LAVENDER
CARAMELS
Yields 128 pieces
1 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp dried lavender flowers
5 tbsp butter
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
½ cup corn syrup
1¼ cups sugar
1. In a small saucepan, combine cream and
lavender over medium-low heat. Once the
cream begins to simmer, cover pan and turn
off heat. Steep for 15 minutes, then strain out
flowers with a fine mesh sieve. Add butter,
vanilla, and salt and stir until butter is melted.
Re-cover pan to keep warm; set aside.
2. In a second heavy-bottomed saucepan,
stir together sugar and corn syrup over me-
dium heat; keep the sides of the pan as clean
as possible. Once the sugar has dissolved,
stop stirring and cover for 3 minutes. Remove
the lid and attach a candy thermometer to
the side of the pan. Continue cooking without
stirring until the syrup reaches 310°.
3. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream mix-
ture until smooth. Return to medium heat and
cook without stirring until the temperature
drops to 248°. If the mixture looks uneven,
swirl the pan. Make sure the thermometer
bulb is fully submerged in the mixture.
4. Once the caramel is at 248°, stir it with a
clean spoon until the mixture reaches 250°.
(You should have a moderately firm caramel;
245° will produce a softer caramel, and 255°
will result in a very firm caramel.) Pour the
caramel into a buttered, parchment-lined 8"
square pan. When pouring, do not scrape the
sides or bottom of the pan, which can result
in a grainy texture.
5. Allow to cool completely, then turn out and
cut into 1" x ½" rectangles. Wrap individu-
ally in wax paper and store in an airtight
container for up to 2 weeks.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup popcorn kernels
½ cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 tbsp vanilla
zest from 6 oranges
1 tbsp kosher salt
1. Pour vegetable oil and popcorn kernels
in a medium saucepan; they should form an
even single layer on the bottom of the pan.
Cover and place over low heat. When first
kernel pops, increase the heat to medium-
high and begin to swirl the pan against the
burner. The rest of the kernels should begin
popping almost immediately. Once there is
ORANGE-SCENTED
CARAMEL POPCORN
Yields 3 quarts
a pause of a few seconds between pops,
remove the pan from the heat and pour the
popcorn onto a heat-proof, buttered surface
such as marble or granite, or a large cookie
sheet. Set aside.
2. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan,
combine corn syrup, sugar, and butter over
medium heat. Stir continuously. Once the mix-
ture begins to boil, attach a candy thermom-
eter to the side of the pan. Stir continuously
again until the syrup reaches 300°.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla
and orange zest. Working quickly, pour a thin
stream of the syrup over the popcorn. You
can pause part-way through to stir the pop-
corn to ensure even coverage (be careful as
the syrup is extremely hot). Before the syrup
hardens, sprinkle the salt over the popcorn.
4. Allow to cool completely, then break into
pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to
1 week.
Cover
IFC
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