Bloom - Caramel

Caramel

Carole Bloom

Photographs by Alexandra DeFurio

Caramel

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2013 Carole Bloom

Photographs 2013 Alexandra DeFurio

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 978-1-4236-3213-9

With thanks to:

My husband, Jerry who helps with everything ideas, tasting, buying ingredients, washing dishes, and much more, including making me laugh.

My agent, Susan Ginsburg, who is kind, caring, easy to work with, and a true professional in her field.

My editor, Michelle Branson, who was always there for guidance and support, Alexandra DeFurio for the gorgeous photographs and Anni Daulter of Delicious Gratitude for creative food styling, as well as Rita Sowins of Sowins Design for the exciting book design.

My tasters, who include my Sunday yoga friends, my husbands surfer friends, other friends, and several neighbors for their very supportive tasting reviews. People always ask me what happens to everything that I make and I tell them that I have a great group of friends and neighbors who are the recipients of many plates of goodies.

Art Pollard of Amano Artisan Chocolate for his generosity in providing me with his excellent chocolate to use for recipe testing. And Cory Fields of Grand-Place Chocolate, Kate Hollis of Taza Chocolate, and Rob Kopf of TCHO for their chocolate.

I have wanted to create a dessert cookbook with all caramel recipes for as long as I can remember. Not only is caramel a wonderful flavor on its own, but it goes so well with many other flavors. And caramel is not just for candies. Cakes, custards, tarts, ice creams, and many other desserts are taken to new and fantastic heights with the wonderful flavor of caramel.

Describing the flavor of caramel is not easy because caramel itself is often used to describe the flavors of other foods and beverages, like chocolate and wine. I think of caramel as having a mildly sweet flavor that is sweet and rich but not overpowering. Caramel likes to be right up front so you taste its flavor instantly. Caramel also prefers to linger, leaving a wonderful aftertaste. And caramel goes very well with just about everything in the dessert kitchen. Personally, I love caramel with chocolate and nut desserts. And I think everyone would agree that caramel has a wonderful aroma. Whenever I smell caramel, my taste buds perk right up in anticipation of something fabulous to come.

Food historians believe caramel is primarily an American creation. But as far back as AD 1000, Arab cultures were using something called kurat al milh which means small ball of sugar. This was made by crystallizing sugar in boiling water resulting in a sweet, firm, and crunchy substance. And it was the Arabs that created the first industrial sugar refinery on the island of Crete. It is believed that the English word candy came from the Arab word qandi which means crystallized sugar. In the mid 1500s, Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed rock candy which is made by crystallizing sugar. By the late 1700s, the Dutch were making something called stroopwafels which used a caramel syrup filling. In the 1800s, the French and British worked to refine caramel, but it was the American, Milton Hershey, who, in 1883, established the Lancaster Caramel Company. Throughout the 1900s, caramel became part of the American sweet diet mostly in combination candy bars like the Snickers bar.

All of recipes in this book have been developed for home cooks. Although you might find similar caramel desserts in the best restaurants and pastry shops, I have designed these recipes for everyday home cooks. A very broad assortment of caramel dessert recipes is included in Caramel. This includes cakes, cupcakes, brownies, pies, tarts, cookies, candies, ice creams, and other caramel desserts.

Most of the ingredients and equipment used for the recipes in this cookbook may already be in your kitchen. But if they are not, they are all very easy to locate. You will find some basic techniques for working with caramel in the Caramel Techniques and Component Recipes chapter. Here you will see that the process of caramelization is very easy and quick.

When you decide upon a caramel treat you want to try, be sure to read through the entire recipe before getting started to make sure you have all of the necessary equipment, utensils, and ingredients. I recommend you layout everything you will need; that way you will be prepared to make your recipe. If some preparation work is required, like chopping nuts, its good to do this before actually starting to make your dessert. Also, some recipes require that a component part be made, such as . If that is the case, it is best to make the necessary component part in advance. Of course, it is fine to reference the Utensils and Equipment and Caramel Techniques and Component Recipes chapters at any time.

I often have former students, friends, and family contact me asking for suggestions for desserts. Their question usually goes something like this: I am not sure what to make because I dont know what they like. My answer is always: Make a caramel dessert, you cant go wrong. I then go into a discussion about how easy it is to make caramel desserts and how there are so many dessert options.

Caramel is a flavor that most of us have grown up with and closely associate with the wowwee feeling of that tastes so amazing! The flavor of caramel is easily associated with creating a feeling of warmth and comfort. Caramel offers fresh and exciting caramel desserts that take this amazing and satisfying flavor to new heights. This book offers home cooks an easy way to make scrumptious caramel desserts that I am sure will become part of your home dessert repertoire to be enjoyed often by your friends and family.

The number one rule for ingredients is to use the best quality you can. The freshest and purest, with no artificial anything, is preferred. Always check for expiration dates on new purchases and on goods that you have stored. Its best to have a well-stocked pantry for most often used ingredients. And storing ingredients in easy to access containers and jars is a good idea. Also, double checking to make sure everything is on hand for a recipe and premeasuring out all the required ingredients will make your caramel desserts even more fun to make.

Unsalted butter is used in all of my recipes because different brands of butter contain different amounts of salt. Using unsalted butter allows you control of the amount of salt that goes into recipes. For accuracy, I like to weigh the butter. Two tablespoons equal one ounce by weight. When a recipe calls for softened butter, the butter should be soft enough to hold the indentation of a finger but not so soft that it becomes liquid. I dont recommend substituting margarine or vegetable shortening for butter. They dont taste like butter and they work differently, so they wont produce the same flavor or texture as butter.