Re: dulce de leche/caramel

[Guest guest]

At 04:37 PM 12/3/04 -0800, you wrote:

> " A 5-year-old could understand this! Fetch me a 5-year-old! "

I don't have an answer to your question, but ... THERE'S a sig!

Deanna, are you watching?

MFJ

Putting it in our hands gives us so much hope. ~C. Masterjohn

[Guest guest]

> > " A 5-year-old could understand this! Fetch me a 5-year-old! "

>

>

> I don't have an answer to your question, but ... THERE'S a sig!

>

> Deanna, are you watching?

>

>

>

> MFJ

> Putting it in our hands gives us so much hope. ~C. Masterjohn

Ow ya, das is goot one! Und vhen Masterjohn (und I can't resist - even

first syllable of his name corresponds to first syllable in vhat he is

describing) sig has fulfilled its full hilarity potential, then the new

one fits, ya.

Deanna Wagner

" Watching and waiting, for a friend to play with. Why have I been

alone, so long? " ~ The Moody Blues

[Guest guest]

> Has anyone had success (or any sort of experience) making caramel

> sauce/dulce de leche with rapadura, molasses or another

> non-white-sugar sweetener? I'm tempted to give it a go, but afraid

> that molasses will overpower the caramel flavour.

>

> If nobody has, maybe I'll give it a go this weekend and update y'all.

> --

> Persi M. Mon

Persi,

Well, no honestly, I have only experience sugaring maple syrup as far as

natural ingredients go. Yet still, I have made candies in the past, so

I am familiar with the ingredients and techniques for caramels, having

made them the standard way in the distant past. Rapadura should work

fine. It may have a richer flavor, but that may be a good thing.

Molasses would give a concentrated molasses taste, I believe, and would

not prove a good choice, imho.

Here's one recipe for:

Maple Caramels about 1.5 lbs

Stir in a large, heavy pan over quick heat until the sugar is dissolved:

2 cups Rapadura

1 1/2 cups maple syrup

1/2 cup cream

Stir and cook these ingredients slowly to the firm ball stage, 242

degrees F. Add:

1Tablespoon butter

Pour candy into buttered pan. Cut into squares as it hardens. Nuts may

be added to the candy just before removing it from the heat or they may

be sprinkled on the buttered pan before pouring the candy. When cool,

about 3 hours later, invert onto a board and cut into squares.

If you have questions about temperatures and understanding when candies

reach a certain stage without use of a thermometer, I can help you there.

Happy Holidays!

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Deanna, I would love pointers on how to know when a candy mass has

gotten to soft ball, hard ball, etc, but I was OK this time because I

was just making a sauce.

4 cups whole milk

1.5 cups dark brown sugar (no rapadura or even sucanat at the safeway near me)

a pinch of sea salt

cooked excruciatingly slowly until it's the right texture. I stirred

in a bit of vanilla at the very end before pouring it into a jar.

(yes, a mason jar). It's my xmas present to my mother-in-law this

year.

Of course there was a lot of quality control going on...I can attest

that caramel is plenty good with brown sugar

--

Persi M. Mon

superfruit@...

---------------------------------

" A 5-year-old could understand this! Fetch me a 5-year-old! "

[Guest guest]

[Persi M Mon] Deanna, I would love pointers on how to know when a candy

mass has

gotten to soft ball, hard ball, etc, but I was OK this time because I

was just making a sauce.

[DMW] Honestly, a candy thermometer is the best bet, as the changes of

stages are visual subtleties that can be difficult to discern. Also, by

the time you have dropped the small bit of candy in water to determine

what stage it's in, the rest of the mass on the stove has possibly

continued on to the next stage! You can pick one up for about $5 USD at

most grocery or cooking stores.

Deanna