Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Holiday Candy Recipes - The Ultimate Recipes to Make Candy

Do you like candy as much as I do? Well, did you know that you can prepare delicious candy from the comfort of your home? Pecan pralines, raspberry divinity, chocolate turtles and coconut bon bons are some simple yet delicious candy recipes you can prepare at home.

Below are the recipes so you can try them out and you will see what i mean:

1. Pecan Pralines

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of chopped pecans

Directions:

- Combine sugars and milk.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sugars are dissolved and mixture boils.
- Cook until thermometer registers 224.
- Add butter and pecans.
- Cook until a small amount of mixture forms a soft ball when dropped in cold water.
- Cool quickly to lukewarm.
- Stir in maple syrup and heat until thick.
- Drop on a buttered surface and flatten out into patties.

2. Raspberry Divinity

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of sugar
- 1 - 3 oz. Package of raspberry gelatin
- 1/2 cup of flaked coconut
- 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
- 3/4 cup of light corn syrup
- 1 cup of chopped pecans
- 3/4 cu of water

Directions:

- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat and cook to hard ball stage.
- Combine beaten egg whites and gelatin - beat until mixture forms stiff peaks.
- Pour hot syrup slowly into egg whites, beating until candy loses gloss and holds shape.
- Fold in coconut and nuts (optional).
- Pour into greased 9 inch square pan.
- Top with rows of chopped nuts and coconut.

3. Chocolate Turtles

Ingredients:

For The Turtles

- 2 squares of chocolate
- 1/2 cup of margarine
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla

For The Icing:

- 1/2 square of chocolate
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter
- Powdered sugar

Directions:

- Melt 2 squares of chocolate and 1/2 cup of margarine.
- Beat 2 eggs. Add sugar. Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture.
- Fold in 1 cup flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Drop by teaspoon on hot waffle iron (low).
- Bake 50 seconds.
- Cool and frost.
- ICING: Boil chocolate, brown sugar, water, and butter 3 minutes.
- Take off heat.
- Add powdered sugar until thick.
- Put on turtles.
- Sprinkle with ground nuts.

4. Coconut Bon Bons

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup of instant potatoes (2 servings cooked, but not seasoned)
- 4 cups of flaked coconut
- 1 - 16 oz. package of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of almond extract

Directions:

- Stir together the instant potatoes, coconut, powdered sugar, and the almond extract, mixing thoroughly.
- Refrigerate the mixture for 1 to 2 hours.
- Melt a 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/3 of a bar of paraffin was in a double boiler.
- Shape the coconut mixture into small balls and dip in the melted chocolate.
- Lay on waxed paper until cool.

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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Cornish Pasties - An Essential Holiday Ingredient


Image : http://www.flickr.com


For years, holiday makers around the UK have been treated to Cornish pasties, and in Cornwall, people have been treated to them for centuries. Depending on where you are in the country, you'll find a variety of fillings available, from traditional to dessert, but what should really go in a pasty?

I once had a friend who insisted that a real pasty should not have carrots in it. Carrots haven't got any reason to be within five feet of a pasty, according to him. He said that if somebody had the audacity to include carrots in their pasty, then it was instantly no longer a Cornish pasty. He was fervent about this to the point I would describe him as a zealot.

This friend also believed that he was a train, and that when he blew a whistle, people followed him to a pub. This is why I questioned his views on pasties.

Whilst I cannot, in good faith, say that carrots have been a staple of pasties for centuries, I can say that the tendency in Cornwall has been for a pasty to be filled with whatever is available. There is a piece of folklore that claims the devil will never set foot in Cornwall for fear of being turned into a pasty, and pickiness about food is not something that one associates with the common folk through the centuries of British history.

Of course, it is still possible to buy a traditional Cornish pasty, and maybe it is the prototypical pasty, but a pasty should not be limited to just one filling. With pasty shops, and even chains of pasty shops, spreading throughout the country, the fillings have moved away from just 'Traditional Cornish' and 'Cheese and Onion', and once again it is possible to get pasties with almost anything imaginable inside. I have eaten Banana and Chocolate pasties, and have a mind to buy and eat an Apple, Rhubarb and Custard pasty. Curry pasties, spicy chickpea pasties, even Mexican and Chinese pasties, which are as far away from Cornwall as I can imagine a pasty filling be.

So, when on holiday, or even just when buying lunch, don't feel limited to a traditional pasty; go wild.

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