The first step- the shortbreadish crust- went fine.
It was the *cook the sugar, syrup, and water until it changes color* that flummoxed me. The first time I tried a recipe like that (the salted caramels), I cooked too long and the caramels ended up like the Sugar Daddy suckers of my youth (great flavor, but tooth breakers fer shure). So I watched this recipe very carefully, and as soon as I thought the mixture was *a light amber color*, I removed it from the heat, and added the cream.
So recipe writers: please please please include a goal temperature for your sugar boiling stage. Or at least an amount of time for the boiling. This color matching thing is obviously not working for me.
However, this Old Port Carryall bag came out really really well. I did some quilting on the pocket,and I would have done more on the rest of the bag, but I ran out of the fancy schmancy matching quilting thread. So I went with quilted pockets only. I used wide double fold bias tape for all of the edging, rather than cut fabrics. That worked very well and looks good. However, my friend Cassie, from knitting, and I confabbed on the handle construction of this pattern, and we decided that we didn't like it (it's difficult to do, and looks awkward on the inside). So I just used fabric handles, sewn in place, covered with lampwork buttons.
The zipper pull of the little bag is another one of my lampworked beads.
I think I'm done with slippers for Christmas, but I might sew a few pairs for next year. The Big Tub 'O Knitted Things (which holds more than knitting) is just about empty.
I have a history of failure with the "looking for the hair, or the soft ball," or whatever. I can't make candy turn out without a candy thermometer - or jelly either, for that matter. My mother did very well with the soft ball, and Sister Hilda Marie (in the eighth grade) showed us how to make divinity fudge with the hair, but I have never mastered these arcane arts. My initial jelly attempts were either apple syrup or apple taffy. Both tasty, but not jelly.
ReplyDeleteSo this intrigued me and I tried it tonight. The shortcake, great! The pecans, a cinch! The caramel - won't know 'til tomorrow I guess or a little later tonight. I used a thermometer and it was at about 258 and still not very amber in my opinion. But I was worried it would get too hard. so I added the cream and vanilla then pecans and called it good. It looks a little light to me but we shall see. I will let you know soon. If this fails, I'll try my husbands recipe for caramel which he has down to a science.
ReplyDeleteThis is an update to my previous post - Mine turned out pretty much like yours, not quite as soft but almost. My (inexperienced) conclusion is that the quantities are too small to accurately measure with a thermometer so you go by looks. The look should be dark honey as in her post as opposed to light amber (also in her post) but in my mind those are 2 different colors. Next time i'll try for the dark honey. I think the water in there keeps it from burning and that it takes longer to cook the water off. There is no water in my husbands caramel recipe.
ReplyDeletejoanna: heh
ReplyDeleteBarb: thanks for the report and update. The bars are totally yummy even with oozy topping, but I would sure rather have made them like the pic. If I try again, I'll just keep boiling the syrup.