Food Gift - Chai Tea Caramels

Here's another FOOD GIFT idea that has been a hit at my house. These Chai Tea Infused Caramels are full of the warm, slight peppery and cinnamon flavors of a cozy Chai Tea or Chai Tea Latte, but can be carried around for a quick nibble or snack.

Chai Tea Caramels

These can be made ahead of time because they keep for quite awhile, making them perfect for gifts, a party or travel snacks.

I sent a bunch of these into my husband's office a few months ago and I'm still famous for them. Haha :D
My teenage son's friends ask me about them every time they visit, and my mom loved the soft edible caramel that didn't stick or break her teeth.
Be sure to watch the temperature on these because (like a lot of candy making), sometimes it feels like the temperature will never move above 200F and then all of a sudden it zooms up and surprises you. If that happens, all is not lost, you'll just have harder caramels ( ala See's Candy type caramels.) For the softer, easy to chew caramels make sure you take it off the heat right at 248F. You'll love the toasty flavors of these addictive sweets, and your family and friends will be very complimentary and impressed that you made your own caramels.

If you don't have, or can't find a nice Chai Tea, try a different highly flavorful tea like a smokey black tea or a fruity berry Tisane (herbal) Tea.

Recipe: Chai Tea Caramels

2 cups Heavy Cream
3 Tablespoons Chai Tea
3/4 cup Agave Syrup (or 1 cup Corn Syrup)
2 cups Sugar
5 oz. (6 Tablespoons) Butter
1/4 cup Mild Molasses
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Pinch of Cloves
Pinch of Pepper

***Prepare an 8" x 8" sided baking pan by spraying it, lining it with parchment paper (that hangs over a couple inches), and spraying the parchment.***

1) In a saucepan, bring the cream and tea to a simmer (but do not boil), take off the heat, cover and let the tea infuse the cream for about 10-15 minutes.

2) Strain the tea out, then in a larger saucepan add the tea infused cream to the Agave (or corn syrup), sugar, butter and molasses.

3) Bring to a boil, stir often and continue to boil until the mixture reaches 248F on a candy thermometer. This takes about 15-25 minutes.

4) Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla and spices.

5) Pour into the prepared pan and allow to sit overnight or about 12 hours.6) Flip onto an oiled cutting board. Cut into 1 inch pieces and wrap in parchment paper squares or cellophane wrappers.These can last for several weeks if kept out of the heat or moisture.Give these in a filled mug, a decorative box, a party bag or maybe you have another idea. I'd love to have you share some ideas in the comments. Have a wonderful season and much love to you and yours from ShowFood Chef. :D

Pumpkin Pie Cookies - 4 Ingredients - Simple Saturday and Gluten Free

My teen son named these "Pumpkin Pie Cookies" because they taste just like a slice of Pumpkin Pie (without the pastry.) They're spongy and light, just like the custard filling in a creamy Pumpkin Pie. They couldn't be easier to make and they pair really well with a cup of hot tea, cocoa or (for the adults) a quick shot of cozy brandy. This recipe uses only 4 ingredients: Pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs and pumpkin pie spice with salt.
They're naturally gluten free and packed with the vitamins of pure pumpkin and cage free eggs.
Feel free to try other spice blends with them, too. I loved them with a sprinkle of Garam Masala. Because they're so light and small, they make easy "pop-in-your-mouth" Pumpkin Whoopie pies using Cinnamon Cream Cheese filling for the middle. It's like a slice of pumpkin pie, without the need of a pie shell, and in a take-along shape. They may remind you of my Easiest Nutella Cookies - 2 ingredients (here.)

I hope you enjoy baking and eating these Pumpkin Pie Cookies. Thanks for stopping by.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cookies - 4 Ingredients

3/4 cup Organic Pumpkin Puree
2 eggs
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice and a Dash of Salt
(or make your own spice blend of 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves and a dash of salt)

1) Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together rapidly for about a minute to fully incorporate the eggs and pumpkin blend.

2) Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a silpat (or parchment paper) covered baking sheet.

3) Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 13-15 minutes. Turn the pan about half-way through the baking time for even heating. Let cool on the pan and remove with a spatula.

**Optional - garnish with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar icing.

Recipe: Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

3 oz. Cream Cheese (soft)
1-2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon

1) In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, cinnamon and 1 cup of powdered sugar.
2) Add more powdered sugar as needed for taste and spreading.

Gingerbread Spice Biscotti

Gingerbread Spice Biscotti

There are times when smells, flavors, voices, songs or lighting can turn into your own personal time machine. Dipping one of these crunchy, not-too-sweet, toasted Gingerbread Spice Biscotti into a cup of tea/coffee/or hot chocolate while listening to Sounds of the Season and gazing at twinkling lights - well - it's your own little sleigh into blissdom.During the snowy, freezing winter months in North Carolina, very often my school bus would be late or gloriously weather bound. School would be canceled and my brother and I would be left to hang out by a warming stove at my Grandmother's farm house. That also meant we would be there for the morning biscuits - hot out of the oven. She would wrap one for each of us in a paper napkin, poke a hole through the top (steam billowing out like a little pastry locomotive) then she'd pour in a drizzle of black strap molasses. I've never had an Italian pastry that could compare or make me giggle as much as standing beside a wood-burning fire, wearing snow-soaked boots and sinking my teeth into that warm, sticky, sweet baked dough-ball.It's the molasses in this biscotti, along with the always smile-provoking spices of nutmeg, cloves, ginger and cinnamon that make this little toasted cookie/biscuit so addictive. I'm not even a giant fan of gingerbread (to be honest), but the molasses have kept me making these and eating half of them myself for a few years now. They make great gifts and because they keep well you can make them ahead of time. As with most biscotti, these are baked twice: once as a long loaf, then sliced and toasted to create the crumble and snap that is so good for dipping. If you prefer them a little softer, you can skip the second baking - but at least try it once or with half the pastry.The word "Biscotti" is Italian and the Tuscan region gets credit for creating them. It means "cookie" or "biscuit" in Italian, but is literally a combo of the words "twice" and "cooked". The second baking helps to take out the moisture and is why they can last a very long time.

One of my favorite things about biscotti is you can eat it any time: as a snack, with a hot drink, as a dessert, or as a breakfast bread.RECIPE: Gingerbread Spice Biscotti

1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Butter (4 oz.)
2 eggs
1/3 cup Molasses

2 1/2 cup AP Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Ground ginger
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (freshly grated)
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt

*optional- 1/2 cup sliced almonds

1) In a large bowl beat together the sugars and butter.
2) Then add eggs one at a time, beating well, then beat in molasses.
3) In another bowl: combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and all the spices.
4) Add the flour & spices, etc. to the butter mixture and beat on low until blended.
5) Stir in the almonds
6) Pull dough together; it will be quite sticky. Place on floured board and divide into small narrow loaves:7) Bake in a preheated oven set on 350 F, until firm ( about 20 minutes). Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove to cool on a rack for about 10 more minutes.
8) Cut into diagonals of about 1 inch or less slices. Return these slices to the pan, lower oven to 300F, and bake for 5-8 minutes on each side.
As the twice baked biscotti cool, they will become crunchy little cookies that act like tough guys until you dip them into warm coffee/tea/hot chocolate or a nice glass of Vin Santo. In the time it takes to get from the glass to your mouth, they will dissolve into a juicy little bite of spicy gingerbread. Enjoy!

Nutella Egg Nog - Simple Saturday

Nutella Egg Nog

Now that I've added Nutella to my egg nog recipe, I'm not sure if it's a drink or liquid dessert. Just when I thought the sweet lava decadence of whipped eggs, sugar and cream (sometimes with a kiss of rum) could not get richer for toasting the holidays, along came the idea for adding a sexy scoop of chocolate and hazelnut goo-dness.

The whole idea of Egg Nog goes back centuries and includes the colonial days in America. In literal terms it's a glass of whipped "egg" drink served in little mugs (nogs). In true American form, I bet it was a great cover for sneaking a little "brew" into the cup and feeling the holiday cheer get a bit warmer as the shipped in Caribbean Rum heated up the blood in those tightly buckled shoes. Since then, the South added bourbon and good common sense added whipped cream and took out the alcohol so kids could toast along. This recipe doesn't include the "adult holiday cheer", but you could easily drop in a shooter just before serving. The steps look long because I wanted to break it down simply, but it doesn't take very long and it definitely is simple. NUTELLA EGG NOG:

1 qt. Whole Milk (don't make it with low fat, it's just not eggnog)
1 cup sugar (+ 1Tbls. for whipping cream later)
1 Tbls. Vanilla paste (you can use extract if you need to)
1 cinnamon stick
6 egg yolks (save the whites in the fridge for macaroons or meringue to make another time)
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup heavy cream (for topping)
1 fresh nutmeg (to grate for garnish)

1) In a large saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon stick on med/high until just before boiling or you start to see tiny bubbles around the edges. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

2) Remove from heat, cover the pan and let sit while the cinnamon and vanilla infuse the heated milk with flavor, for about 10 minutes. Then remove the cinnamon stick.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks briskly until they are a pale frothy yellow.

4) Whisk a little bit of the warm milk into the eggs, slowly to warm up the eggs without cooking them. Then pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and return to med. heat.

5) Continue to heat, stirring constantly for a few minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.

6) Add the Nutella to the pan and continue to stir while melting the Nutella. There will be small flecks of ground hazelnut and chipped chocolate that will stay.

7) Remove from heat and cool for a few moments, then cover with plastic touching the surface of the Nutella Egg Nog and chill in the refrigerator for several hours to over night.

8) When ready to serve the Nutella Egg Nog, then whip the cream and 1 Tbls. sugar to soft peaks.

You can either fold in the whipped cream, or just add a dollop to the top; depending on how thick you like your egg nog.
Garnish by adding freshly grated nutmeg over the top.

***** If you'd like to have a cocoa sugar rim on your cups like pictured: Mix 1 Tbls. cocoa with 2 Tbls. sugar and pour onto a flat saucer. Dip the rim of each cup into a glass of water, corn syrup, agave or simple syrup, then into the saucer of cocoa sugar. Syrups hold the cocoa sugar on longer, but water will work also.******* Happiest Holidays to my readers and stay tuned for more entertaining and food ideas. Thanks for stopping by.

Savory Corn Madeleines

Savory Corn Madeleines

There are times when a rustic pan of crumbly cornbread really fits the meal. And, there are times that call for just a little more finesse. These beautiful savory madeleines sweetened with fresh corn add an element of chic and whimsy to everything from a bowl of soup to a dollop of Jalapeno Jam.They are whipped up so easily, stay moist for the whole meal and even freeze well for serving now and saving some for later.

I add a basket of Corn Madeleines to our Thanksgiving table; they make good gravy pals.
RECIPE: SAVORY CORN MADELEINES (adapted from Gourmet article)

2 Tbls. AP flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt/pepper
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
Fresh corn (cut off 1 cob of corn) [optionally use 1/2 cup canned corn drained]
1 TBLs Butter (melted)

1) Preheat the oven to 375F, and butter a madeleine pan

2) In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt and pepper

3) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk,egg, melted butter and corn.

4) Stir all ingredients together just until mixed well.

5) Fill each madeleine mold space with the corn batter to 3/4 full. Bake for 6-8 minutes or til the sides begin to brown lightly.

6) Cool for a couple minutes, remove from pan and serve warm, cool to room temp on rack.

***For Freezing: place cooled madeleines on a parchment covered baking sheet. Freeze until firm, then remove from pan, bag and label. Later, crisp up the madeleines in a 350F oven for 2-3 minutes.

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Pumpkin Spice Orzo Pasta

This Acorn Squash was so beautiful, I just wanted to bake and stuff it right away.

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed w/Pumpkin Spice Orzo Pasta

The other day, I was dashing through my local Farmer's Market happy to grab the few things I needed just before the tents were going down. With my favorite Honey B canvas bag filled with Autumn produce (Acorn Squash, apples, California Fuyu Persimmons), I had every intention of breaking rank and just sliding through between two of the stalls for a clever short-cut back to my car. It was one of those times when your mind and eyes register words and colors, but it takes a minute for your brain to catch up. I stopped mid-escape, realizing I had just seen a multitude of fall colored pastas. Pastas? Multi-colored? At the farmers market artisanal section? How could I, a giant nerd-ball Italophile obsessed with making homemade pasta, not pull a personal u-turn and check that out?
Even now, after way too many platefuls of golden roasted Acorn squash filled with Harvest Pumpkin and Spice Orzo (simmered in toasted pine nuts, apples and sage) I'm wishing for more.
I am honestly so happy I took that pasta-pause and purchased pumpkin orzo from these wonderful folks: Pappardelles Pasta (say THAT sentence twice, fast.)
Orzo means "barley" in Italian and is called that more for it's shape than anything else. A lot of Italian pasta has a name based on its shape or story behind how it was formed.
Orzo is used in a lot of Mediterranean dishes and served as a warm dish and also in cold pasta salads. I spoke with Kyle Crocker, a really friendly and knowledgeable guy, about how the Pappardelle artisan pasta company makes all its pasta in small batches, by hand or hand machines and air dried in rooms according to the best choice for each pasta shape. This is a company I could love. There were so many different sizes, shapes and flavors I could hardly hold back my Italy-style tears of over dramatic joy.

RECIPE: Roasted Acorn Squash stuffed with Pumpkin Spice Orzo Risotto

1 Acorn Squash
3 oz. butter
1 oz. olive oil (plus more for pan and rubbing squash)
1 shallot (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 cups Orzo (Pappardelles Autumn Harvest)
6 cups Vegetable stock
1 med. apple (peeled, cored, chopped)
dash of ground cinnamon and fresh nutmeg
salt/pepper to taste
Pinch of fresh thyme leaves, fresh chopped parsley, and fresh chopped sage leaves
3 Tbls. pine nuts (toasted)

Preheat oven to 350F
Grease large sheet pan

1) Cut Acorn squash in half and scrape out all seeds and filling. Rub insides of squash halves with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place cut side down on prepared baking sheet and roast in oven for about 1 1/2 hours til inside is tender, but not mushy.

2) In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil together and saute shallot and garlic on low/med heat until tender (about 5-10 minutes) In the last minute, add apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well.

3) Add Orzo and stir, coating all the grains and heating for about 8 minutes.

4) Gradually pour in Vegetable stock, stirring constantly and incorporating all the flavors.

5) Cook, stirring, for about 15-20 minutes until Orzo has almost doubled in volume and is al dente (or tender to the bite.)

6) Stir in herbs, pine nuts and adjust seasonings.

Serve by filling the acorn squash with the Orzo Risotto and garnish with fresh sage leaves. When plating, scoop a nice serving of Roasted Acorn Squash with each serving of Pumpkin Spice Orzo Risotto, too.

This serves 4-6 with good portions, but could serve more if used as a side dish in a large meal (ie. Thanksgiving or Holiday menus). It's easy to give thanks for this golden toasty, crunchy autumn awesomeness! Happy stuffing.

Green Tea Piece Montee (Croquembouche) - Daring Bakers May '10

Who doesn't enjoy a "crunch in the mouth"? That's what Croquembouche translates to in English. Another name for this tower of cream-filled puffs covered in caramel and spun sugar is Piece Montee (mounted piece), and in France it's served as a wedding, anniversary or baptism cake. They can be several feet high, or in the case of my little trio - 6 inches each.

MATCHA GREEN TEA PETITE PIECE MONTEE
The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

Most of the time, when I've seen these towers of pastry in the United States, it has been during the holidays. Perhaps because the shape resembles a Christmas tree? Or because, like a Gingerbread House, it's an undertaking to gather all the parts of this and a great crowd-pleaser to present.

In my catering gigs, I've made several Croquembouche and I've made the puff pastry balls (Profiteroles) numerous times with different fillings.
Here's one with Rose Tea filling:
I was inspired to try a pastry cream with Matcha Green Tea by the amazingly chic Gail Baral, (a Tea Sommelier, friend and co-creator [with Robb Wain] for the online Tea Shop, ALGABAR.)
Along with her stylish online business, Gail presents unique, educational and contemporary Tea workshops at some of the best events and hotels in the US and beyond. If you ever have a chance to take part in one of her Teas or the opportunity to invite her to yours, DO!

There are three main parts to the Piece Montee: Pate a Choux (pastry puffs), Cream Filling (ie. pastry cream, mascarpone, or thickened and flavored whipping cream), and the Caramel sauce (used to keep the mounted pieces...well...mounted, and to make the spun sugar threads).


RECIPE: Pate a Choux as given for Daring Bakers

Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)
¾ cup (175 ml.) water
6 Tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
¼ Tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Preparing batter:
Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.

Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.

Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.

As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.

It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

Piping:
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.

Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.

Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).

Baking:
Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.

Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

Filling:
When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

RECIPE: Matcha Green Tea Pastry Cream (adapted from recipe as given by Daring Bakers)

1 cup milk
2 Tbls. Cornstarch
2 Tbls. Matcha Green Tea Powder
6 Tbls. Sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2 Tbls. butter
1 tsp. Vanilla

1- Mix 1/4 cup milk with the cornstarch and 1 Tbls. of Matcha Powder.
2- In a saucepan, heat the rest of the milk, sugar and 1 Tbls. Matcha Powder
3- When the milk just begins to form bubbles around the edges, remove the pan from the heat.
4- In the bowl with the cornstarch mixture, add the egg and the egg yolks, whisk til smooth.
5- Pour just a bit of the warm milk into the egg mixture and whisk constantly so the eggs do not cook.
6- Then pour the egg mixture into the pan with the rest of the warm milk and return to Med/High heat.
7- Now, using a spatula, or wooden spoon - stir constantly until the mixture is thick and begins to boil.
8- Remove from heat and beat in the vanilla and butter til smooth.
9- Place in a ceramic dish, cover with plastic wrap that you press onto the pastry cream.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days.

RECIPE- CARAMEL (for mounting and spinning sugar)

1 cup sugar
2 squeezes of lemon juice
1 Tbls. Water

In a saucepan, bring all three ingredients to a slow simmer while stirring over Med. heat.
Using a pastry brush dipped in water, wash down the inside of the pan on occasion to avoid having the sugar crystallize.
When a boil is reached, stop stirring and allow to boil for about 5 minutes or until a slight caramel color appears. Remove from heat and stir while sugar cools.

PUTTING THE TOWER TOGETHER:
Using the filled cream puffs, carefully dip each one into the caramelized sugar as you build your tower.
Start with the round base and gradually move to the next layer, using less puffs as you go and moving inward to a cone shape.

As the sugar cools and becomes taffy-like, use a fork to pull strings up and drape around your tower of pastry puffs.

If at any time the sugar gets brittle or too hard to work with, just reheat and start again. It can be used over and over by reheating.