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One must confess, there is something so sensual about honey. In my relationship, “Honey on my Table” became a metaphor for the sweet things a relationship can bring. So these honey drenched giftable’s are a symbol for love. Love is the most precious of human experiences. Not a commodity to be bottled, sourced & sold. So this collection of recipes is dedicated to love in it’s various forms & depths. Love isn’t just for sweethearts. Be the amorist in your intimate circle, create some beautiful gift baskets (illustrated below) for your family & your friends who feel like family.

We use this delightful honey caramel to create 3- different confections. We start with browned butter, tempered with cream, add organic brown sugar & honey then finish with a Bourbon Vanilla. Our first creation is caramel dipped pears. The lovely butterscotch nuance of this caramel, transmutes the bosc into edible art. Next, the hot honey mixtures gets poured into molds for individual Fleur de Sel caramels with the gourmet touch of lavender buds. Lastly a bit of the mixture gets taken from caramel to the candy stage where instant espresso powder is added. Voila! Cafe au Latte Lolly’s, the flavor of which is reminiscent of coffee nips.

Bosc Pears Basked in Lavender Honey Caramel

4 pears| 20 caramels | 12 lollypops| Skill level:Intermediate

4 Bosc pears, with stem if possible (or apples if so wish)
1 cup butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups honey (we like to buy locally harvested honey for this recipe we used a combination of Wildflower & Lavender honey from Lavineyard Farms)
1 cup organic brown sugar (packed)
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Bourbon Vanilla
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier (optional)
Fleur de Sel (optional)
Lavender buds (optional but an elegant touch, culinary grade)

Equipment:

Lollypop mold (mine makes 12)
12 Lollypop sticks (I went with these long, wooden sticks because I like the look of them in a gift basket)
Various silicone molds for caramels, or an 8x8 baking pan lined with parchment (I used my shaped ice cube molds, it worked perfect)
Two thermometers; 1 candy, 1 stem
Parchment paper
Clear gift boxes (optional but beautiful)

Before you begin, make sure that you have done your mise en place. This means that everything should be measured out & necessary equipment ready to go. Your molds should be sprayed with non-stick spray & set aside. Your lollypop sticks should be placed in the mold ready for the pour. Prepare your sheet pan by lining with parchment. This recipe takes the caramel to two different stages; caramel & candy. So there will be some multi-tasking required. While a portion of your caramel is taken to the next temperature level, candy stage, you will be dipping your pears, then pouring the remaining caramel into molds. Keep a careful watch on you candy so it doesn’t burn. There is no redemption for burnt candy.

1.) In a large sauce pot over medium heat, brown the butter (it will foam up, turn a soft golden color & give off a nutty aroma). Add the cream, honey, brown sugar & salt, stir to combine. Insert a candy thermometer & bring mixture to a boil. Turn heat down to a temperature that keeps the caramel at a soft boil. For my gas range, this was low but for electric it might need medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until it reaches 255f, this should take 45-50 minutes.

2.) Meanwhile, prepare your pears. Bosc pears should not have wax on them but if they do, give them a dip in very hot water (5-10 seconds) & completely dry with a kitchen towel rubbing to remove any remaining residue. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Prepare a bain marie by filling a medium sauce pot about half way with water & bringing it to a simmer. Place a 2 cup pyrex measuring glass (or something similar in size & depth) in the simmering water to gauge the depth, you want the water to go about half way up the cup. Adjust water as needed & remove glass. You will use this pyrex to hold your caramel for dipping. Alternately, you can use the pan the caramel cooks in to dip the apples, tilting to one side to pool the caramel so it will be deep enough to coat apples but the pyrex method is more efficient.

3.) When caramel reaches 255-260f remove from heat & stir down. Stir in vanilla & Grand Marnier if using. Pour 1 cup of honey caramel into a very small sauce pan & return to the lowest heat setting with a candy thermometer inserted, you will cook this mixture to the candy stage, 295f. Keep an eye on it while your dipping your pears (#4). As soon as the mixture reached the 295f, stir in 1 tsp. instant espresso powder & pour into lollypop mold. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before you unmold, Place each lollypop in a small food grade goodie bag & tie with jute or twine.

4.) Allow the caramel to cool slightly, about 5 min. Fill the pyrex 2/3 full with hot caramel & place in simmering water to prevent the caramel from setting up to quickly, turn off the burner, your water is hot enough at this point. Working quickly, dip each pear into the caramel, tilting as necessary to cover, pull out slowly, allowing excess to drip back into pyrex. Place on the parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat with remaining pears. If you wish to dust them with Fleur de Sel, do this now while the caramel is still sticky. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the caramel to set up.

5.) Pour remaining caramel into molds or into an 8x8 baking dish (lined with parchment). Place in the fridge for a couple hours to set up. If you used molds, unmold caramels onto a piece of parchment. If you used a baking dish, cut caramels into individual pieces. Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel salt & dust with crushed lavender buds. Wrap each piece in parchment or food grade goodie bags & tie of with festive string or twine. These make for a lovely gift basket by placing them a purchased tea cup with an assortment of teas.

Pro Tips.

Make certain your fruit, be it pears or apples have no trace of wax left on them as this will inhibit the caramels ability to stick.
Some caramels are not stirred during the cooking process. That is not the case with this one, stir frequently.
For your caramel, you are looking for the perfect consistency. It needs to be cooked long enough to set up properly on the apple but still possess the perfect chewy quality that we desire. This is achieved with temperature. The sweet spot for this caramel is 255-260f. If you do not have a candy thermometer, you could almost wing it with perfect timing, 45-50 minutes. But for optimal results we recommend you use a candy thermometer.
Cool your caramel to 180f before dipping pears. If the caramel is to hot, it will slide right off. Very disheartening.
These honey caramel drenched pears are complete within themselves, however if you desire a little more flourish, here are some recommendations. After the caramel has completely set you may dip the bottom half of apples in melted dark chocolate then roll in chopped, toasted walnuts. Or give them a light dusting of Fleur de Sel. You can purchase clear boxes for gifting your gourmet Pears & apples.
For chocolate dip. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 Tbsp. coconut oil & two-3 oz. bars of Bakers bittersweet 66% cacoa, broken into individual tablets. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir until fully incorporated & the chocolate has melted. If there is still unmelted chocolate, return to the microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Stir until smooth & dip fruit or caramels. If desired, sprinkle with chopped walnuts, Fleur de Sel or shaved chocolate. Chill for 30 minutes to allow chocolate to fully set.

Gourmet Pears dipped in Honey Caramel, Dark Chocolate & Walnuts

Bosc pears go skinny dipping in warm honey caramel then after the caramel sets, they are dipped in dark chocolate & finished with Fleur de Sel & walnuts. Display in clear gift boxes for gifting.

Lavender Honey Fleur de Sel Caramels

These caramels are so dreamy & perfectly giftable. Finished with a flourish of Fleur de Sel & crushed lavender buds.

Cafe ah Latte Lolly’s

Perfectly lickable & caffeinated lollypops on 6” wooden sticks gives an old fashion, candy parlour feeling to this nostalgic candy.

Dark Chocolate Dipped Honey Caramels

Lavender Honey Caramels with Walnuts & Fleur de Sel

A square ice cube tray was used to mold these caramels which were chilled then dipped in dark chocolate & dusted with Fleur de Sel or walnuts. The chocolate ganache recipe can be found under ‘Pro-Tips’ above.

Giftable’s

An eclectic assortment of black & white print coffee mugs to fill with your honey confections. We placed the pears in clear gift boxes & the caramels & lollypops in food grade goodie bags tied with jute to gift to family & friends. Shreds of newspaper was used for the filler.

“Be the Amorist in your World.”

— wendi nichols

3 Shades of Honey | Romantic Giftable’s | Butterscotch Basked Boscs | Lavender Honey Fleur de Sel Caramels | Cafe au Latte Lolly’s