by hardlikearmour
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EmilyC's Testing Notes:
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Expand2 cups heavy cream Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup unsalted butter Ask a question about this ingredient
3 7- to 8-inch stems rosemary Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup water Ask a question about this ingredient
3 cups sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup light corn syrup Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
fleur de sel (or other coarse finishing salt) Ask a question about this ingredient
In a medium sauce pan heat the cream, butter, rosemary, and salt over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes before proceeding. This will infuse the cream mixture with rosemary flavor.
Ask a question about this stepLine a 9- by 13-inch pan with parchment paper, so the paper is only going up 2 opposite sides (essentially forming a sling to remove the caramel with later). Spray with neutral flavored cooking spray. If you want your pecans buried in your caramel, distribute them evenly over the bottom of the pan.
Ask a question about this stepDissolve the cream of tartar in the water in a 6- to 8-quart stock pot. Add in the sugar and corn syrup. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once mixture is boiling, uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium high. You will need to keep a pretty close eye on the pan, and swirl the pan occasionally. If you are using a candy thermometer you will notice the mixture hovers near the boiling point for a while then starts to climb fairly rapidly. As the mixture approaches 310 degrees F, you will want to start swirling it fairly frequently as caramelization is imminent. Once caramel color is to your liking remove pan from heat. The pan will retain some heat so I like to remove the caramelized sugar mixture from the heat at about 325-330 degrees F, or when it is a golden brown color.
Ask a question about this stepSlowly pour the warm cream mixture through a mesh strainer into the the sugar mixture. It will boil violently and create hot steam, so use caution. I like to wear an oven mitt while stirring until the boiling has settled down. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar has all dissolved into the cream.
Ask a question about this stepReturn caramel mixture to medium to medium-high heat and bring the mixture up to 244-248 degrees F, the firm ball stage (if you drop about a 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into a bowl of refrigerator cold water it should form a ball, that is not soft but still malleable - the lower end of the temperature range should produce a somewhat gooey caramel and the upper range should produce a firmer texture - see cooks note at end of recipe.) Stir often, scraping the bottom of the pan. As you get close to your target temperature you may want to turn the heat down to low if you are using a gas stove, or off if you are using electric to slow things down. Your caramels can go from too soft to tooth breaking within a short time frame. You will also want to stir almost continuously as you get close to your target temp to prevent burning.
Ask a question about this stepRemove from heat and quickly stir in vanilla extract, then proceed with pouring the caramel into your prepared pan. If the pecans are in the bottom of the pan you will want a thinner stream, that moves over the surface of the pan to help keep an even layer of pecans.
Ask a question about this stepIf you want your pecans to remain somewhat separated on the surface of the caramel, evenly distribute them over the freshly poured caramel mixture. Wait about 10 minutes, then gently and carefully press them into place. Sprinkle with fleur de sel about 10 minutes after pouring the caramel in either case; attempt to get several salt grains per piece of caramel.
Ask a question about this stepAllow to cool to room temperature. Use parchment paper "sling" to remove from the pan, then cut caramel into 1-inch squares, or whatever size pieces you prefer. I periodically spray my knife with non-stick spray to help cut the caramels. Wrap individually with waxed paper, and store in an airtight container.
Ask a question about this stepNote: Caramel making is a bit trial-and-error based on humidity and other factors. If your caramels come out too soft, modify the final temperature up 1-4 degrees. If they come out too hard, modify down. This recipe scales down by half to an 8-inch square pan if you want to make a smaller amount or feel like experimenting!
Ask a question about this stepThanks, lapadia! I'm thrilled you like them.
Congrats on the CP! Glad to see so much love for the rosemary caramel combo :)
Thanks! It's a surprisingly delicious combo. Can't wait to try your brittle - just need to get some pine nuts.
Amazing and delicious, the rosemary marries perfectly with the sweet caramel and pecans and the touch of salt is genius. Everything is perfectly balanced and the caramel is soft and chewy absolutely the perfect texture. It was such a treat to get to taste these little gems. I am going to work on honing my candy making skills so I can make these, loved them.
Thrilled you enjoyed them! I really hope you give making them a try - it's not horribly difficult, but does require some attention to detail and a lot of hovering over the stove!
Thanks, EmilyC! I really love these caramels, and have trouble only eating one!
Just curious--the cream of tartar--is this ingredient helping the caramel to solidify at cooling? Does CoT go "bad" or loose its efficiacy like baking powder can? I've made lots of caramels but not used the CoT before.
I wanted to use a minimum of corn syrup, so added the cream of tartar to invert some of the sugar to help prevent crystallization. You could alternately use some lemon juice for the same effect. I don't think it goes bad as long as it's dry.
These sound fantastic!
Thanks! I just bought cocoa nibs so I can make your brittle.
These look fantastic! Love the savory aspect to the rosemary and sea salt which probably balances out and complements the tooth-cracking sweetness we all love about caramels!
Thanks, Niknud! The rosemary and salt do go quite well with the caramel.
These look just fantastic - love the savory aspect of the rosemary and sea salt which probably helps balance out the teeth-cracking sweetness that we all love about caramels!
Recipe did not say how much corn syrup to add or when to add the vanilla, so, I guessed :). Used 1/2 c corn syrup and added the vanilla right before pouring it into the pan. Not sure if it is going to set up (just finished making it) but the taste is amaaaazing! If it does not set, will be wonderful for ice cream topping. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh.... Thank you, thank you, thank you for catching my errors & you guessed exactly right. I have made them (and other caramels with the same base recipe) on multiple occasion and they seem to set up w/o much trouble. Fingers crossed & I'm thrilled you gave them a try!!
shhh! I'm making it again :) it vanished before I could see how long it lasted...think that that is a good sign!
This comment has made my day! I'm so glad you (and everyone else) enjoyed them. I see another batch in my near future, too.
I feel very lucky to have tasted these and they are divine. The rosemary adds a wonderful dimension to the nutty, vanilla notes. YUM!
Thanks, gingerroot! I'm glad you enjoyed them. I really love what the rosemary adds, too.
Ooooooooh. These look mmmmmmmmm!!! And what a gorgeous photo!
Thank you and thank you!
Thanks, wssmom! These are possibly my favorites of the caramels I've made.
You are the caramel queen.
I don't know if I'd go quite that far, but I do love making caramels!
Thank you, Lapadia! There's a good chance they will show up at the Portland potluck.
You crack me up! & thanks!
Thank you, sdebrango! I really love making caramels. It's a bit like doing a chemistry experiment in the kitchen. (There is a glitch that won't allow me to reply to the first comment for some reason.)
Oh My - this is a most amazing recipe! I am going to get my daughter to make them and learn from her. You are an incredibly talented woman, HLA!
*blush* Thank you, SKK! I hope you and your daughter have fun with it.
You make such beautiful caramels, this is just fantastic. Love the rosemary addition.
Fabulous taste and texture, love the earthy rosemary flavor, thanks for sharing your recipe, HLA!