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----- Original Message -----
From: Jackie
To: "Phaedrus"
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 3:16 PM
Subject: Nut recipes
> Hello Phaed....
> Was searching for the holiday nut recipes I see in the fairs
> and bazzars--they are sweet walnuts or almonds and spicy nuts also.
> Any ideas you can pass on to me?
> Thanks ---- Jackie
>
>
Hi Jackie,
See this site for dozens of recipes:
Nut Recipes
Phaed
----- Original Message -----
From: Anne
To: phaedrus
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 8:25 PM
Subject: regarding toffee recipes
Dear Phaedrus,
You certainly do work hard at your webpage. I am endlessly
impressed with your website and thought I'd visit it again
with a question of my own!
I saw that you had several recipes for Toffee and Butter Crunch
Toffee. Would you possibly know if any of the recipes on the
website are for a less crunchy type of toffee? I'd like to make
some this holiday season to take to a 94 yr. old Aunt who lives
in a retirement home. I'd hate to make something that might pop
out someone's teeth! So I'm seeking a softer "crunchy" toffee.
Once again, thank you so much for all of your advice and that
wonderful website of yours! You're a very special man, Phaed...Bravo!
Anne
Hi Anne,
It's extremely difficult to search for a recipe with a description such as
"less crunchy". One must try to think of search phrases that will find the
correct recipes while eliminating as many of the incorrect ones as possible.
"Soft toffee" doesn't work, because soft toffee is a candy itself and is not
what you want. "Less hard" and "less crunchy" did not work, either. Sometimes
luck is on one's side and you just happen across a recipe that seems to fit
the bill. Perhaps the one below, which is described as both soft and crunchy?
Phaed
Mahogany Buttercrunch Toffee
A chocolate and nut soft toffee. The name does not do it justice,
this confection will become a holiday tradition. Wrap large chunks
in colored plastic wrap and tie with a ribbon for your gift baskets.
2 cups blanched sliced almonds
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate (coarsely chopped or chips)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place almonds on a cookie sheet and bake them for 5-10 minutes
until golden.
3. Watch carefully, they go from getting hot to dark brown in just
a few seconds!
4. Cool to room temperature.
5. In a food processor pulse the almonds until they are finely chopped.
6. Sprinkle half of the nuts over a 7 inch by 10 inch area of a
greased baking sheet.
7. Set aside.
8. In a medium, heavy saucepan combine the brown sugar, water and butter.
9. Have your baking soda and vanilla extract ready.
10. Over medium heat bring the sugar mixture to boil.
11. Stir occasionally to prevent burning until the mixture reaches 285
degrees F. (soft-crack stage).
12. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat as the temperature
will rapidly rise.
13. Immediately add the baking soda and vanilla extract.
14. Pour this mixture over the nuts on your baking sheet.
15. Quickly scatter the chocolate over the hot toffee.
16. Press lightly so it starts melting.
17. After about five minutes, the chocolate will be soft enough to
spread with a long metal spatula in an even layer over the toffee.
18. Spread the remaining chopped almonds over the melted chocolate.
19. Cool completely and break into irregular pieces using a sharp knife.
20. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about one month.
21. Makes one pound.
22. Can be doubled.
----- Original Message -----
From: Anne
To: phaedrus
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 8:25 PM
Subject: regarding toffee recipes
Dear Phaedrus,
I'm also seeking a caramel recipe that won't stick to one's teeth
so if you know of a recipe for that, feel free to let me know!
(I hear that the French make caramels like that but haven't found
a decent recipe yet.)
Anne
Hi Anne,
A candy maker I'm not, but the below recipe for French butter caramel
is said to be tasty and very unsticky.
Phaed
Caramel with Salted Butter
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (see note)
1 pound superfine sugar (about 2 3/4 cups)
1/4 cup corn syrup
Bring the half-and-half, butter and fleur de sel to boil in a heavy,
3-quart saucepan. Set aside.
Stir together the sugar and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Bring
to a temperature of 293 degrees on a candy thermometer over medium
heat. As the sugar begins to melt, swirl the pan often until all
the sugar is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and add the
half-and-half mixture. Set the pan over medium heat and bring the
mixture to 248 degrees, stirring frequently. This will take 10 to
15 minutes. (The mixture will look like a caramel sauce.)
Pour into an 8-inch-square nonstick pan and allow to set 2 hours.
After the caramel has completely cooled, set the pan over very low
heat just enough to loosen the caramel, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Invert the pan onto a nonstick surface. Cut the caramel into 36
pieces and wrap individually. Store in a dry place.
Servings: 36 caramels.
Each caramel: 115 calories; 90 milligrams sodium; 16 milligrams
cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates;
0 protein; 0 fiber.
Note: Fleur de sel, a sea salt, is sold at specialty markets.
(You can probably use another sea salt if you'd like...)
From Alain Ducasse at the Essex House Restaurant in New York.
From: "Laura"
To: "phaedrus"
Subject: Chile Chocolate Torte--Spicy Chocolate Cake request 11/10/04
Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 8:18 AM
Dear Phaedrus,
This comes from "The New Vegetarian Epicure", author Anna Thomas
I recently borrowed this book from the library, and fell in love
with it...this is one of many wonderful recipes. I believe this
cake is right on target for what the poster is looking for:
The cake is absolutely fabulous.
"Mole Poblano, the famous chile and chocolate sauce of Mexico,
combines those essentially American flavors, and numerous other
spices, with a strong emphasis on the chile. In this wonderful
cake, the ratio is reversed, and Pasilla Chile Paste adds a subtle
kick to the rich chocolate flavor. The effect is something like
that of a true gingerbread, sweet but genuinely spicy. If you don't
tell people what is is, they never guess."
Chile Chocolate Torte
butter and flour for cake pan
1 cup toasted almonds, with skins
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBS ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp anise seeds, crushed in a mortar
1/2 tsp salt
9 oz dark (semi-sweet) chocolate
3 TBS thick Pasilla Chile Paste (recipe follows)
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 TBS unsalted butter
2 TBS cream
1 TBS light corn syrup
Butter a 9-inch springform cake pan, and line the bottom with
a circle of buttered wax paper. Dust the pan with flour, tapping
out the excess.
In the container of the food processor, fitted with the steel
blade, blend together the almonds, brown sugar, spices, and salt
until the texture resembles cornmeal. Add five ounces of the
chocolate, broken into bits, and blend again until the chocolate
is finely ground. Add the chile paste and the 4 egg yolks and pulse
briefly, then scrape the mixture out into an ample bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until
they hold soft peaks. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar and
continue beating until the whites hold stiff peaks.
Stir about a third of this meringue thoroughly into the chocolate
mixture to lighten it, then carefully fold in the remainder. Keep
folding gently just until there are no large streaks of egg white
left.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula,
and bake the torte in the center of a preheated 325F oven for 50-55
minutes, or until it tests done. Let the torte cool a while in the
pan, then remove it, invert it onto a wire rack, and let it finish
cooling.
In a double boiler or a steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water,
melt the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate with the butter, cream, and
corn syrup. Stir until completely smooth. Let this glaze cool until
it is medium-warm.
Set the torte, on its rack, over a large platter or a sheet of wax
paper, and pour the glaze over it. Smooth the glaze with a spatula
and let it drizzle down the sides. It thickens as it cools, so you
can adjust the look to your liking.
Transfer the torte carefully to a beautiful serving platter, and
allow to stand at cool room temperature for 2-3 hours. The glaze
should set and remain glossy.
Serve each slice of torte accompanied by a scoop of Orange and
Mango Sorbet, or some other refreshing fruit ice.
This is a moist cake, and keeps well for a couple of days if
covered with plastic wrap. You'll enjoy having some leftovers
of this.
Serves 16.
Pasilla Chile Paste
5-6 dried pasilla chile pods
Rinse the pasilla chile pods, break them apart, pull out their
stems and seeds, and put them in a small saucepan with water
just to cover. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a
simmer for a few minutes, then remove from the heat and leave
the pods to soak for 30 minutes.
Puree the softened pods in a blender or food processor with
enough of the remaining water to form a soft but thick paste.
Put the puree through a strainer, measure out 3 TBS, and reserve
the rest for another use, storing it in a tightly covered jar,
in the refrigerator.
Note: When working with chiles, wear rubber gloves, or wash your
hands very thoroughly afterwards. I find that rubbing my hands
first with vegetable oil, and then washing them several times
with soap and water, is very effective for removing chile oil.
Enjoy!
Laura
From: "Laura"
To: "phaedrus"
Subject: Spiced Round of Beef request 11/10/04
Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 8:02 AM
Dear Phaedrus,
I found this through a Google Groups search...I'll hunt around,
also...I Know I've got at least one Southern cookbook containing
a recipe/instructions. Anyway, in the meantime, this should be
close! I believe that the beef used to be larded, with a larding
tool, to ensure tenderness. The spices, course, can be amended
to suit taste, personally, I'd toss some ginger into the mix, also
some cayenne pepper. It's weighted, to compress the meat, which
allows you to slice it thinly. It is utterly delicious!
Laura
Spiced Beef
******************************************************
Ingredients:
6 pound piece of brisket, sirloin tip or eye of round
3 bay leaves. finely chopped
1 teaspoon powdered mace
6 finely ground cloves
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
1 large garlic clove made into a paste with salt
1 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons molasses
2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound cooking salt (use Kosher...my commentary)
2 teaspoons saltpetre
Directions:
Mix all spices and flavorings together. Place beef in a large dish
and rub well all over mixture. Refrigerate in a covered bowl. Repeat
this process every day for a week, turning the meat and rubbing in
the spices which will now be mixed with the juices drawn from the
meat. Tie the meat up firmly and rub a final teaspoon of ground cloves.
Cover with water and simmer slowly for 6 hours. When cool enough to
handle remove from the cooking liquid, place in a dish and cover with
a weighted plate. Slice very thinly and serve.
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