Food: Caramel

Showing posts with label Caramel. Show all posts

Monday, December 9, 2013

Caramel Turtle Bars

For the crust:

Non-stick cooking spray, vegetable oil, or melted butter for the pan

7 oz. (14 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. table salt

9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached allpurpose flour

Tip:

For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 oz.) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups.

For the caramel topping:

2 cups pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. table salt

For the ganache:

6 Tbs. heavy cream

2 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

Make the shortbread crust:

Line a straight-sided 13x9-inch metal baking pan with foil, letting the ends create an overhanging edge for easy removal. Lightly coat the sides of the foil (not the bottom) with nonstick cooking spray, oil, or melted butter to prevent the caramel from sticking.

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir in the flour to make a stiff dough. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes (or freeze for 5 to 7 minutes), until the dough is firm.

Meanwhile, position a rack near the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.

Bake the dough for 20 minutes, and then decrease the oven temperature to 300°F and bake until the crust is golden all over and completely set, about 15 more minutes.

Make the topping:

Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the crust.

In a heavy medium saucepan, bring the brown sugar, cream, butter, corn syrup, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until all the ingredients are melted and smooth. Let the mixture continue to boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240°F, about 6 more minutes. Turn off the heat and immediately (but carefully) pour the caramel evenly over the prepared crust. Let the bars cool completely, about 2 hours, before garnishing with the ganache.

Make the ganache:

Put the chocolate in a small heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until combined and smooth.

Fill a plastic zip-top baggie with the ganache, snip the tip off a corner, and drizzle the ganache decoratively over the caramel bars (you don’t have to use all the ganache; keep the extra in the fridge for 5 days). Let the ganache set for 30 minutes to an hour. Carefully lift the bars from the pan using the foil sides and transfer them to a cutting board. Separate the foil from the bars by sliding a spatula between them. Cut the bars into 1-1/2-inch squares. They will keep at room temperature for 1 week.

Caramel Monkey Bread

Gooey caramel poured into the bottom of the pan creates just enough stickiness to hold together the nut-and-sugar-coated balls of sweet dough. The result is a pull-apart treat that is fun and festive to eat. It is hard to resist getting your fingers seriously sticky as soon as you see it in its glossy, bumpy glory.
You’ll wind up with more caramel than you’ll need. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and gently reheat it in a small saucepan when you want to dress up some ice cream.

For the dough

17.64 oz. (4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour

1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

2-1⁄2 tsp. instant yeast

1-1⁄4 tsp. fine sea salt or kosher salt

1 cup room temperature milk (70°F to 78°F)

1⁄3 cup room temperature water (70°F to 78°F)

1.21 oz. (2-1⁄2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

For the coating

4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar

1⁄2 cup finely chopped pecans

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the caramel

2 cups granulated sugar

1⁄4 cup water

1⁄4 cup heavy cream

Make the dough

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Combine the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the milk, water, butter, and egg. Give the mixture a few turns with a rubber spatula to moisten all of the ingredients, and then mix on medium speed until smooth and shiny, about 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or dough-rising container, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until it has doubled in volume, 1-1⁄2 to 2 hours.

Make the coating

Place the melted butter in a bowl and combine the brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon in another bowl. Set aside.

Make the caramel

Combine the sugar and water in a deep, heavy pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent the sugar from crystallizing (don’t worry if your sugar does crystallize—some crunchy bits in the bread won’t be noticeable). Boil the syrup without stirring until it turns an amber color, 5 to 7 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally for even cooking.

Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the cream with a long-handled wooden spoon. The mixture will bubble up (thus the need for the deep pot and the long-handled spoon). Keep stirring until the caramel is smooth. Pour a thin layer of the hot caramel into the greased springform pan so that it coats the bottom of the pan. (Let the leftover caramel cool, and then refrigerate for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container; warm the caramel in a microwave oven or on top of the stove.)

Assemble the bread

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Dip the balls in the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon-sugar-nut mixture. Place the balls in the prepared pan. You will have 2 layers and a few extras to place on top. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake until deep brown and bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Then run a sharp paring knife around the perimeter of the bread, release the sides of the springform pan, and let cool for another 20 minutes on the rack. Serve warm. Caramel Monkey Bread is best served on the day it is baked.

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

The homemade caramel for this pumpkin pie provides a subtle, almost butterscotch-like backdrop to the rich taste of pumpkin.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tbs. cold unsalted butter

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

15-oz. can pure pumpkin

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 blind-baked Basic Pie Pastry shell

Position a rack in the center of the oven, set a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 425°F.

Pour the granulated sugar into a 3-quart, heavy-duty saucepan set over medium heat and sprinkle 2 Tbs. water over the sugar. Stir occasionally or swirl the pan to encourage the sugar to melt. When the sugar has melted, increase the heat to medium high. Watch the bubbling sugar syrup carefully and as the edges turn golden, gently swirl the pan (but do not stir the syrup directly) for even cooking. Continue to let the syrup cook until it is a nice, rich caramel color (a pale gold syrup will not make a flavorful sauce base). The total cooking time is about 5 minutes. Off the heat, carefully add the cream and butter to the pan—it will foam dramatically. Add the brown sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Whisk in the pumpkin, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until smooth. One at a time, whisk in the eggs. Pour the filling into the pie shell, smooth the top, and put the pie on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until the center of the pie no longer wobbles when the pan is nudged (a slight jiggle is okay), 25 to 30 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a rack and let it cool completely before serving.

Pear Ginger Cake with Whipped Cream and Rum-Caramel Glaze

It’s a triple-decker stunner that features a soft, tender cake with fresh pears and homemade ginger folded into the batter, and a billowy whipped cream filling and frosting. All is topped with luscious rum-caramel glaze.

For the cake

12 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pans

1 lb. 2 oz. (4 cups) all-purpose flour

4-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

3 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1 lb. firm-ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears (about 2 small pears), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

5 oz. (1 cup) finely chopped Candied Ginger

1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract

For the caramel glaze

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup heavy cream

1-1/2 Tbs. dark rum

Pinch of kosher salt

For the whipped cream

6 cups heavy cream

7 oz. (2 cups) confectioners’ sugar

2-1/2 oz. (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped Candied Ginger for garnish

Make the cake

Position racks in the bottom and top thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Butter three 9x2-inch round cake pans and line each with a parchment round. Butter the parchment.

In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition.

On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three increments, alternating with the milk in two increments, starting and ending with the flour. Beat on low speed between each addition until just incorporated. The batter will be thick and fluffy. Stir in the pears, candied ginger, and vanilla.

Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Level the batter with a spatula. Set two pans on the top rack and the third on the lower rack. Stagger the pans on the oven racks so that no pan is directly over another. Bake, swapping and rotating the pans’ positions after 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on racks for 30 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks, remove the parchment, and cool completely.

Make the caramel glaze

Fill a cup measure with water and put a pastry brush in it. In a heavy-duty 3-quart saucepan, stir the sugar, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup cold water. Brush down the sides of the pan to wash away any sugar crystals. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan, until the mixture starts to color around the edges, 5 to 8 minutes. Gently swirl the pan once to even out the color and prevent the sugar from burning in isolated spots so that the sugar caramelizes evenly. Brush down the sides of the pan if the sugar threatens to burn. Continue to cook until the sugar turns medium amber, about 30 seconds more. (Once the mixture begins to color, it will darken very quickly so keep an eye on it.)

Reduce the heat to low and carefully stir in the butter. It will bubble up. Keep stirring until the bubbles settle down, then add the cream a couple of tablespoons at a time, stirring to combine after each addition. Continue stirring until the caramel is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the rum and salt. Strain the caramel through a fine sieve into a heatproof measuring cup to remove any small pieces of sugar. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. You should have about 1-2/3 cups.

Make the whipped cream

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and a cold bowl, whip the cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, raise the speed to medium high, and continue to whip until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes more. Raise the speed to high until the cream forms stiff peaks and is very thick, about 30 seconds more.

Assemble the cake

Put a cake layer on a flat serving platter or a cake stand lined with strips of waxed paper to keep it clean while icing. Top the layer with 2 cups of the whipped cream, spreading it evenly with a metal cake spatula almost to the cake’s edge. Put the next cake layer over the filling and spread 2 more cups of the whipped cream over it. Top with the last cake layer and thickly coat the sides and top of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.

Glaze the cake

Slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake, making sure that it covers the top and drizzles down the sides (some of the whipped cream frosting should show through the drizzles on the sides).

Press the coarsely chopped candied ginger pieces in a 1-inch band around the base of the cake for decoration. Remove the waxed paper strips.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before serving.

Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake

Caramel fans will be in heaven with this cheesecake, between the creamy caramelized dulce de leche in the filling and the luscious caramel sauce on top. Create your own customized cheesecake recipe with our Recipe Maker.

8 oz. graham crackers, finely crushed (2 cups of crumbs)

3 Tbs. granulated sugar

7 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup dulce de leche

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

Table salt

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and 3 Tbs. granulated sugar. Mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moist and clump together slightly. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan (to press, use plastic wrap or a flat-bottom measuring cup). Bake until the crust is fragrant and slightly darkened, 9 to 12 minutes. Let the pan cool on a rack. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, dulce de leche, flour, and a pinch of table salt on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle frequently, until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure the cheese has no lumps. Add the 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar and continue beating until well blended and smooth.

Add the vanilla and beat until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until blended. (Don’t overbeat once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much and crack as it cools.) Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

Bake at 300°F until the center jiggles like Jell-O when nudged, 55 to 65 minutes. The cake will be slightly puffed around the edges, and the center will still look moist. Set on a rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. The cake can also be frozen at this point for up to 1 month (see make-ahead tip, below).

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 3 Tbs. water and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and cook without stirring until the sugar begins to turn golden-brown on the edges. Gently swirl the pan over the heat to even out the color, and cook until the sugar turns golden-amber, 3 to 5 minutes. Off the heat, carefully add the cream, butter, and a pinch of table salt. Cook, whisking constantly over medium-low heat until well blended and smooth. Set aside until the caramel has cooled, about 15 minutes.

Unclasp and remove the side of the springform pan and run a long, thin metal spatula under the bottom crust of the cheesecake. Carefully slide the cake onto a flat serving plate. Pour the caramel topping onto the cheesecake and spread evenly.

To cut, run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife after every slice.