Be the Amorist in Your World...
Three Shades of Honey | Romatic Giftable’s
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. You may use apples if preffered.
Bosc Pears Basked in Lavender Honey Caramel
Gourmet Pears dipped in Honey Caramel, Dark Chocolate & Walnuts with Fleur de Sel
Bosc Pears Basked in Lavender Honey Caramel
8 pears
6-8 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. Rum (see notes below) or Grand Marnier (optional)
Fleur de Sel, melted chocolate, chopped nuts, chocolate shavings (optional)
Equipment:
1/2 sheet pan (cookie sheet)
Candy thermometer
Parchment paper
Clear gift boxes (optional but beautiful)
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 260f, this should take 45-50 minutes.
In the meanwhile, prepare your apples. Remove any wax from them by giving them a dip in very hot water (5-10 seconds) & completely dry with a kitchen towel rubbing to remove any remaining residue. Insert a stick (popsicle stick, branch or wooden dowel) into the top of each pear, set aside on a sheet pan lined with parchment (you want your pears at room temperature). 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 pears, tilting to one side to pool the caramel so it will be deep enough to coat apples but the pyrex method is more efficient.
When caramel reaches 255-260f remove from heat & stir down. Stir in vanilla & rum & allow to cool slightly, a couple minutes. 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. Dip each pear into the caramel, tilting the apple if necessary to cover, pull out slowly, allowing excess to drip back into pyrex. Place on parchment lined sheet pan. Working quickly, repeat with remaining pears. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the caramel to set up. Garnish as desired
Chef Notes: One usually thinks of bourbon in connection with caramel but we opted to go with 151 Rum by Lemon Hart & Son. We found that it’s rich, molasses character, accentuates the butterscotch. We will be featuring this rum in upcoming fall cocktails as well.
Pro Tips.
Make certain your apples have no trace of wax left on them as this will inhibit the caramels ability to stick to the apple.
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 slightly before dipping pears. If the caramel is to hot, it will slide right off, if to cool it will separate & slide right off. Very disheartening.
These Rum & Butterscotch 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.
If you have any caramel left over, pour it into a parchment lined container, refrigerate allowing it to set up & cut into individual caramels. You can then dip them in dark chocolate or scatter some Fleur de Sel over the top of them. Wrap each piece in parchment & tie of with festive string or twine. You could also make a lovely gift basket by placing them a purchased tea cup with an assortment of teas.
Lavender Honey Fleur de Sel Caramels
Lavender Fleur de Sel Honey Caramels
These caramels are so dreamy & perfectly giftable. Finished with a flourish of Fleur de Sel & crushed lavender buds or dried rose petals.
We start with browned butter, tempered with cream, add organic brown sugar & honey then finish with a Bourbon Vanilla & Grand Marnier. The lovely butterscotch nuance of this caramel, with a hint of orange is finished with a flourish of Fleur de Sel, crushed lavender buds or rose petals. So romantic.
ABOUT 30 CARAMELS
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
Flourish.
Fleur de Sel
Lavender buds (optional but an elegant touch, culinary grade)
Dried Rose Petals
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. Remove from heat, stir down mixture then add vanilla & Grand Marnier.
2.) Line a 9” square pan with parchment paper, overlapping the sides. Alternately you can use candy molds or I used silicone ice cube trays. Pour hot caramel into prepared pan & cool completely in the fridge. Use the parchment to remove caramel, cut into individual squares. Sprinkle with fleur de sell & crushed lavender buds. Wrap individual caramels in parchment or in small, food grade goodie bags.
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.
We start with browned butter, tempered with cream, add organic brown sugar & honey then finish with a Bourbon Vanilla & Grand Marnier. The lovely butterscotch nuance of this caramel, with a hint of orange to play against the dark chocolate. Finished with a flourish of your choosing; Fleur de Sel, crushed lavender buds or rose petals.
About 30 Caramels
1 cup butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups locally harvested honey
1 cup organic brown sugar (packed)
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Bourbon Vanilla
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
Dark Chocolate dip.
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup coconut oil
4-3oz. bars of Bakers bittersweet 66% cacao
Flourish.
Fleur de Sel
Lavender buds (optional but an elegant touch, culinary grade)
Chopped nuts
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. Remove from heat, stir down mixture then add vanilla & Grand Marnier.
2.) Line a 9” square pan with parchment paper, overlapping the sides. Alternately you can use candy molds or I used silicone ice cube trays. Pour hot caramel into prepared pan & cool completely in the fridge. Use the parchment to remove caramel, cut into individual squares.
3.) In a small bowl, add heavy cream, chocolate, 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, lavender buds (or other edible floral) or shaved chocolate. Chill for 30 minutes to allow chocolate to fully set.
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.”
Cafe au Latte Lollypops