Apple Cider Caramels

I spent my weekend getting ready for the holidays by wrapping presents and making candy. In addition to my favorite holiday candy (Peppermint Bark), I made these apple cider caramels. Wowza, these have some serious flavor. They taste like a bite-sized caramel apple with tiny bits of sea salt that you notice as you chew on them. Goodness, they are good. And as far as candy making goes, these were really simple and are jam-packed full of flavor. Make them! Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups apple cider (not juice)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 candy thermometer

Pour the apple cider into a 3 quart saucepan and place on the stove over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and let reduce until the liquid measures about 1/2-1/3 cup (this will likely take 30-45 minutes). 

Meanwhile, measure out the sugars, butter, and cream and set aside. In a small bowl stir together the salt and cinnamon and set aside. Prepare an 8x8 inch baking pan by lining two strips of parchment paper on the bottom, leaving extra hanging off the top for easy removal once the caramel hardens. Set aside.

Once the apple cider has reduced, remove from heat and add the sugars, butter, and cream and stir to combine. Put back on the burner on medium-high heat and bring to a boil until the mixture reaches a temperature of 252 degrees F (about 5 minutes). Promptly remove from heat, stir in the cinnamon/salt mixture and pour into the parchment paper-lined pan. Let cool/harden on the counter (~2 hours) or in the fridge (faster). 

Once hardened, remove the caramel by pulling up on the sides of the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Using a well oiled sharp knife, cut into 1-inch squares and wrap in parchment/wax paper, twisting the sides to keep the caramel sealed. These will keep fresh for approximately 2 weeks on the counter. You can store them in the fridge, but I found them to be too hard when cold and just perfect when room temperature. 

Hot Cocoa Mix

Every year around this time I try to find some type of edible DIY gift. Last year I made vanilla extract and used it as stocking stuffers for my family. This year I stumbled upon this Hot Cocoa Mix that looked delicious and decided to make good use of a work-from-home day and made a bunch of these jars to give away (but not before trying a cup of hot cocoa first!). Its a very rich and chocolatey cocoa. Top notch!

INGREDIENTS
4 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 pound semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 pound milk chocolate, chopped

2 cups cocoa powder

In a food processor pulse together the sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth. Pour into the bottom of a very large bowl. Add half the chocolate to the food processor and process until completely ground (do not pulse too long, or else the oils will be released and it will start to clump together). Once all the chocolate is pulsed/ground, pour it into the bowl with the sugar. Finally add the cocoa powder and whisk to combine all ingredients. You may need to break up any small clumps of cocoa or ground chocolate as you whisk. 

Pour into jars and close tightly. Attach a note with directions on how to make each cup of cocoa. Directions are as follows: Warm 1 cup (8 oz.) of milk in a microwave or on the stove. Add 3-4 tablespoons of cocoa mix and stir together to combine. Serve and enjoy!

Will last approximately 10 months. 

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up

Thanksgiving is just around the corner... it snuck up on me! As always, I am spending the holiday with my grandparents in Michigan, where I will get my fill of fresh apple cider, chili-dogs, and midwestern charm. Our Thanksgiving dinner menu never changes, but in case your does, here are a few of my favorite fall/winter side dishes that could go well with your Thanksgiving turkey this year. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque 

Arugula and Grapefruit Salad

My Grandma's Thanksgiving Stuffing

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pumpkin Pie

Chewy Molasses Cookies

Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Pie

Buttermilk pie is one of the greatest desserts. I ate it often growing up because my childhood friend's mother made the best buttermilk pie in the world. I haven't had it in years (not for lack of trying, though... there was one buttermilk pie failure with friends in NYC a few years ago), but I stumbled upon this recipe a few days ago and brought it to a friend's house for dessert this weekend. It was delicious. The vanilla bean in this recipe definitely added another layer of flavor and this pie hit the spot. A southern classic! Make sure you don't overcook the pie- you want it to be just barely set so that its still custardy when you serve it. *Adapted from Karen Barker's Sweet Stuff.

INGREDIENTS
1 9-inch raw pie crust (store bought or homemade)
1 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, seeded
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pre-bake the pie crust for 10 minutes with parchment paper lining the crust and pie weights or beans on top of the parchment paper. Remove crust from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds, cornstarch, and salt. The mixture will be very thick. Slowly whisk in the buttermilk and cream until well incorporated. Slowly stream in the melted butter and whisk well. Pour into the bottom of the (slightly) pre-baked crust and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven temperature down to 325 and bake another 30 minutes, until pie is just set in the middle but still jiggly. Remove from oven, let cool to room temperature. Serve slightly chilled.

Rustic Plum Tart

This is hands down the easiest dessert I have ever made. It took 5 minutes to put together, 40 to bake, 15 to cool, and 2 to devour. It was so tasty, even my non-dessert eating friend ended up finishing his first, and then tilted his plate toward his mouth to sip the last few drops of ice creamy-plum syrup. Serves 6 with 1 scoop of ice cream on each plate. *Adapted from Sunny Anderson's recipe on Food Network.

INGREDIENTS 

1 raw and chilled pie crust, homemade or not (enough for a 9-inch pie)

1 lb. ripe plums

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup apricot jam

1 egg, plus 1 tablespoon of water (egg wash)

1 teaspoon sugar

Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator and let sit on the counter for about 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Meanwhile, pit and slice the plums into 1/4-inch wedges. Place in a medium bowl and sprinkle with flour. Toss with your hands to coat. This will help thicken the tart as it cooks so you're not left with a goopy soggy mess. Not that a goopy soggy mess wouldn't still be delicious... because it would.

Next, roll out the pie crust into a thin circle, measuring about 12-inches in diameter and place on the cookie sheet. Spoon the apricot jam on the bottom of the crust in a circle, ending about 2-inches from the edge. Pour the plums on top of the jam and spread in an even layer. Fold the edges of the crust over the plums, leaving the center exposed and press lightly to seal. Brush the edges with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until deep golden brown and bubbly. 

Let cool 15 minutes, slice into 6 pieces (like a pizza) and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

The Best Challah French Toast

When I was a kid, my mom would make challah (a brioche-like egg bread) every Friday night and it always turned into the best french toast the next morning. She still makes challah every Friday night, but the difference is that I no longer live at home, so I miss out on the opportunity for weekly challah french toast.

BUT, my mother is the best mother in the history of the world, and this week she over-nighted me a package with the perfect loaf of homemade challah inside. I invited a girlfriend over for brunch this weekend and made her an updated version of the challah I grew up making. And it was a hit!
Serves 4.


INGREDIENTS
8 (3/4-inch) slices of challah bread
4 large eggs
1 cup milk/half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange juice
"some" ground nutmeg
"a lot" of cinnamon
butter & canola/vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 250 degrees and place a cookie sheet on the middle rack.

In a 9x13 pan, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, oj, a pinch or two of ground nutmeg and a bunch of shakes of ground cinnamon. Make sure to really incorporate the cinnamon into the wet ingredients. Take each piece and dunk in the egg mixture, for about 1 minute per side and place in a skillet set on medium heat with a bit of butter and oil in the bottom. Cook for ~2-3 minutes per side, or until perfectly golden brown. Flip and cook the other side the same. Once cooked on both sides, place on a cookie sheet in the preheated oven to keep warm while the rest of the bread is cooking. Continue to add more nutmeg and cinnamon to the egg mixture as needed, whisking to incorporate, and continue dipping and cooking the bread the same way.

Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar on top and a maple syrup drizzle. Mmm mmm mmm.

Fish Tacos

I made fish tacos this week to satisfy a mexican food craving. I combined a few recipes and the end result was a delicious and flavorful taco. Although it is not pictured, the cilantro-lime crema is ESSENTIAL. Adapted from Cooking Light. Serves 4.

TACO INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pound flakey fish (tilapia, red snapper)
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups shredded cabbage
cilantro-lime crema
8 corn tortillas

Mix together the lime juice, orange juice, and taco seasoning and pour into a large ziploc bag. Add the fish to the bag, and seal the bag, taking all the air out. Marinade for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, head the oven to 425 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Take the fish and place in a single layer on the cookie sheet and bake for ~9 minutes, or until flakey.

While the fish is in the oven, make the cilantro-lime crema by stirring together the following ingredients.

Cilantro-Lime Crema Ingredients
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Once fish is cooked and cilantro-lime crema has been prepared, heat the tortillas according to package directions. Flake the fish and place into hot tortillas, top with shredded cabbage, and lime crema. Serve with any other toppings (guacamole, salsa, etc.) and enjoy!