When I read in an email from my favorite local cooking store they were looking for volunteers for their baking or cooking demonstration days, I thought 'this could be a fun first'. Then I thought 'or maybe not'. Sharing my love of cooking and baking in the relative anonymity of a foodblog and sharing it in a large professional kitchen with a live audience; making a mess in my own kitchen and baking and making a mess in someone's kitchen (with an audience); and, baking in my oven versus in an unfamiliar oven for the first time were just some of the rambling variables spinning in my head as I debated over whether or not to volunteer. Having a tendency to just 'do' rather than spending time 'thinking through it', this whole decision making process took less than a couple of minutes (I think fast). As the days to my afternoon as a guest baker got closer, I thought 'what was I thinking?'.
My life is filled with sleepless nights. Add a little anxiousness into the mix and I am lucky to get the equivalent of a power nap in. On the morning of the demonstration the butterflies in my stomach (not a bad thing) turned into a stomach on a high speed roller coaster (not a good thing). Fortunately most of this subsided by the time I got to the store and started setting up. Even a batch of White Chocolate Pistachio Shortbread cookies (aka Amy's Cookies) over baked because the timer wasn't set and a small bowl of white chocolate burned in the microwave didn't unnerve me (another 'first' of the day, not being unnerved that is). All in all it was an exhilarating, exhausting, energizing experience, one I may not have had if I allowed myself to overanalyze and over think it.
All of the good exhaustion from baking and talking for three hours allowed me to get five solid hours of sleep and get my creative energies going. Making caramels is one of my 'fall as soon as the weather turns less humid, cooler' rituals. For years I have been making the Sea Salted Caramels, always wrapping them in cellophone (the most tedious part of making them). On their own, these caramels are insanely delicious. But if I 'wrapped' them in chocolate, they would be? Better than the all caramel Milky Way bar? A candy to die for? Almost too beautiful to eat? The answers are yes, yes, yes. Only it would be a crime if you didn't eat them.
Making caramels is easy as long as you have a reliable candy thermometer, a deep heavy saucepan, a long handled whisk or wooden spoon, and use a quality unsalted butter. When buying the butter for these caramels look for an unsalted made with at least 82% butterfat. In a New York Times article, Dorie Greenspan explains butterfat affect a 'butter's flavor, texture, and workability' and why every 'little bit counts'. American butters must contain at least 80% butterfat, however, European butters contain at least 82% butterfat. When making caramels, candies and sauces, the extra 2% of butterfat makes a significant difference.
In addition to the generous pinch of sea salt that goes into the caramels themselves, I like to lightly sprinkle the finished caramels with additional sea salt to further intensify the flavor of the caramel. Just like all butters are not created equal, neither are sea salts. My current favorites are the french Fleur de Sel and Maldon sea salt.
After the caramels were cut, I chilled them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before dipping them in the melted chocolate. This made the dipping process easier and it also 'set' the chocolate faster. If you want the sea salt on the chocolate instead of the caramel, you will need to add the sea salt onto each piece immediately after it is dipped. Otherwise if you wait until you dipped several, the chocolate will have already 'set' and the salt will not adhere.
In spite of the burning of the white chocolate in the microwave hiccup in my baking demonstration (the store's microwave was significantly more powerful than mine at home), I still prefer the melting in the microwave over the double-boiler/simmering water method. Considering the amount of caramels to be dipped, I divided the chocolate in half, melting one bowl at a time, in order to ensure my melted chocolate had the same consistency throughout the dipping process.
Why I did not start dipping these caramels years ago I can't understand. Fear of failure? Fear of the unknown? Fear of what? The worst thing that could have happened was that I would have ruined some chocolate and a batch of caramels. Not the end of the world things.
After all of the caramels were dipped, I used a fork to drizzle the remaining chocolate over the caramels, trying not to make too much of mess or let too much of my inner "Pig-Pen" come out.
There are some chocolate combinations that work better than others. (Disclaimer: This is totally based on my palate's biases and preferences.) Dark chocolate is my current preference for dipping cashews, milk chocolate for dipping macadamia nuts, dark chocolate for coating coconut balls, and milk chocolate for dipping caramels. A month from now this may all change and I might be dipping these caramels in dark chocolate. Unless of course, I decide to over think it.
"It's impossible," said pride. "It's risky," said experience. "It's pointless," said reason. "Give it a try," whispered the heart. If you have never made chocolate dipped caramels before, just try. And if for any reason your caramels aren't perfect the first time or the dipping isn't as perfect as you would like, keep trying. These chocolate dipped sea salted caramels will be worth your time, energy and effort. Because is there anything better than caramel and chocolate?
Chocolate Dipped Sea Salted Caramels
Ingredients
1 pound light brown sugar
1 pound unsalted butter (recommend unsalted Kerrygold, any European style butter, or any butter with at least an 82% butterfat content)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
generous pinch of Kosher or sea salt (about a 1/4 teaspoon)
sea salt for finishing (recommend Maldon sea salt)
1 to 1 1/2 pounds of milk chocolate, chopped, melted (divided) Or a combination of milk and dark chocolate
Optional: 1 cup of roasted, chopped walnuts
Directions
1. Melt butter in a heavy medium sized saucepan over low to medium heat.
2. Add brown sugar and pinch of Kosher or sea salt whisking so no lumps remain.
3. Add corn syrup whisking until blended.
4. Add sweetened condensed milk whisking until blended.
5. On medium heat cook mixture until it reaches 248 degrees (F) on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from heat when it reaches this temperature.
6. Add vanilla and stir with a wooden spoon. (Note: If you like your caramels with nuts in them, stir in after you have added the vanilla. Remember to toast and chop them before adding to the caramel mixture.)
7. Pour mixture into 9" x 12" inch pan lined with parchment paper.
8. Allow to set for 5 minutes and lightly sprinkle with sea salt
9. Allow to cool. Optional: Continue cooling in refrigerator to firm up as it makes cutting them easier or let them cool for several hours or overnight.
10. Remove from the refrigerator. Using a long sharp knife, cut caramels into 1 inch squares. Return caramels to refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Note: If caramels are too firm to cut after refrigeration, let them sit out for about an hour.
11. Melt milk chocolate (microwaving or over simmering water melting methods).
12. Dip each caramel in the melted chocolate, place on a large cutting board or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
13. With remaining chocolate, drizzle melted chocolate over caramels using a fork.
14. Allow to set. Place in small paper cups. Store in a covered container set in a cool place.
Early on in our life we often hear the words 'clean up your mess'. Little do we know or realize when asked to clean our rooms or the mess we made in the house these words would become applicable to cleaning up messes we make in our lives. We all make them, intentionally or unintentionally, as they are sometimes the way we learn about ourselves, our strengths, and our shortcomings. And sometimes we become temporarily paralyzed when trying to figure out to clean up a mess we have made. Ironically, this actually takes more energy than just doing something about it. The state of semi-paralysis has consequences, usually not good ones. Whenever I have ignored one of the 'messes' I have created or have been a party to, it often turns into something bigger, something harder to do, something harder to repair. Never a good life lesson, never a good way to feel good about yourself, and almost never good feelings left with anyone else either.
As I left my baking demonstration, my 'sous chef' said 'one of the best parts of the day is that you don't have to clean up'. While it was nice to not have to clean up the bowls, pans and utensils I used, I sort of missed having the 'closure' to this experience. For me, nothing is worse than not having closure (the proverbial hanging chads in one's life). This need for closure may drive some those around me a little crazy at times because I like to talk through things whenever there is a 'mess'. Because isn't that how we grow and how friendships and relationships grow? For me the answers are yes and yes. Things are always better when you talk though them, when there is closure, no matter if the closure is or isn't what you thought or wanted it to be.
