Po-Tay-Toes! Boil ‘em, Mash ‘em, Stick ‘em in a Stew!

Or in this case, slice 2 potatoes into ¼ inch strips, toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, place them on a medium heat grill (around 370 degrees), close the lid, cook them for about 6 minutes, flip them and give them another 6 minutes.



Pull them off, season with salt, pepper (and any other seasonings you like on your potatoes) and enjoy! Serves 4 as a side dish. Otherwise, serves 1 potato lover!

Ok, so not the most exciting post this week, but sadly, I have just not been cooking that much lately. I suffered some battle damage to my back and it has put me in kind of a lazy mood. That being said, grilled potatoes are really excellent! If you haven’t tried them, you are in for a treat. Light, crispy and smoky and I promise, you won’t miss the deep frier.

Chocolate and Orange

Oh, the delicious pairing of orange and chocolate! It is truly one of my favorite combinations and orangettes are fast becoming a candy staple at Casa de Pockets. For those unfamiliar with these delightful treats, orangettes are delicate strips of candied orange peel with a crisp chocolate coating; they have a soft, chewy texture and a citrus bite.

When I began researching recipes for candied orange peel, I discovered that there are a wide variety of ways of preparing them with no general consensus on the best approach, and surprisingly, few detailed instructions. Unfortunately, this lack of direction resulted in several failed batches with seized sugar, burnt peels and puddles of mush.

However, after a long process of trial and failure, Blackberry Pockets’ test kitchens were finally able to develop a method for candying orange peel, which appears to work faithfully time and time again. Hopefully, today, I can give you the direction that was denied to me and help you to create flawless candy with no waste.

Orangettes (chocolate-covered candied orange peel)

Ingredients:
The peel from 3 oranges*
3 cups of sugar
1 ½ cups of water
¼ cup of light corn syrup
8 ounces of dark chocolate

* Note: If you are not in the mood to eat 3 oranges and can't coordinate another orange recipe to use the fruit and juice, you can save the peel from the oranges that you eat over the course of a week or two by storing them in a ziplock sandwich bag in the fridge.

Method:
Cut the ends off of the oranges, quarter them and remove the peel (pith intact) from the fruit. Slice the peel into ¼ inch strips.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the orange peels for 3 minutes, drain them and repeat the process two more times. This process removes some of the bitter flavor from the peel.

After blanching the peels, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup into a medium-sized sauce pot over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the orange peels and bring the solution to a simmer.

Allow the orange peels to simmer on low heat for 30-50 minutes until they are translucent. This is the step where I blew it on multiple occasions. Pay close attention that the liquid never comes to too hard of a boil. You should still be able to see the submerged peels and you don't want all of the water to evaporate.

When the peels have become translucent (and tasty), transfer them to a drying wrack on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Note: you can preserve the syrup in an air tight container and use it in marinades and drink mixes!

Place the peels in the refrigerator and allow them to cool overnight. Roll the peels in sugar and, again, allow them to dry in the refrigerator for a few hours.


Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler until it reaches a smooth consistency with a glossy shine. If you want to properly temper your chocolate in order to achieve a crisper bite and glossier coating, follow these handy directions from David Lebovitz. Dip the peels into the melted chocolate one-by-one, leaving the tips uncoated and place on the parchment. If you end up with leftover melted chocolate, dip some nuts, fruit or cookies into the remainder!

Place the candy back in the refrigerator to help the chocolate firm up faster (about 15 minutes). Enjoy!



P.S.
This recipe works great using other citrus peel as well:

Grapefruit Peel

Pomello Peel

Lemon Peel

Simply Superb

Grilled Veggie Salad

As the temperature climbs steadily through the 100’s, the idea of standing over a hot stove or oven for any length of time is becoming increasingly less appealing. As such, the grilling season is in full swing here at Blackberry Pockets, with teriyaki New York strip steaks, seared ahi, flame broiled burgers, smoky bacon-wrapped scallops and many a cold vodka tonic helping to make the intense heat a little more bearable.

In addition to my affinity for grilled meats, I also love to grill a variety of vegetables. Asparagus and sugar snap peas are two of my favorites and when tossed with olive oil and salt, result in a satisfying flame-kissed snack that works great as an appetizer or a harmonious accompaniment to your main course.

Although both of these items make fantastic sides on their own, I have discovered that combining them, along with grape tomatoes, creates a crisp, fresh and delicious salad that I could probably eat every day. This recipe is incredibly easy to prepare and it is always a hit!

Simple Grilled Veggie Salad

½ lb of Asparagus, trimmed (about 12 spears)
½ lb of Sugar Snap Peas
1 cup of Grape Tomatoes (whole)*
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt to taste
½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

*Note: *I prefer to leave the grape tomatoes whole for this recipe in order to add a nice juicy pop to every bite. However, if the tomatoes you purchase are not particularly sweet or crisp, it would probably be better to slice them in half and squeeze the seeds out of them.

Preheat your grill to medium-high.

Cut the asparagus into equal-length pieces about 2 inches long. Combine the chopped asparagus with the peas in a medium sized bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil until all pieces are evenly coated.

Place the asparagus and snap peas on the grill and cook for 5 minutes, giving the vegetables a quarter roll with your spatula every minute or so, until they are bright green with minimal char.

Remove the asparagus and peas from the grill, place back into the bowl, and add the grape tomatoes. Add the other tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to the vegetables and combine until everything is evenly coated. Enjoy!

Variations

I thought this recipe might be made even better by adding a few more ingredients and I prepared a batch that included yellow summer squash, green beans, and fresh mozzarella.



Although it was perhaps a little more visually appealing, I think the better recipe was the original less complex version. However, maybe I am still missing something; so play around with this recipe and let me know what you come up with!

Cracking the Candy Racket: Cashew Butter Crunch

TOFFEE RECIPE

For some time, I have found myself increasingly drawn to artisan candy makers in order to get my sugar “fix”. Although at one point, standard treats from the supermarket or snack machine were enough to sate my inner candy demon, as time goes by, I am discovering that they are no longer up to the task. There is just something undeniably processed about the flavor of mass-produced foods. It’s something industrial, as if I can actually taste the conveyor belts.

That is not to say that I have given up on the snickers, starbursts and jelly bellies or that I no longer eat them. I do. By the pound. However, I am relying more and more on the products from choclatiers, online candy shops and Trader Joes (mmm, 10-pound bar of chocolate) to satisfy my cravings.

As I attempt to refine my taste for sweets, I am learning that certain artisan candies, specifically caramels and toffees, tend to be overpriced. Gourmet caramels and English toffees can cost upwards of $30.00 per pound. This is mildly absurd considering that these items are basically made from sugar, water, butter, and corn syrup combined with varying degrees and durations of heat…

Now, I understand that candy making can get a little more complex than that, but not much, which is why I have decided to stick it to these miserly sugar pushers and make my own. No longer will I allow these candy barons to get rich from exploiting their workers and gouging the market! I will not succumb to the temptation of their smoked salt caramels and blood-diamond truffles!

In all seriousness, I am actually pretty impressed with the quality of domestic chocolatiers (like Fran’s Chocolates, for instance) and if you do end up spending $30.00 for a tiny box of designer candies, you’re probably in for a real treat. Nevertheless, if I can make a product that is just as good, and for a fifth of the price, I’m gonna!

And so I present to you, my tasty toffee recipe:


Cashew Butter Crunch.
1 cups unsalted dry roasted cashews – chopped
1/4 teaspoon of salt (for the nuts) + 1/8 teaspoon of salt (for the toffee)
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla (or almond) extract

8 ounces semisweet chocolate - chopped (for the topping)

*You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe unless you are an old-school candy whiz like my grandma; in which case, we are aiming for just barely at the “hard crack” stage.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and either finely chop the cashews or pulse them a few times in a food processor.

When the nuts have been chopped, spread them on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven for about 8 minutes until lightly toasted and golden brown (FYI, if you detect the smell of toasted cashews, take them out quick; that delicious scent can quickly change to the acrid odor of nutty smoke). Sprinkle the nuts with ¼ teaspoon of salt.

Allow the toasted cashews to cool and line a 9” square baking pan (a round pie pan can work too) with aluminum foil. Evenly coat the bottom of the pan with ½ cup of the toasted nuts and set aside.

Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, water, vanilla extract and the extra 1/8th teaspoon of salt in a medium sized saucepan. Heat on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature on your candy thermometer reaches 299 degrees F (300 and 301 is ok but makes the brittle a little darker than I like), pay attention to the color of the candy as well.

Note: this segment of the process takes some time. Unfortunately, I forgot to time myself but I would estimate that it took about 25 minutes (it might take less or more time for you). In any case, just be patient and keep an eye on the candy thermometer because although it will take a fair bit of time to reach 280 degrees F, the temperature will shoot up rapidly after that.

When the candy has reached the desired temperature, remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the candy to the baking pan.

While the candy is cooling, finely chop the chocolate into very small bits. After the candy has cooled for about 10 minutes, place the chocolate bits on top of the candy and let them sit for another minute to allow them to melt. Then spread the chocolate using a knife or a spatula until it is evenly distributed across the top of the toffee. Now place the remaining ½ cup of chopped cashews on top of the chocolate.

Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool for 30 minutes. After it has cooled, the candy should release from the pan and the foil lining should be easy to peel off. Break into peaces, and enjoy!


Additional Thoughts
This is a recipe I have made multiple times and it always turns out fantastic. It is also pretty forgiving if your temperature is off by a couple of degrees.

These toffees have been described as “better than See’s” by my roommate’s mother and as “dancetastic” by me. This recipe is easy, fun and makes an impressive gift when artfully packaged. Make some today!

P.S. Please leave comments by clicking on the (most likely) “0 comments” line below. I know I included a lot of detail in this post but candy making actually is kinda tricky and I don’t want any one to waste precious sugar and butter because I was negligent.