Salted Chardonnay Caramels and Cabernet Bon Bon's

Who doesn't love Chocolate? Several years ago I was lucky enough to happen upon some classes being offered at the Napa Valley Cooking School for food enthusiasts. Well needless to say I signed up immediately as soon as I saw the word "chocolate". These are generally 3 hour hands on classes on specific topics where you get together in groups and follow recipes under general chef supervision. You get the benefit of many recipes, tips and tricks you may not otherwise learn. The hard part is going home and remembering everything you learned. It is so fast paced and you literally gloss over so many things your head is spinning when you get home.

I met the most wonderful chef by the name of Stephen Durfee. He was our "chocolate" instructor. He had a list of 17 recipes ranging from Chocolate Souffles to Buche De Noel to Truffles. Did someone say truffles? Chef Durfee didn't know he was creating a monster. I took to truffles like a duck to water; not in the "I know what I'm doing" sort of way, but more in the "I didn't know you could do that at home!" sort of way. So I learned to temper chocolate....how fun is that!

These are some Salted Chardonnay Caramels and some Cabernet Bon Bon's that we made for V2V in the Napa Valley. It's a yearly event that takes place in the Stag's Leap District. My in-laws are one of the participating wineries and asked if I could incorporate their wines into my newly found talent. Success... it has made its way to the table.

My daughter is a God-send in more ways than I can count; she comes home from Southern California for a few days just to help me. She is the one with the talent who does most of the enrobing. She also happens to be the Master taster.

We have more fun than two people should be allowed in a kitchen. I am truly blessed.

Chunks of Energy

I had been experimenting with various granola bar recipes for the past year. I have run across quite a few good ones and some not so good. I got into a groove with some energy bars that were all natural ingredients and trying to find the right binder to bring all this good for you stuff together. I made what I thought was a pretty good rendition of a Clif Bar Energy Bar and was really quite happy with the recipe. I took a sample up to my mom's months ago.

Last week she mentioned that she has been making the "peanut butter, honey, sesame seed" bars like crazy because she can't get enough of them! Yeah! Come to find out it was not my Clif Bar like recipe, it was one she had written down and thought I had given it to her! Ouch! Well I copied down the recipe and whipped up a batch and these little gems are fabulous. They use a Carob powder that I have never worked with before. She couldn't for the life of her remember where she got the recipe from but in doing some internet surfing, it took all of three minutes to find it, so I thought I would pass it on. The original looks as if it came from the Woman's Health magazine after an article they did with the company that makes and sells these little "Chunks of Energy". It's a company called Dancing Star Natural Energy Products and these little babies are good stuff. How fun is that!

Chunks of Energy Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup honey

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup Carob powder (I use Chatfield's)

1 cup sesame seeds, toasted

1 cup sunflower seeds, raw or roasted, unsalted

1/2 cup coconut, raw unsweetened, toasted

1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat honey until warm, then add peanut butter slowly, until just mixable.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients and press into oiled 8 by 8 inch pan.

3. Chill for 1 hour. Cut into 25 small squares. Keep in fridge for up to 1 month; freeze indefinitely.

Kim's Notes: Original recipe did not have the addition of the coconut, but I think it's a very nice touch. I wrap individually in confectionery twisting waxed paper and store in fridge.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/homemade-energy-chunks-recipe 

Fig Newtons

Spring is here! That means that summer is right around the corner and that means pies! Ah yes, who doesn't love a fresh fruit pie. Apple is fantastic, but always a fall/winter obsession for me. Blackberry, now that's what I call summer treat. So in getting ready for dough season, what better way to start honing the pastry skills than to wrap some wonderful sweet dough around a beautiful concoction of figs.

I always loved fig newtons as a kid. Several years ago I ran across a recipe on the Food Network and gave it a go, sure enough, it was fantastic. A beautiful cookie that's wrapped around dried figs that have been reconstituted with an equal amount of orange and apple juice and a pinch of cinnamon. Just enough to enhance the flavor of the figs, not overpower. Any chance I get to use a pastry bag and a star tip, I'm in! How fun is that!

Fig Newton Recipe

Ingredients

Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 eggs

Filling

• 1 cup dried figs, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Equipment

• A large cookie sheet, well greased, or lined with parchment paper or lined with nonstick baking mats, or a nonstick cookie sheet.
• A straight edge or ruler

Directions

Dough: Blend the dry ingredients in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer). Add the butter and mix at low speed until sandy. Whisk 3 of the eggs together until foamy and add to the bowl. Mix to combine. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Filling: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and cook over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed by the figs and the mixture is thick. Let cool slightly, then puree in a food processor (or using a hand blender) until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to bake. (The recipe can be made up to this point and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Make an egg wash by whisking the remaining egg with 2 teaspoons of water. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rough rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough lengthwise into strips, at least 2 1/2 inches wide. Paint around the edges of 1 strip with egg wash. Pipe or spoon the fig filling down the center of the strip and then fold the dough over to enclose the filling, slightly overlapping the long edge, like a letter. Place the tube, seam side down, on the cookie sheet, then press down lightly to flatten somewhat. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1-inch segments.

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand's Just A Bite by Gale Gand and Julia Moskin: Clarkson N. Potter Publishers, 2001

Kim's notes: I multiplied the filling by 1-1/2 to have enough for all the dough.