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Rosemary Lavender Salted Caramel Corn

September 20, 2012 in Desserts, Recipes, Snacks

Homemade caramel corn is something I didn’t have until a year ago.  (Is that weird?)  I was planning a Halloween dinner party and wanted to have something that would evoke the little kid in all of us post-college wanderers, and caramel popcorn came to mind.  In general, I had always indulged in store-bought or gifted tins of caramel corn, but had never embarked on creating the cheap and easy snack on my own.  In a collection of my husband’s recipe cards his mother lovingly put together to help her son feed himself and survive college lay a simple recipe for caramel popcorn.  I wanted to jazz it up and do something somewhat fancy, but not really fancy.  Faux-fancy.  Brainstorming flavor options, I realized I had a packet of lavender I had bought from work.

Ah-HA!

Lavender Caramel Corn!

But, oh, wait… I’m not a huge fan of lavender on its own… what else do I put in there?

Rosemary!  I enjoy the scent of rosemary and lavender scented bath products, so why wouldn’t it work as a flavor? Thus, rosemary lavender salted caramel corn was born.

I didn’t really want awkward chewy bits of lavender and rosemary ruining the crispness of the popcorn and thin caramel layer, so I infused the herbs in the butter called for in the recipe.  To keep with the salted caramel trend, I sprinkled coarse ground sea salt over the cooling mess.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out! (Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What’s it all about? see Beastie Boys.)

Rosemary Lavender Salted Caramel Popcorn

You need:

  • 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tbsp dried lavender
  • 1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter (I used unsalted european style, which has a higher fat content than regular run-of-the-mill butter.)
  • 3 qt plain popped corn
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup (don’t be confused with high fructose corn syrup.)
  • a few pinches of coarse salt. (I used sea, but you can try with with flakey kosher salt.)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

First, take the butter, the rosemary, and the lavender and put them in the saucepan you will use to make the caramel.  Heat on low-medium until the butter is completely melted then dial it back to the lowest setting to keep the butter melted and allow this to steep for 10-15 minutes.  Then turn the burner off and allow to steep for 10 more minutes or as long as you wish until the butter tastes as infused as you want it to be.  If you haven’t already, pop your corn while you are letting this infuse.

Preheat your oven to 250°F.

Strain the butter.  Be sure to remove each bit of the herbs.  Return the butter to the sauce pan and add in the sugar and corn syrup. Stir. Bring to a boil on medium heat stirring as it begins to bubble.  Once it is boiling, STOP STIRRING and let it boil for 4 minutes.  If you go one minute over, it may or may not be detrimental to the finished product, so be sure to watch it and keep track.

When the time is up, stir in the baking soda and vanilla.

Spread the popcorn out in either cookie sheets or large 13×9 in pans.  I used two 13×9 in pans to avoid being incredible messy… which is a tendency I have in the kitchen.  Pour the caramel evenly over all of the popcorn and toss to coat.  Put the sheets in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes to re-coat and allow it to dry more evenly.  After 30 minutes, take a few pinches of coarse sea salt and sprinkle over the acres of caramel coated corn.

DO eat some when it’s right out of the oven at the end of the process. It is SO GOOD!

Happy cooking!

 

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Basic Pulled Pork

April 12, 2012 in Mains, Pork

A slow cooked pork shoulder is one of my favorite roasts to make.  I’m talking FAV-O-RITE!  It’s a cut that’s incredibly versatile in itself, and when it’s slow cooked with some simple spices, it still is.  I’ve reinvented pork roast leftovers into carnitas tacos, chile verde, an Asian inspired stir-fry, an Italian ragu, and even soup!

The first thing I made with this freshly cooked roast was South Carolina barbeque inspired pulled pork, which consisted of shredded meat doused in a vinegar-mustard sauce made from the cooking liquid.  For this, I turned to my slow cooker.

Shall we?

Basic Pulled Pork:

  • 3-4 lb. pork shoulder (either boneless or bone-in works.  I used a bone-in roast.)
  • 1/2 onion, sliced thin
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • brown sugar (optional)
  • paprika (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chopped coriander (optional)
  • 1/4 cup vinegar (or any cooking liquid of your choice.  I recommend vinegar/citrus because the acid helps tenderize.)

If you are paranoid about extra fat on the meat, trim it off, but DO keep some on there, as it will help keep the meat moist and flavorful.

Generously salt and pepper all surfaces of the roast.  If you are using them, also rub about 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar and a few shakes of paprika over the roast. Set the meat aside to do a short marinade while you prep the veggies.  Slice the onions, crush the garlic.

Take your onion slices and scatter them over the bottom of the pot.  Throw in your garlic, bay leaves, and about half of your herbs.  Set the roast on top of the vegetables.  Top the roast with the remainder of the herbs and pour the vinegar over the roast.

Put the lid on it and cook it on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-7, or until the meat falls apart easily with a fork.

When it’s done, and you’ve been salivating from the wonderful smell for at least an hour, take out the roast and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Proceed to SHRED.

Once you’ve shredded it, you’re basically done.  Eat it as it, or put a sauce on it.  I chose to use up the lovely porky cooking liquid and make a sauce.

South Carolina inspired sauce:

  • Whatever’s leftover in the pot (EXCEPT the bay leaves. TOSS THEM!)
  • a few tablespoons of mustard powder
  • 1/2 cup or more of vinegar
  • a touch of honey (optional)

Pour whatever you have left in a blender.  Blitz!

Add in the mustard powder, vinegar, and honey.  Blitz!

Pour into a saucepan and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.  As it’s reducing, feel free to adjust seasoning to your taste.

Plate it, and eat!

Served up with an arugula-heirloom tomato salad and potatoes au gratin:

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Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

April 3, 2012 in Cakes, Desserts

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This trial wasn’t anything too special, other than the fact that it may or may not have been the first time the dear husband had pineapple upside-down cake.  According to him, he hasn’t in his life had the pleasure of shoveling bits of yellow cake-y, brown sugary, pineapple-y goodness into his mouth.  We had a few fresh pineapple slices left in the fridge, and I was itching to bake something with what I had on hand.

I followed a recipe for pineapple upside-down cake because it had been awhile since I made one.  I used the one found on the King Arthur Flour site.  I might also note that the company’s yellow cake recipe actually yields an INCREDIBLE yellow cake that is miles ahead that any other I’ve attempted to make on my own.   Pineapple upside-down cake is essentially a butter and brown sugar mixture and fruit lined pan with yellow cake batter poured on top of it all. I would have just used my favorite yellow cake recipe, but the last time I tried halving it, the cake ended up drier than normal.

King Arthur Flour’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake (slightly tweaked):

Bottom (that becomes top)

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 3 or 4 pineapple rings

Cake

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon coconut flavor, optional (I did use it.)
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I’m sure it could be gluten free if you use appropriate flours/necessary add-ins.)
  • 1/2 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 375°F.  While your at it. Stick your 8×8, 9×9, 8 in. round, or 9 in. round pan in there, with the 1/4 cup butter in it and let it all warm up and melt the butter. (You’ll want to take the pan out of the oven when the butter is melted.)

In a bowl, mix together the oil and sugar, gradually adding the sugar so it actually mixes well.  It may or may not look like wet sand/fine gravel.  Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and coconut flavor (if you’re using it).

Sift together the salt, baking powder, and flour.  Add it to the sugar/egg mixture in parts, alternating with additions of milk.  Mix until it’s combined and the flour is fully incorporated.  Set this aside.

Remember the pan with melted butter? Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the buttered.  Lay in your pineapple slices.  Feel free to add nuts, cherries, whatever other fruits or nuts you may want looking at you when you flip the pan over.

When it looks all lovely, dump your batter on top of it all, and spread it evenly.

Pop it into the preheated oven.  Bake for about 30 minutes, and don’t forget to rotate the pan midway so it gets even heat exposure.  It will be down when the tried and true toothpick test yields a clean wooden sliver.

When it’s baked, take it out of the oven and let it sit for a few minutes.  Feel free to run a knife around the edges if the cake isn’t separated from the pan walls.  After the resting period, put your oven mitts back on and flip the pan over on a plate large enough to hold the cake. Wait a moment.  Carefully lift the hot pan off of the cake and plate and voila!  Pineapple upside-down cake right side up!  If part of the topping sticks to the pan, just take it off and put it where it belongs on the cake.  No one will notice.  I swear!

Oh yeah.  EAT IT.

 

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Sticky Sweet Biko!

March 29, 2012 in Desserts

Sometimes I get these cravings that come from what seems like no real rational place. Maybe it’s like scent memory, but working in the opposite direction where something subconsciously triggers a desire for a particular foodstuff.  This time around I was stunned by a deep hunger pang that could only be satisfied by that sticky and sweet Filipino rice dessert, BIKO.

This is something that’s I’ve grown up with.  Always on the lengthy buffet table at pretty much any gathering where the ratio of Filipinos to everybody else is at least 1:1, it’s usually in some circular bamboo basket lined with banana leaves.  Often times it will be in tandem with ube (we’ll get to that some other time) or leche flan (a.k.a. leche plan).  Growing up, whenever my mom made it, it was usually one of two versions.  The one I saw most of was a layer of sticky rice cooked in coconut milk, covered by a layer of condensed milk that browned when baked in the oven.  The second one was a rare occurrence; it was a little more involved.  My mom had to make sure the whole thing didn’t burn by constantly stirring as the rice cooked on the stovetop resulting in a stiff viscous ball.  The molten mass (it is extremely hot sugar we’re talking about here) is then transferred to a dish or mold, pressed, and left to cool.  This is the rendition I took a stab at this time around.

I used the biko recipe from a fantastic Filipino cuisine site Panlasang Pinoy.  In my version, I halved it, and used slightly less sugar overall, as well as part brown sugar and part cane sugar.

Biko!

  • 1 cup sticky/glutinous/sweet rice
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup regular sugar (I recommend using an unbleached sugar)
  • 1 14 oz. can of light coconut milk
  • A few pinches of sea salt
  • butter or cooking oil (for greasing)

Put the water and rice in a rice cooker and let cook until cycle is finished.  If you don’t have a rice cooker, then pour the rice and water in an accommodating sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the flame to low-medium, cover and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the water looks like it is completely absorbed.

Lightly grease a dish or mold, whatever you have on hand that is about the size of a pie dish.

In a second pan (I used a skillet with 3 inch walls) pour in the coconut milk and sugars and heat on medium-high to get the sugar melted.  I recommend stirring with a wooden spoon to avoid burning the sugar that’s resting on the bottom of the pan.  I emphasize a wooden spoon because plastic can actually melt from the heat of the sugar.

Once it starts to bubble, turn the heat to medium. When it looks fully incorporated, it will look like a mocha color and be of a slightly thicker consistency.  Add the salt.

Add the semi-cooked rice and break up the rice if necessary.  Now comes the fun part.  Stir, stir, stir!  Don’t let the bottom sit still for too long or it will burn.  Burned sugar is great for some things, but not this.  Cook it until the liquid is evaporated/absorbed by the rice.  This will be stiff and almost form a ball when you stir it.

Pour it into your prepared dish and press the rice into it.  Let it cool on the counter.  When it’s a tolerable temperature, either warm or room temperature, eat it!

 

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