Homemade Caramel Corn

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caramelcorn

One of my favorite things about our local fireman’s carnival in the summertime is their homemade caramel corn. Sure, you can get great caramel corn on the boardwalk in Ocean City…but the site of a giant copper kettle full of popcorn, butter and brown sugar being continuously stirred by one of our local hard-working guys is one to behold. For me, that scent wafting through the air means summertime on Chincoteague.

But then fall arrives, and the carnival is over for another year…leaving me without a giant tub full of caramel corn to munch on. So, I decided to start taking matters into my own hands a couple years ago, and started making my own. A few basic ingredients and about an hour – and you have a giant batch of caramel corn that stays good for a couple weeks, or also make excellent gifts when bagged up and tied with a pretty ribbon.

Peanuts, are of course optional…but we love the nutty crunch that it adds. Looking forward to playing around with some different ingredients to change the flavor up a bit…maybe a little cayenne to spice things up, or a little cinnamon and nutmeg for an autumnal spin! With Halloween coming up, it’s the perfect excuse to try making this classic for yourself at home – you won’t regret it!

Homemade Caramel Corn

1 cup popcorn kernels, un-popped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 250° F. Line two baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, set aside.

Pop popcorn using your preferred method, I use and air-popper and have to do two batches. Place the popped popcorn onto the baking sheets.

Meanwhile, to make the caramel, melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, mix in the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once the mixture reaches a boil, let the mixture continue to boil for 5 more minutes without stirring. Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. The mixture will bubble up and become frothy. Evenly drizzle the caramel sauce over the popcorn on the baking sheets, and use a silicone spatula to gently toss and coat thoroughly. It’s okay if there are some clumps of caramel throughout, it will melt and become better spread out while baking.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, removing from the oven to toss/stir every 10 minutes. After 40 minutes, test a cooled piece of popcorn. If it is not completely crispy (i.e. still slightly mushy when you bite it), bake for 10 minutes more.

Remove the baking sheets to a wire rack and allow popcorn to cool completely before breaking apart for serving or packaging. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (no way in hell it’ll last that long).

Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

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Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Cheesecakes are one of those sweets that I don’t mess with very often, and not just because I run the risk of eating the entire thing myself. They’re kind of time consuming with the whole chilling process, and results can be a mixed bag – raise your hand if you’ve had a cheesecake with a giant sunken hole in the middle? *raises hand* And again, the risk of the I’ll eat the entire thing factor…

On the other hand, they’re relatively easy to make using just a few ingredients. And, well – when it’s done right, it’s hard for any other dessert to touch it in my book. When I found this basic cheesecake recipe years ago (word to Ina), I stuck with it. It’s never let me down, and it’s easy to tweak the flavor profile and turn it into something completely different. All my boys are huge fans of peanut butter, so I thought that would be a welcome twist…

Turns out I was right! Rich, thick, and silky – this cheesecake packs a wallop of peanut butter flavor. I topped it with a simple chocolate drizzle, and crushed up Butterfinger bars. But, chopped up peanut butter cups would be an awesome choice as well…I mean honestly, when is it not?

I haven’t been in the kitchen much these past couple of month – with so much going on with boating and beaching (half the time we were cooking dinner on the beach itself!), and just summertime livin’ in general. I’m sure many of you can relate, in one way or another. But this is the time of year where I really love getting back in the kitchen, and spending more time on recipes and cooking in general. Now that chillier temperatures have arrived, I’m looking forward to doing just that. And, this cheesecake was a great place to start!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

For the crust:
18 Oreo cookies, finely ground
4 Tbsp butter, melted
small pinch salt

For the filling:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp shortening
1 cup crushed Butterfinger bars (or peanut butter cups)

Place one oven rack in the middle position, with one rack below. Preheat oven to 350. Place a 13×9 baking dish on the bottom rack and fill with water – this will act as our water bath.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crust with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the sour cream, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed, but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Place on the top oven rack above the water-filled baking dish, bake for 1 hour. The cheesecake should still jiggle a little in the center (it will firm up after chilling), so be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes.

Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Un-mold and transfer to a cake plate.

To make the drizzle, microwave the chocolate and shortening in 30-second intervals until melted. Drizzle over the cooled cheesecake and top with crushed peanut butter candies before serving.

Fresh Peach Cupcakes

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Fresh Peach Cupcakes

We technically have a couple weeks of summer left – so I wanted to squeeze in one last post utilizing another of my favorite fresh seasonal items. Peaches. For me, they are the epitome of summer. There is nothing like plucking a fresh peach off of a tree, still warm from the sun, and biting into it. Doesn’t get any better than that!

I’m thankful to have a wonderful orchard, just a short drive off of the island. I’ve talked about them before here on the blog, I truly love them. Vessey’s Orchard has been there for close to 100 years, there is a huge historic home on the property, acres and acres of fruit trees – it’s just paradise.

After the parents passed, there were some family disputes and they found themselves closed for a couple of seasons. Well, I’m happy to report they are back in business…and the produce is better than ever!

Vessey's Orchard

If you’re here on the Shore, I can’t recommend visiting them highly enough. It’s getting to be apple picking (and fresh-pressed cider!) season there as well, that’s something that we look forward to every year as a family. We’ve made so many memories in those fields, and I can’t wait to make some more!

You can find their contact information here – just make sure when you get there, you drive all the way to the end of the long driveway.  So anyways, the cupcakes…

I took my favorite vanilla cake recipe and added chunks of fresh peaches, then topped with a fresh peach buttercream – which I’d made with fresh pureed peaches. And, a garnish of a fresh peach slice right before serving really set off the gorgeous blush hue of the frosting.

The resulting cupcakes were bursting with sunny peach flavor, and tender and moist from the addition of the peaches to the batter. One I’ll definitely be looking forward to making again next summer!

Fresh Peach Cupcakes

3 cups cake flour (or 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup fresh peeled peaches, roughly chopped

For the frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 cup fresh peeled peaches
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
fresh peach slices, for garnish

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners, set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy,about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, and the vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer. Gently fold the chopped peaches into the batter.

Fill the cupcakes liners 2/3 of the way full with batter (I like to use a large cookie scoop). Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cool in pan about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, puree the peaches in a small food processor until smooth and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter over medium speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and carefully add in the confectioners sugar and the pinch of salt. Add the vanilla extract, as well as the peach puree. Increase speed to medium, and beat until smooth and well combined.

Frost cupcakes as desired (I used Wilton 2D) and garnish with a fresh slice of peach before serving.

Crab Pizza

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Crab PizzaOur summer is starting to come to a close. We’ve been making sure to get plenty of beach and boating time before it does, but…it’s coming, whether we like it or not.

That’s not to say that I don’t adore fall…really, it’s my favorite season! Chilly mornings with hot coffee, the leaves turning, and most importantly – cheap, fat crabs. They’re down to $50 a bushel here on the Eastern Shore, which makes a spontaneous crab feast on a Saturday afternoon totally doable. Which is precisely what we did last weekend…

We ate our fill, then had plenty leftover to pick the next day. Ended up with close to 3 lbs! Of course I had to make a batch of my creamy crab dip, and I’ll be making some crab cakes to freeze. But, I wanted to do something a little different this time around.

Last month we took a cruise up to Seacrets in Ocean City in our friend’s pontoon boat (thanks, Captain Luke!). A few cocktails were consumed, as well as this delicious pizza. They actually call it “crab toast”… to which, I call bullshit. It’s a crab pizza, and it’s absolutely delicious.

I kept it simple, the crab is the star ingredient here, and it should shine. A light covering of a simple garlicky white sauce, topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, and the crown…jumbo lump crab. Now, let me just go ahead and put this out on the table – don’t use canned crab. Ever. For anything. The quality is absolutely critical for an application such as this. So, if you can’t get the good stuff , just don’t bother.

That’s why we have to get while the gettin’ is good here. Another bushel will probably be on the menu this weekend!

Crab Pizza

For the white sauce:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the pizza:
1 ball pizza dough, halved
Olive oil, for brushing
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 lb. fresh crab meat
Old Bay, for topping

To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until bubbling and light golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the heavy cream and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the pizza, preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500 F for at least 20 minutes. Shape each pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round. Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of the white sauce over the crust, leaving a border clear around the edge for the crust. Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.

Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, and top with fresh crab. Return to oven for a minute or two, just to warm the crab. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving. Top with Old Bay, if desired. Repeat process with other dough.

Source: inspired by Seacrets Crab Toast