Something Old, Somethings New

Now that October has slunk away, with its unpredictable weather and bad bad news, let’s look ahead to the holidays. All we can do at this point is try to get through 2008 with our sanity intact. To hopefully smooth the way a bit, I’m including a fabulous old recipe for an easy, dare I say effortless, holiday favorite. This toffee recipe originally came from school, but we’ve tweaked it a little bit to make it more Blackmarket. We will also be making this recipe (& others) in our upcoming Holiday Gift Class. Try it and spread the buttery wealth!

Pistachio Butter Toffee
Chopped dark chocolate 8 oz
Water ¼ C
Corn Syrup 1 t
Butter 8 oz
Sugar 1 C
Sea Salt ½ t
Pistachios (chopped, toasted) ½ C

Need: Saucepan, candy thermometer, pastry brush, 9” x 11” pan, heatproof spatula

Directions:
1. Place chocolate in a bowl & set aside (do not melt).
2. Combine water, corn syrup, butter, sugar & salt in a heavy-duty saucepan with a candy thermometer. Brush down the sides of the pan to make sure no sugar crystals are clinging. Do not stir at the beginning.
3. Once the mixture is dissolved and starts to get color, start to stir with a heatproof spatula. Heat the mixture over high until the temperature reads 300 F. Watch out because the toffee is very hot & sticky at this stage!
4. Pour the toffee into a greased, parchment-lined 9” x 11” pan. Do not scrape the extra candy out of the pan as this portion may have gotten too hot. Let cool for 2 minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chunks. As they melt, use an offset spatula to spread out the melted chocolate.
5. Now sprinkle on the chopped nuts. You may want to sprinkle on a little extra coarse sea salt before the chocolate cools. Let the toffee cool. Refrigerate if you can’t wait so long. Break the toffee apart (it is too hard to cut).

For the new, Annie & I are heading to NYC tomorrow to attend the Chocolate Show. Having been in OC pretty much non-stop for the past 4 years, I am slightly stunned to be traveling anywhere… and feeling very guilty that my trip revolves around eating delicious morsels – chocolate, baked goods, bread, chocolate, candy – for 3 days solid. We will be documenting our purchases & samplings here in the future. What’s that saying about Nero fiddling while Rome burned? What bad economic news? Pass me another Green Tea truffle….