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BITE
SATISFY YOUR SWEET TOOTH
by Rachel Parker
Indulge in holiday desserts from your own kitchen.
PHOTOS/MICHELLE GRITTMANN
Hershey's bars and dining hall cookies often replace homemade treats during busy winter months. Don't let your finals schedule or a lack of talent in the kitchen keep you from enjoying homemade fudges, chocolates, caramels, pecan clusters and other goodies like Grandma makes for the holidays. These treats require few special ingredients, are easy to make and can feel like home.
"Thesmellwouldjustenvelop you," she says. "But I can't smell it anymore." she laughs. ista
Comfort and memories go hand-in-hand for Monica Istas, owner of Penny Annie's Sweet Shoppe, 845 Massachusetts St. Istas remembers coming into town to shop and stopping by the shop with her mother when she was younger.
makes melt-your-mouth fudge, snowman marshmallows, refreshing peppermints and specialty popcorn at the shop. Some of the work can be tedious, but some jobs are
quite simple, she says.
Penny Annie's biggest holiday seller is coated popcorn, which lstas says she makes continuously
coating pretzels. Coating apples is even easier; it only takes a quick dip of the fruit in the flavored coating.
during the special season. Popcorn can be coated with almost anything — caramel, toffee, cinnamon, cheese sprinkles, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate — and it takes just a few minutes to pour the blended flavors over the popcorn and fold it through. The same concept goes for
You don't need any special utensils for making these sweets
THE GREAT PART ABOUT MAKING HOMEMADE SWEETS IS THAT NO SPECIAL UTENSILS ARE REQUIRED.
at home. Besides basic ingredients, everyday kitchen essentials like electric mixers, spoons, trays and saucepans will do the trick.
comes to chocolate pleasures, whipping up something tasty isn't quite as time consuming as youd think, says Steve Agnew, chocolate at Russell Stover, 1300 W. 23rd St.
Agnew finds decorating chocolates the most fun for the detail-oriented. He drizzles chocolates with frostings and
When it
When Desirae Rieke was young, she used to help her mother in the kitchen. The Tonganoxie junior's mother makes homemade fudge with nuts during the holidays that feels softer and tastes richer than store-bought fudge. Rieke says.
coatings, and he rolls truffles into bite-size balls. He caught on to the work quickly, although his perfectionism might make
the job look a bit easier than it is,he says.
"I tried to make chocolate-covered
chocolate in the bottom of the pan."
strawberries with my roommates once," she says. "But we burnt the
MELTING TEMPERATURES
Rieke's mistake is a common one, and one reason to invest
The range for a candy thermometer is 100 - 300 degrees Fahrenheit according to Foodnetwork.com. Sugar caramelizes between 320 and 350 degrees. Chocolate melts at 99 degrees, and fudge develops in what is called the softball stage, between 234 and 240 degrees.
in a candy thermometer.
With a candy thermometer and the right recipe, you can soon be making treats that rival those at Penny Annie's or Grandma's house. Grab some ingredients from the grocery store, put on an apron and bake the luscious treats that bring back memories of Grandma's secret homemade
culinary art. No doubt the results will be a kiss for the cook.
Make holiday treats like homemade peanut butter cups and white chocolate pretzels in your own home.
MELTING CHOCOLATE LIKE A PRO
There are several methods for melting chocolate. Whatever method you use, avoid heating the chocolate too much or too quickly, or it will burn and turn grainy.
Oven — Preheat oven on the lowest setting (usually 200 degrees Fahrenheit). Put chocolate into small dishes and place in the oven. Stir chocolate after 10 minutes. Return to oven, checking frequently until chocolate is smooth.
Microwave — Chocolate can be ruined by one extra second in the microwave. Microwave for one minute on the low or defrost setting. If the chocolate is not fully melted, microwave in 10 second intervals and stir.
Double boiler — a double boiler by putting a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Put the chocolate in the bowl over medium heat. Be careful not to get water into the chocolate, because this will ruin the chocolate.
Source:www.fabulousfoods.com
RECIPES ON THE WEB
www.fudge-recipes.net
deserts.cdkitchen.com
allrecipes.com
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