Time To Make The Soft Salted Chocolate Caramels
Here's the truth. I have been away, making caramels. A page ran in Domino Magazine about my 10 favorite things and in my list and I included my soft chocolate caramels. Not because it was convenient but because they are.
They are not just any caramels. I demonstrated how to make them at the New York Chocolate show last year and something happened. Folks started hovering around me. Considered questions were asked like, how do you pronounce it, "car-ah-mel" or "care-a-mel"? What sort of salt do you use? What...
Description: Soft, NOT stringy. CHOCOLATELY, not vanilla. KISS wrapped, not mass produced. Tender, sweet like the season's perfect ear of corn. Here's the catch. SALTY and sweet. Not overly but a hint. Another kiss....sea salt. French.
So, this page ran in the August issue of Domino and orders came in. Lots of orders.
There you have it. I have been away making caramels. THOUSANDS of pieces. Hand-wrapped, hand-made, heavy cream, the works--the old fashioned way. At one point, before the article ran I contacted a manufacturer. I sent him my recipe specs and a few days later I received a candy caramel package in the mail. But they were not my caramels. They were good, sorta close, but they were not hovering caramels.
For those who ordered my Soft Salted Chocolate caramels from Bigtipscandy.com seen in Domino; thanks for hovering. A kiss wrap for you.
could i please have your recipe? they sound delectable =) im in the UAE , Dubai specifically and im hankering after making some caramels to pass on to my hubbys office. As a lil christmas treat. I scoured the internet and i ve shortlisted Gourmet chocolate caramel recipe from Smitten kitchen. But yours sounds so much bette!
ReplyDeleteBeth Kimmerle’'s Soft Salted Chocolate Caramels
ReplyDeleteMakes about 120 candies
Ingredients:
12 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
2 teaspoons sea salt
Vegetable oil spray for greasing knife
Special equipment:
parchment paper; a candy thermometer
1) Line 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper. Place chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
2) Combine sugar, cream, corn syrup and 1 teaspoon salt in a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Over moderately high heat, bring to a boil while stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Then, reduce heat to low and without stirring, allow mix to reach 243°F on thermometer. Immediately pour the mixture over the chocolate and whisk until smooth.
3) Carefully yet quickly pour the caramel chocolate mixture into the lined baking pan. Using a rubber spatula, pat the mixture into an even layer. Let caramel stand for 10 minutes, then sprinkle evenly with remaining sea salt. Cool completely in baking pan, about 2 hours.
4) Carefully invert caramel onto a clean, dry cutting board, then peel off parchment. Turn caramel salt side up. Lightly spray blade of a large heavy knife with oil and cut caramel into 1/2-inch squares.
Caramels keep, layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper, in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 1 week. Caramels can be wrapped in 3-inch squares of wax paper; twist ends to close.