parsley.
4. Stir in salt and pepper.
5. Serve immediately or chill for several hours or overnight. Serve with freshly sliced baguettes or rye bread or on lightly grilled baguettes.

I wish there was a law that until Thanksgiving there would not be any sign of Christmas decorations in the stores. The fall seems like such a short season anyway, I so dislike having it shortened with the distraction of holiday ornaments in the stores. I just want to take in and savor the beauty, foods and decorations of autumn for as long as possible. And if that means not changing out the window boxes and urns planted with kale and pumpkins until two weeks before Christmas then so be it. Actually I wouldn't mind if Christmas was skipped one year and we just had two Thanksgivings instead.

There is something about Thanksgiving that makes it my favorite holiday. The ability to just gather with family and friends around food that makes the day so much more relaxing and comfortable (in spite of the hours spent on cooking and the early morning wake up to put the turkey in oven). Yes, it relaxing as long as everyone you invite to Thanksgiving dinner gets along with one another and no one starts talking about Christmas.

Because with Thanksgiving there is no pressure for gifts and presents (or more to the point getting the perfect gifts or presents); no feeling guilt over forgetting a gift for someone; and no mess to clean up other than the dishes. Last Thanksgiving we spent the holiday in Colorado. My sister and I managed to put together a complete meal using the utensils found in the house we rented (well I did pack my knives in my checked suitcase) and shopping in stores unfamiliar to us. If you asked everyone in my family, I think they would say this little more laid back Thanksgiving was one of their favorites. This year with a nephew in college in Colorado and a niece in college in Boston we all won't be together (collegiate swimming conflicts) as a family. But regardless of how or where we spend Thanksgiving this year, I am certain of two things. It will be memorable and there will be Deviled Ham as one of the appetizers (unless of course everyone is on Deviled Ham overload by then).

Sea Salted White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies

There seems to be a pattern to this month's blog postings. Rather than say there is a proliferation of baked good recipes, I would say there is an absence of main dishes, side dishes, appetizers and even cocktails. For those you who regularly read this blog (wishful thinking on my part), bear with me for a few weeks as the postings may still be dominated by more desserts as there have been so many things I have wanted to make with fall arriving that the making of those things appealing more to one's sweet tooth has turned into a sort of obsession (admittedly a narrow one at that). But I promise that by mid-October you will begin to wonder "when is she going to post dessert recipes?".  Finding balance has always been something I have had to work on personally and in the kitchen.

My preference for brownies has always been for the really rich dark chocolate ones which means I have often overlooked the blondee brownies (and you would think that being a blonde myself would have me leaning toward the white chocolate end of the brownie continuum). But making a shift in brownie preferences sometimes comes in the form of a push, one experienced either literally or figuratively. As soon as I opened up the new Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook this week, I felt the proverbial push when I read their recipe for Blondies with White Chocolate and Macadamias. There was just something about the recipe that had me making it the morning after I bought the book. Maybe it is the browning of the butter or the use of dark brown sugar that caught my attention. Or maybe it was just the simplicity of the recipe. Whatever the reason, I am glad I was paying attention!

Because whatever the reason, these blondies were amazing. So much so I thought 'where have they been all my life?' (sort of sounds like a terrible but still makes you laugh pick-up line, doesn't it?). Of course I had to tweak this recipe just a bit. Toasting the macadamia nuts and lightly sprinkling sea salt on the top of the brownies were the only changes I made. The proportions and ingredients remained unchanged.

Don't you love when you find a recipe and you have all of the ingredients in your cabinets and refrigerator? And if you are anything like me, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips are two of the staples in my cabinets.

Dark brown sugar adds just the slightest taste of molasses to cookies and adding to the depth of flavor. The browning of the butter too transforms the taste of these blondies. I used to not think browning the butter mattered when a recipe called for it, but you really can taste the difference between only melted and browned butter in a recipe, especially in these blondies. As soon as the butter is browned, the dark brown sugar is whisked in. Once mixed, the large egg and vanilla are whisked in.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and Kosher salt until blended. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and stir until combined. The chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts are stirred in resulting in a very thick batter.

Using a spatula, scrape mixture into the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula, even out the batter. Lightly sprinkle the top with sea salt. I know I am sea salt obsessed lately. But it is such a flavor booster with chocolate, I just can't resist adding it.

The blondies are baked at 350 degrees for at least 25 minutes or until set around the edges. When testing with a toothpick (in the center), moist crumbs may be attached. Recommend you check for doneness at 20 minutes.

Allow the blondies to cool and then cut into the size bars of your liking. I cut mine into 2x3 inch rectangles. The 7x10 pan yielded 9 blondies. An 8x8 pan will yield up to 12 blondies.

Recipe
Sea Salted White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies (slightly adapted recipe from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook written by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Sandy Gluck)

Ingredients
8 Tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (recommend Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (used Ghiradelli)
Sea salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange macadamia nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool, chop and set aside.
2. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
3. Prepare an 8x8 inch baking pan (I used a 7x10) by lining with parchment paper and lightly buttering and flouring the paper and sides of pan.
4. In a small pan (skillet), melt butter over medium heat. Cook until butter gets foamy, foam subsides leaving the butter brown in spots (about 2-3 minutes).
5. Pour butter into a bowl and immediately add brown sugar. Stir until sugar is melted.
6. Whisk in the large egg and vanilla.
7. After mixing the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, add to the butter/sugar mixture and stir.
8. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.
9. Pour batter in prepared pan. Using an offset spatula even out the batter. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until set around the edges. When testing with a toothpick, there will be some moist crumbs attached.
11. Cool in pan. Cut into 9 to 12 pieces, depending on which sized pan you are using. Or feel free to cut into smaller bites.

Most of us all have celebrations and events that we hold sacred in our lives. Holidays, anniversaries, significant milestone dates and birthdays are just a few of them. Whether these events are significant to us or to those important to us, so many memories come out of these celebrations. Sometimes they are really good memories (the ones you still talk about years, even decades later) and sometimes they aren't (the ones you would like to forget, but still remember years, even decades later). And with all of the social media options available to us today, it makes it so easy these days to give a quick important day shout out to let someone know you are thinking about them. You know how good it feels when you meet someone and they remember your name, well can you imagine how good you make someone feel when you remember an important day or event?

I think no matter how old we get, a card, a phone call, an email, a tweet, an instagram, or a Facebook message from a friend on our birthday always seems to add to the joyfulness and memorableness of the day. There is something about being remembered that just feels really, really good. And whether you are spending the day alone or surrounded by family and friends, being remembered matters. Sometimes its' even better than receiving a tangible gift (and yes those can be nice too). But there is something about being forgotten by a friend (or someone who you thought was a friend) that feels, well, not so good. Not end of the world not so good, but just a simple not so good. We all get just one day a year to celebrate who we are, what we give to others, and what we hope to give in the year ahead. If remembering strengthens connections and friendships (and even trust), what does belated remembering do? Guess it all depends on if the friendship matters.

Plum and Raspberry Cobbler

The month of September is moving too fast for me. Between having a dear friend visit for several days, taking a drive to the Berkshires, and visiting my niece at college, my days and nights have been busy. While I have been cooking, I am now having to learn how to adjust the light for photos as the changes in the light coming into through the windows is causing havoc on my photos. As a result, I haven't been posting everything I have been making. So forgive me now as this posting does not contain as many photos, including what I think is sometimes a good final photo. I am hoping that rather than eating with your eyes this time, you might be inspired to eat after reading words. Okay, self-imposed pressure is on.

Speaking of eating words, I am going to have to eat some of the words I shared with you before. I went on and on how adamant I was about only liking crisps, not cobblers. Well I must now share (or actually confess) that I was wrong in thinking that a crisp topping would never compare to a cobbler topping. Because after eating this plum and raspberry cobbler I have become a cobbler convert. While I still love crisps, I now love cobblers. Or at least I love this cobbler so much so, that I think I might turn the blueberry crisp into a blueberry cobbler as the topping of this cobbler is, as they say out east, wicked awesome. Maybe I was so strong in my opinion (here comes the rationalization) because I had not found a cobbler topping that I liked. Whatever the reason for my narrow view of baked fruit desserts, I am happy to say that my liking repertoire is now permanently expanded.

Before making this plum and raspberry cobbler, I don't recall ever eating a fruit dessert with this combination of fruits before. Amazingly, these two fruits go incredibly well together. The tartness of the raspberries and the sweetness of the plums are an absolutely perfect combination.

The filling in this cobbler is dominated by fruit. Seven plums (I used black plums) and one pint of raspberries are combined with only 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter along with kosher salt and cinnamon. The plums are cut into 1/4 inch thick wedges, skins left on.

The filling mixture is cooked for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the plums are tender and begin to release some of their juices. The raspberries melt into the mixture resulting in a beautiful red purple fruit mixture. The cooked fruit can be set aside or put into the prepared ceramic baking dish (ramekins or baking dish) of your choice. The first time I made the cobbler I used ramekins which made them perfect for individual servings. The second time I used a baking dish as I was going to a gathering of 8 people.  Either way you make this cobbler the presentation is really beautiful.

I have now made this cobbler twice. The first time I made the topping in the food processor, the second time I used both the food processor and a wooden spoon. The next time I make it, I will stay with the use of both the food processor and the wooden spoon as the texture of the dough is so much better when I mix in the whipping cream with a wooden spoon. Depending on the humidity you may use as little as one cup of whipping cream or a little more than 1 1/4 cups of whipping cream. The topping should be moistened with clumps. If you stir until smooth, you have taken the dough too far.

Once the topping is made, you top with tablespoons of the dough until the entire surface is covered. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar (used about 1 Tablespoon of sugar). The cobbler is baked in a hot 425 degree pre-heated oven for 25 to 35 minutes. Check your cobbler after 25 minutes. The top should be golden brown the fruit filling will be bubbling. Important Note: Whether using a baking dish or ramekins, place on a baking sheet or you will have fruit filling spilling onto your oven (this would be mess avoidance advice).

Served with vanilla ice cream this is a perfect end of summer, fall or even winter dessert. The flavor of the topping combined with the fruit filling is comfort food at its' best. And if you need any further convincing this a dessert worth making, I had brought this cobbler to a dinner party and everyone was scraping their bowls with their spoons (a sure sign that it satisfied, even those who might even have been crisp preferrers!).

Recipe
Plum and Raspberry Cobbler (slight adjustment to recipe shared by Kate Jennings in Yankee Magazine)

Ingredients
For the filling:
7 large, ripe black or red plums cut into 1/4 inch thick wedges
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine to medium white cornmeal (recommend Kenyon's Grist Mill cornmeal) 
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus additional for sprinkling on top before baking
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon (recommend Saigon cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 Tablespoons, cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 to 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare either a 9" x 12" baking dish or 6 to 8 ramekins (6 to 8 ounce size)
2. In a medium sized heavy saucepan, stir together fruit, sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt until the plums are tender and releasing their juices, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a food processor, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking sosa, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Mix to combined.
4. Add butter and process until mostly blended with some pea sized pieces still remaining. Transfer to a large bowl.
5. Add in 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and stir with wooden spoon until evenly moistened, lumps will remain.
6. Pour fruit into baking dish or prepared ramekins. Top generously with dough and sprinkle with granulated sugar before putting in oven.
7. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling.
8. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with softened vanilla ice-cream.

In the last week I have been to Newport, Maine (Kennebunkport), Martha's Vineyard and the Berkshires (Lenox, Stockbridge and Great Barrington). Of all of those places, I had never before been to the Berkshires. And having gone just once, I wondered why I waited so long to go. Even without seeing the burst of fall colors in the landscape, I fell in love with the Berkshires from the moment I saw the simple sign on the highway that said "The Berkshire". It certainly helped that the day I was there the sky was an incredible blue, it was sunny and in the 60's. My first stop was The Mount, the home and gardens of Edith Wharton. Because I wanted to take in as much of the Berkshires as a day trip would allow, I only spent 90 minutes at The Mount. I could have stayed hours walking the gardens, going through the house, and taking photos.

For a mansion, the house feels so welcoming and so much less 'pretentious' than the mansions in Newport. Don't get me wrong, I love the mansions in Newport, but The Mount, well it is a house that felt like a 'home'. As beautiful as the home is, it was the gardens that were absolutely spectacular. It would be an understatement to say that I found them mesmerizing. And in spite of the formality and grandeur of the gardens, there was such a sense of peace and inspiration in them. While I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but somehow the sense of design, proportion and elegance all worked in harmony with one another.

There was barely a wisp of change to the color of the leaves in the Berskshires, so in the next several weeks I will venture out there again. This time I will allow myself several hours in the gardens so I can attempt to capture its' beauty with my camera. And if either a cobbler or the Berkshires were not on your bucket list, you should seriously consider adding them. And sooner rather than later. Both are comfort 'foods' for the soul.

Zucchini Bread

No eye rolling please as what I am sharing with you is not your ordinary zucchini bread recipe. I know there may be a few of you making some facial expressions right now because quite possibly we have all been served a zucchini bread that just didn't do it for us. Making us dread seeing it on the table or brought to us as a gift. For some, zucchini bread can even fall into the much aligned fruitcake category. But no one will be making any faces when you bring them or serve them a loaf of this zucchini bread. Even people who say they don't eat zucchini bread will become converts. I promise. Girl Scouts honor.

Yes, I know there are hundreds of zucchini bread recipes out there all claiming to be moist and delicious. But this recipe really does yield a most delicious and moist zucchini bread, one filled with raisins and toasted walnuts and enhanced with a generous teaspoon of cinnamon. The result is a zucchini bread perfect for breakfast (with a schmear of cream cheese), as a mid-day snack (with or without a schmear of cream cheese), or a before bed treat (definitely without the schmear of cream cheese).

The recipe makes two beautiful loaves. One for keeping, one for giving away. I am not big on freezing baked goods, with the exception of chocolate chip cookies. But I have known people who freeze loaves of zucchini bread. With a recipe is as simple as this one, and after having a taste of it warm, you might reconsider freezing a loaf.

The farm stand and road side stands are filled with beautiful zucchini now, making them a perfect end of summer, beginning of fall vegetable to cook, bake or make pickles with. And if you have friends how grew zucchini in their gardens, they are probably looking to give their bountiful harvest away. Which you can turn around and regift to them in the form of a freshly baked loaf of bread. The perfect win-win!

This zucchini bread calls for three cups of shredded zucchini. Depending on the size of the zucchinis you have, you will need anywhere from two to three of them. No peeling necessary as the skins remain on the zucchini when you grate them, adding bits of color to the finished bread. I used a hand grater to shred the zucchini but you can easily grate in your food processor.

Many zucchini breads have nuts in them, but not many of them have raisins. Whether you use golden or dark raisins or a combination of the two will not matter. The sweetness of the dried raisins further transforms this bread from ordinary into extraordinary.

All of dry ingredients, including the shredded zucchini, chopped toasted walnuts and raisins are mixed together in a large bowl. However, I like to first mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon before adding in the zucchini, raisins, and chopped walnuts.

In a separate bowl you will mix together three eggs, two teaspoons of vanilla and one cup of vegetable oil until well combined. You can mix the wet ingredients with a hand mixer or a whisk. When the eggs, vanilla and oil is thorough combined, you pour over the dry ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon until well blended.  The result will be a very dense, thick batter.

The recipe makes two loaves of bread if you are using 5x9 inch pans. If you line the pans with parchment paper the breads will be so easy to remove from the pan. When having to divide batter between two pans I like to weigh them on my kitchen scale so that both loaves come out looking exactly the same. Equally important is that your baking time will also be the same for both loaves. In 5x9 inch pans  at 350 degrees these loaves will bake anywhere from 55 to 65 minutes. I recommend you check them for doneness at 50 minutes, just in case your oven runs a little hot.

Recipe
Zucchini Bread (several adaptations to the Aunt Rose Zucchini Bread recipe shared by Dom DeLuise in his cookbook Eat This It'll Make You Feel Better)

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus some additional for sprinkling on top of loaves
3 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini (2-3 zucchini will yield this amount)
1 cup raisins (golden or dark)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 heaping teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs, room temperate
1 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and line two 5x9 inch loaf pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl first mix in the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Then stir in shredded zucchini, raisins and nut. Mix to blend.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla and oil using a hand mixer or whisk.
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until thorough mixed.
5. Equally divide the batter into the two loaf pans (unless you have a really good eye, suggest you weigh them).
6. Optional: top loaves with a sprinkling of granulated sugar
7. Bake for 55-65 minutes until done. Use a cake tester or toothpick to test for doneness.
8. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

While fall is not yet officially here, September has already had a few sunny, crisp days. Without a doubt, the fall is my absolutely most favorite season and not just because my birthday falls in it (although that would be a good enough, slightly narcissistic though, reason to love it). No really, the weather (especially those cool perfect sleeping weather nights), the flowers, the changes to the landscape, the autumnal fruits and vegetables and of course, the holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving) are all of the reasons that make me love this season more than the others. 

As I was driving the other day, the apple orchard/pumpkin farm had it's 'open' sign up. It may be a little too early, but I can hardly wait to fill the window boxes and decorate the porch with pumpkins. Of course, not the deep orange pumpkins, but the white, green and pale orange ones. And when combined with the flowering kale, they add such a great feel to the farmhouse here. Let's see how long I can wait until I go shopping for pumpkins. My guess is that it won't be too long.

Sea Salted Caramels

Admittedly I love chocolate. Not all chocolate as I have grown to be a tiny bit little fussy as to what chocolate I will or will not eat. Nowadays I have a leaning toward dark chocolate as I have convinced myself it has medicinal qualities. Although I might not necessarily pass up a piece of any good quality milk chocolate. Yet in spite of my love for chocolate, caramels are the one confection that I have an even deeper affection for. Caramels without nuts, with nuts, dipped in dark chocolate, dipped in milk chocolate, with sea salt, or without sea salt. The choices of caramels are endlessly delicious. But if I had to choose just one to eat for the rest of my life (and I am not one who likes to choose only one), without giving it a second thought, I would choose a sea salted caramel. Yes, the deliciousness of a sea salted caramel is beyond amazing. I would call it scream worthy but if I use scream worthy too often when describing some foods, it will lose it's impact. But just know these really are scream worthy. It almost feels sinful to indulge oneself in this buttery, creamy, melt in your mouth confection. With almost being the operative word here as it would be a sin in of itself not to allow oneself to enjoy them, in moderation of course.

It was more than thirty years ago when I made my first batch of caramels. It was my first time using a candy thermometer and my first time making 'candy' (unless of course fudge counts as candy). The recipe was given to me by a woman who I worked with in the china department at Marshall Field's (I was a temporary Christmas employee working primarily to get the employee discount for my holiday shopping). Little did I know at the time that as a result of my time in the china department that I would develop both an obsession (oh I really mean appreciation) for caramels as well as for china. Up until that time I had never tasted a homemade caramel and would often pass over the chocolate covered caramels in the Fannie May Candy box in favor a dark chocolate covered vanilla cream. But after tasting a homemade caramel, the choices I made when receiving a box of chocolates changed. And a gift of a box of caramels has become more treasured than a box of chocolates.

While I no longer have the small piece of paper on which the recipe was beautifully written, the recipe itself lives on. In part thanks to one of my friends who re-shared my recipe with me as I had misplaced the even smaller piece of paper I had typed (yes, typed) the recipe on. In the last several years I have made one change to this recipe. After discovering how sea salt even further elevates the taste of caramel, the caramels I make these days are now finished with sea salt.

I don't know if it was the anticipation of fall, seeing caramel apples, or the humidity finally breaking, that made me want to make the sea salted caramels this week or not. I do know that this is one of those cooler, not overly humid weather making confections. Although I recall making them in the August heat for a county fair years back. It must have been my lucky day (or the reward for suffering through the making of these caramels on a wickedly hot day) as the caramels not only won the blue ribbon in the candy division, they won a grand prize ribbon as well. I am not sure what compelled me back then to enter a county fair (with women who take these contests rather seriously), but that bucket list experience has now been checked off.

Having a good heavy sauce pan is as important as having an accurate candy thermometer when making caramels. My personal pan preference is All-Clad, however, any heavy duty stainless pan should work.  If you have not yet bought a candy thermometer, consider getting a digital one as they take the guessing out of knowing when you have reached your desired temperature. The caramel making process all begins when one pound of unsalted butter is melted over low to medium heat.

Once the butter is melted, one pound of light brown sugar and a pinch of Kosher salt is added and mixed until the brown sugar has melted into the butter. Stir with a wooden spoon to ensure there are no lumps. Why wooden spoon? The mixture is going to gradually increase in temperature so it is best to begin and end with using a wooden spoon as a metal spoon will begin to take on the heat as the cooking process continues. Trust me, I have learned this from experience.

The corn syrup is added, followed by the sweetened condensed milk. Each time you add an ingredient, stir until well blended. Cooking over medium-low heat it will take anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes before the caramel reaches 248 degrees. You do not need to stir it constantly, but whatever you do, do not walk away from the cooking caramel. I generally stir the mixture every 2-3 minutes, making certain there is no burning at the bottom of the pan. Once the caramel reaches 248 degrees, remove from the burner and quickly stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Your parchment paper lined 9x12 inch pan should be ready and waiting as you want to immediately pour the hot caramel mixture into the prepared pan. Allow the poured caramel to set for several minutes before lightly sprinkling sea salt over the top. Some of the sea salt will melt into the caramel, so be careful to sprinkle very lightly here. You will be adding more sea salt once the caramels have cooled completely and you are ready to cut.

You can cut the caramels into any size. I like to cut mine into 1 inch squares as it makes for a perfect bite. Remember, a light sprinkling of sea salt is added to the cooled caramels right before you get ready to cut and wrap.

Wrapping the caramels in cellophane makes for a great presentation and also keeps them fresh. I usually cut squares from a roll of cellophane unless I had some store bought precut squares (which is not very often). Once all of the caramels are wrapped, you can package them on platters or in bags. Once the weather turns much cooler and there is no humidity, I will store the caramels in a tin in the house. Until that time, I will store them in a container in the refrigerator, bringing them to room temperature before serving. If you are looking for the perfect gift to bring to your friends, you have now found it.

Recipe

Sea Salted Caramels (adaptation of a recipe given to me more than 30 years ago)

Ingredients

1 pound light brown sugar

1 pound unsalted butter

1 cup corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of Kosher salt

sea salt for finishing (recommend Maldon sea salt)

Optional: 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Melt butter in a heavy medium sized saucepan over low to medium heat.

2. Add brown sugar and pinch of Kosher salt. Stir so that no lumps remain.

3. Add corn syrup and stir until blended.

4. Add sweetened condensed milk. Stir until blended.

5. On medium heat cook mixture until it reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from heat when it reaches this temperature.

6. Add vanilla and stir with a wooden spoon. Optional: If you like your caramels with nuts in them, you will quickly stir them in after you have added the vanilla. Remember to toast and chop them before adding to the caramel mixture.

7. Pour mixture into 9x12 inch pan lined with parchment paper.

8. Allow to set for 5 minutes and lightly sprinkle with sea salt (don't over do it here as you will be adding more later).

9. Allow to cool. Continue cooling in refrigerator.

10. Remove from the refrigerator and lightly sprinkle caramels with sea salt. Using a long sharp knife, cut caramels into 1 inch squares and wrap with cellophane.

11. During warmer weather store in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving or eat chilled.

12. During cooler weather, place wrapped caramels in a tin or container.

When the fall came when I was in elementary school there were taffy apples for sale every Friday. I think they were called affy tapples and while not having much caramel on them, they transformed an apple and were a welcoming end of the week treat. At the time it was the only way I would eat an apple. Since experiencing the mass produced, pre-packaged taffy apples, I have found candy stores (the mom and pop ones) who make some rather amazing caramel apples. Probably my favorites are the caramel apples made by Dan's Homemade Candies in Joliet, Illinois. While its been more than 7 years since I had one of their apples, I haven't come across a hand dipped caramel apple I like better (and it is not for the like of trying). Recently a friend told me they shipped their apples, but there is something about going into a store and picking 'just the right one'.

Isn't it funny how we remember the foods from our childhood? Maybe these foods have left a permanent impact on our taste buds. And while history is the enemy of memory, I would venture to say that if I were to eat some of those exact same favorite childhood foods today I might wonder what it was that made me think they were the best things ever. And whether it's a memory of really good or really bad food, we also seem to have the uncanny ability to remember not only what we ate growing up, but also the foods of a holiday meal or those experienced at a meal with a friend. I may not remember what I had for lunch last week, but I can remember almost all of the meals that had some significance or affected me in some way. Because sometimes it wasn't the food that mattered at all. It was who the meal was shared with that made the food seem like the best one ever. Regardless if that food was an incredible confection or even just a late night McDonald's cheeseburger.