Auntie Knows Best - Butterscotch "Caramel" Corn

Caramel corn...   The mere mention of it causes me to swoon.  I love caramel corn in all of it's "sincarnations".  I can remember being in the 4-H barn at the Multnomah county fair (yes, I was in 4-H) laying on a bale of straw with a stomach ache because I had consumed massive quantities of the stuff out on the midway.   It never stopped me though, I was right back out there the next day, eating my fill of the most decadent of all popcorn's manifestations. 

As a result of this somewhat sordid past with Caramel corn, I have developed certain likes and dislikes when it comes to "dressing" popped corn with candy syrup.  I prefer that the corn be lightly coated.  Not all gloppy and toffee like, with a bit of popped corn here and there.  And I like a little salt with my syrup to cut the sweetness.  This is why Kettle Corn is one of my top 3.

Another thing I dislike immensely is nuts in my caramel corn.  I know, I know... I like nuts in everything, just not in caramel corn.  Cracker Jack is out.

But my biggest dislike is when the caramel syrup is WAY too dark, and there is a bitterness to it.  Not festive at all.  So I tend to like the lighter caramels.

Which brings me to my most favorite Caramel Corn in the world, aside from the awesome stuff at that little shop in Lloyd Center that has been there since my parents were little, my Auntie Patsy's Butterscotch Caramel Corn.  It's absolutely perfect and delicious every single time.  The only problem is that it's dangerous... You see, it's so easy to make, that you will be making and eating it ALL the time.   :)

Why do I call it Butterscotch Caramel corn?  Well, it starts out as a Butterscotch sauce (Brown Sugar and Butter, but no Scotch).  Unlike the sauce I use for Poached Pears though, this is cooked to the Hard ball stage.  At which point you do a little "Cinder Toffee" magic to lighten the mixture before folding the sauce into the popcorn.  Most "Caramel" corn starts with granulated sugar that is then cooked to the "caramel" stage before being poured over the popped corn.  This can lead to overly dark caramel and that bitter flavor, as well as a slightly burnt smell, that I don't like.  It also does weird things to the popped corn when you pour 310 degree syrup over it.  The nice 255 degree syrup is much kinder to your Orville Reddenbacher, leaving the popped corn nice and fluffy without a secondary "cooked" flavor or shriveling it up due to heat.

The coolest part though, is that it is finished in the oven. I mean, honestly, what could possibly be easier? (this is why it's dangerous)

What you end up with is a delicately crisp Popcorn with a mere sheen of crunchy butterscotch caramel deliciousness coating the outside.   It's just Pure Heaven!

Auntie Patsy's Butterscotch Caramel Corn

7 quarts (6.5 oz) (185g) Popped Popcorn  (1 quart of popped corn weighs about .9 oz)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Cream of Tarter
1 cup (8 oz) (226g) Unsalted Butter
1 cup (7.1 oz) (200g) Brown Sugar, packed
1 cup (7.2 oz) (205g) Dark Brown Sugar, packed (Dark Brown weighs a little more)
1/2 cup (4 oz) (118 ml) Orange Blossom Honey (by weight, that is 6 oz or 170g)

Pop all of the popcorn, filling a large bowl, and set aside.

(I "pop" each batch into a smaller bowl so I can keep the old maids to a minimum)

Preheat the oven to 200 F (94 C) degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk Baking Soda, Salt and Cream of Tarter together, set aside.

In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the Butter.

Once melted, add the Sugars and the Honey.

Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Continue boiling for about 5 minutes or until the temperature reaches 255 F (124 C) degrees (just shy of hard ball)

Remove from the heat and stir in the Baking Soda mixture.

The syrup will get all foamy and pale as the CO2 is released. (this lightens the syrup, making it easier to pour, and mix with the popcorn)

Pour the syrup over the popcorn.

Gently fold the syrup over the popped corn with a large wooden spoon to coat evenly. 

Spread the caramel corn out on a couple of parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour, swapping the position of the baking sheets at 30 minutes.

Let cool on the counter for 20 minutes to firm up into a slab o' Caramel Corn.

Simply break apart and enjoy!

mmmmmm  a chunk of butterscotchy caramel deliciousness!  If you will excuse me now, I have an appointment with a rather large piece and a cup of coffee.  :) 

Mangia!!
~~

Prepare a Pair of Poached Pears - Spice Poached Pears in Butterscotch

It has become apparent to me, while trying to come up with a title for this post, that I have seen WAY to many Veggie-Tales episodes that feature Silly Songs with Larry; for I cannot seem to get the Homophone song out of my head......

I know a pear, pear, pear, pear
With a pair of really soft shoes.
He wears them to pare, pare, pare, pare
Bushes that easily bruise.

Homophones!  Homophones!
Where the toads are towed out on the plane
Homophones!  Homophones!
I need my kneaded biscuits plain


Whether, whether, whether whether,
Whether you like it or not.
Weather, weather, weather weather,
Weather is cold, warm and hot...

And something about rows of a bad smelling rose and a nose that knows.  (sigh)

I guess I should be happy that I am not roasting a Cebu for dinner! (it's a bovine cousin, kind of like a water buffalo)

Homophones, talking cucumbers and cebu aside.....  To me, a poached pear is a fundamental fall food.  I'm not completely sure why, but I think it has to do with mom & dad canning pears every autumn when I was growing up.  A lot of things were canned in the fall, for that was harvest time.  If you wanted to eat fruit in the winter, you needed to can it in the fall.  Let's face it, I am old enough to remember a time before refrigerated produce from Peru and Argentina made it's way to grocery store shelves.  Thus, canning Applesauce, Pears, Apricots, Cherries & Peaches, as well as freezing Huckleberries, Raspberries, Marionberries and Gooseberries, ensured a plentiful supply of said fruits through the winter.

After all, there is nothing quite so delicious as a Peach Kuchen in January.

But getting back to pears.  The scent of pears would permeate the kitchen while mom & dad were peeling, packing and finally pouring syrup into the jars before lidding them and throwing them in the water bath so the lids would seal.  Yeah, I am pretty sure this is where my love of poached pears comes from.

But being me, I am not happy with a simple sugar syrup. I should rephrase that.  I would still be happy, but I am happy-er when I get a chance to break out some flavor enhancements.  And I can think of nothing so perfectly suited to enhance the flavor of a pear than Gewurztraminer.  The spice floral aroma is intoxicating and the juicy lychee flavor with hints of grapefruit is heaven in a bottle.  Add a little Lemon and some Ginger, and you have a winner!  OK, I will admit that if you pour Butterscotch over just about anything, it increases it's awesomeness factor by 75%!

Spice Poached Pears in Butterscotch

6 medium Bosc Pears
1 Lemon
1 bottle Gewurztraminer (a spicy floral)
1 cup Water
1 cup Sugar
2 inches Ginger, sliced
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Meyer Lemon, juiced
1 Mexican Vanilla Bean ("spicy" vanilla flavor as opposed to Tahitian which is more "creamy")
Butterscotch sauce

First you need some beautiful Bosc pears...  These are my favorites for poaching.  It's not just because they have the quintessential "pear" shape, although that is part of it, it's mainly because these pears maintain their shape during poaching and their texture actually improves.  They do not become all mushy and disgusting.  Bartletts, I have been told, do this too, but not as well as the Bosc pears do.

Before peeling the pears, you need to fill a bowl with cold water and squeeze the juice from a lemon into the water.  Heck, throw the lemon halves in as well.  This will keep the pears from browning once they have been peeled.

Gently peel the pears with a vegetable peeler, carefully following the pear's voluptuous curves, flatten the bottom just a little with the peeler, and place it in the Lemon water.

After you are finished peeling all the pears, let them just hang out in the lemon water while you make the Gewurztraminer syrup.

Grab a medium stock pot, that is just big enough to hold the pears, combine Gewurztraminer, Water, Sugar, Ginger, Cinnamon stick, Meyer Lemon Juice and a split Mexican Vanilla Bean.

Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Remove the pears from the Lemon water and plunge them into the simmering liquid, stem up, then cover the surface of the simmering syrup with a tea towel to keep the pears weighed down to ensure even poaching. (if the pears are not completely covered with liquid, add some of the Lemon water)

Let the pears simmer for about 25-30 minutes, then remove the pot from the flame and let the pears cool in the poaching liquid.

When ready to serve, grab a bowl and spoon a pool of Butterscotch in the bottom.

Remove a pear from the warm liquid,

and place it in the center of the Butterscotch pool.

Drizzle a heafty spoonful of butterscotch over the top near the stem and let it languidly run down the sides of the pear.

Serve to your awestruck guests...  :)

Mangia!!
~~

Confection Ressurection - Butter Brickle Ice Cream

The 4th of July is here again and it's time to celebrate the "signing" of the Declaration of Independence penned with great pains by Thomas Jefferson for the second continental congress.  Though the "Shot Heard Round the World" occurred in April of 1775 and the fighting would continue until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, today is the day we celebrate the signing of the document that justified the colonial rebellion and subsequent forming of our republic. 

Being a holiday that is near and dear to our hearts there are many "traditions" that have sprung up over the last 235 years.   Parades, Festivals, Fireworks and BBQ's being the most prevalent.  I was lucky enough to grow up in Corbett.  It may be a small "Hamlet" in eastern Multnomah county, but when it comes to the 4th, it's an all out block party on a grande scale with parade, festival and a massive firework display.  In between all this merriment, dad would BBQ hot dogs and hamburgers.  But the best part of our 4th of July celebration was the homemade Root Beer ice cream.  True, we had an old hand crank machine, and always had to call on the neighbors for reinforcements before our arms fell off, but the exertions were well worth it.

This tradition is so ingrained now, that it just doesn't seem like the 4th of July without ice cream.  Granted, I don't necessarily make Root Beer ice cream anymore, and I definitely don't use a hand crank machine, but Ice Cream is an absolute must for this occasion.

This year, I have decided to resurrect a flavor that seems to have disappeared from the common market.  Butter Brickle.  That inspired combination of butterscotch ice cream and toffee bits.  Honestly, it doesn't get much better than that. Which, consequently, makes my wonder why you can't find this evocative flavor of frozen deliciousness anymore.  I think it's high time that it was brought back for everyone to enjoy.

Butter Brickle Ice Cream

2 cups Whole Milk
2 cups Light Whipping Cream
2 oz Unsalted Butter
Pinch of Kosher Salt
1 cup of Butterscotch syrup
6 large Egg Yolks
1 cup Heath Toffee Chips (bits o' brickle)

Heat Milk, Cream, Butter and salt in a large sauce pan over medium heat, just until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan.

Grab a 1 cup of the Butterscotch Syrup..... (You'll still have an additional cup for other applications)

and grab a bag of Health English Toffee bits (bits o' brickle)

Add the Butterscotch syrup and whisk until dissolved.

While the Milk mixture is heating, beat egg yolks lightly in a medium bowl.
Condition the yolks by adding about half of the hot Milk mixture while whisking constantly.

Add this back into the sauce pan (again, whisking while adding it) and return the mixture to medium flame.

Continue cooking the "custard", whisking occasionally, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat and strain through cheese cloth to remove any potential lumps.

Cover on the surface with plastic wrap to prevent crusting, and chill in the refrigerator until VERY cold.

Freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.

Once frozen, move the resulting Butterscotch ice cream to a freezer container.

Add the Brickle chips and stir them in.

Freeze until solid.

Enjoy the sweet/salty goodness of old fashioned Butter Brickle Ice Cream!

Mangia!!
~~

Which side is YOUR Scotch Buttered on? - Butter Scotch Syrup

There is a lot of confusion out there regarding Butterscotch, Caramel, and Toffee, so hopefully this will help a little bit.

Butterscotch - Brown Sugar and Butter (sometimes cream) cooked to Soft Crack stage. (It's not from Scotland and doesn't necessarily contain Scotch whiskey either)

Caramel - White Sugar (sometimes with a tiny amount of water) that has been heated to 300 degrees and begins to "Caramelize" or Brown due to a Maillard reaction.

Toffee - White Sugar and Butter (sometimes cream) cooked to Hard Crack stage. (It really is English)

With regards to that ever delicious Caramel Candy and Caramel syrup....  well depending on how they are made, they may or may not be real Caramel.  Unless the Sugar is actually "caramelized" before the addition of other ingredients (Cream and Butter in varying amounts) then they are not really caramel.

Case in point - Evaporated Milk caramels - The proteins in the milk are browning at a much lower temperature than is necessary to caramelize the sugar, thus the sugar acts only as a sweetener, because the milk would scorch if cooked past 300 degrees.  This is also why cream is used when making real caramels, because it is much lower in milk proteins, being mostly fat.

But back to Butterscotch.  Being that Butterscotch is simply a mixture of brown sugar and butter, and not the caramelization of sugar, this leaves a whole gamut of dessert deliciousness at your disposal....  From syrup and sauce to soft, chewy bits all the way to it's original confectionery form which resembles a Werther's Original.  This leads me to WHY it's called Butterscotch.  "Scotching" is the name for the process of pre-scoring hard candy after it has been poured, allowing for easier cutting once the candy has completely cooled.  I know, it's as confusing as the "Swiss" steak not coming from Switzerland, but being the name of the process of repeatedly puncturing it (swissing) to tenderize it.

Geographic misnomers aside, making Butterscotch is ridiculously simple and a great addition to your dessert repertoire. I am forgoing the original hard candy form, and seeking a softer side of Butterscotch with a sauce/syrup.  Trust me, there is a madness to my method, which will become apparent later.  As a result I will be using a little corn syrup to ensure it does not become too hard as this would be detrimental for Phase II of my master plan.  But even if you don't take this syrup to the culinary extreme that I have planned for it, it's GREAT over ice cream.  :)

Butterscotch Syrup

1 cup packed (200g) Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup packed (100g) Dark Brown Sugar (to offset my usage of corn syrup with a little extra molasses)
1/2 cup (118 ml) light Corn Syrup
1/4 cup (59 ml) Water
4 TB Unsalted Butter
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 cup (118 ml) Heavy Cream
optional 1 TB Lemon Juice
optional 1 TB Scotch Whiskey

Combine Brown Sugars, Corn Syrup, Water and Salt in a heavy bottomed sauce pan set over medium flame.

When the Brown Sugar has dissolved, add the Butter and stir until melted.

Add the Heavy Cream and continue stirring until the mixture comes to a slow boil.

Boil for approximately 10 minutes (no thermometer) or until the syrup, dropped from the spoon, holds a short thread.

If you are using the optional Lemon Juice and Scotch, whisk them in now.

Pour the mixture into a heat proof container and allow to cool.

If refrigerating, sauce may need to be warmed slightly. (makes about 2 cups)

Mangia!!
~~