Archive for I Want Candy!
Mexican Sugar Skulls!
Last night I spent well over 4 hours in the kitchen… it was delightful yet completely exhausting! I made fresh butternut squash soup, roasted a chicken and potatoes for dinner and made some Mexican Sugar Skulls… well actually, Mexican White Chocolate Skulls!
I was so excited to finally try out the mold that I got while exploring Olvira Street with my parents. There were many different kinds of sugar skull molds for me to choose from… big ones, little one, skulls on a sticks and even skull accessory molds like sombreros! But I opted for the Frida Kahlo Skull Molds. Frida Kahlo was a famous Mexican painter who was well known for her amazing self-portraits. I studied her work in grad. school while getting my degree in art therapy, mainly because her work was seen as highly symbolic; she used her art work to express her person pain or struggles. Anyways, that’s a discussion for anther day and another time, but these Frida Skull Mold’s were freakin’ adorable, so I absolutely could not pass them up!
The packaging for the molds provided a
recipe for creating the sugar skulls, but last night I was looking for simplicity, so I opted to use white chocolate that I had on hand instead. This made the process super simple… I melted the chocolate gradually in the microwave (50% power, 30 second interval and stirring in between each). I gently spooned the melted chocolate into the molds, tapped them on my countero t remove any air bubbles and then into the freezer they went for 30 minutes and… done! The white chocolate Frida Skulls popped right out and looked great!
I kept them in the fridge until my frosting was ready. I used Royal Icing to frost on some details to high light the skulls detail. Royal Icing in known for setting up super hard and should stick well to the skull… well in theory anyways… (Random Baking Tip: NEVER put Royal Icing down your kitchen sink… always throw any extra you don’t need in the trash first, then clean up your icing bowl… Royal Icing can do a number on your pipes!)
So I had some icing issues last night. After I had colored the icing the consistency changed a bit, then my kitchen was so hot from all the cooking I was doing that the frosting was becoming super soft and warm, then the chocolate skulls were sweating from the heat, preventing icing to stick to the skull. Also trying to see all the lines and details was almost impossible… I swear I almost went cross-eyes! After quite a bit of frustration and lots of trial and error I had one skull that turned out something like what I had wanted it to and here it is! Super cute huh?!?! These eyes on this skull kinda look like how mine felt after I finished with them! I think the next time I try these I am going to pick up some dusting sugar. The sugar may stick better to the skull and may provide color in many of the little detailed lines that I had so much trouble seeing! No more going cross eyed for this semi-pro. baker!
My skulls were super simple, yet felt so impossible at times to complete! After seeing all the crazy-intricate art work that has been created on these sugar skulls on the Mexican Sugar Skull Website, I have a new found respect for anyone who makes these for a living! Its amazing! The coloring are stunningly bright and the detail on some of them is freaking awesome! Check them out for yourself by clicking here!
Happy Baking, Chocolate Molding and Piping Frosting!
-Kristy
Mexican Candy and Day of the Dead Festivities!
Wow, I can’t belive my last post was almost a week ago! Again, my apologies for my absence, but since my parents have returned to the east coast one again, my life can return to normal and will continue to post daily. Although I have been away, I have TONS to report after many So-Cal adventures with my parents! I’ve been racking my brain all morning to decide what to tell first… the trip to an old fashion ice cream shop, the home-made bread or my delicious discoveries from a stroll down Historic Olvera Street here is LA. Since today is still considered to be part of the Day of the Dead celebration in the Mexican Culture, The trip to Olvera Street seems most appropriate.
My mother is a ham for touristy places and my dad loves discovering new foods (hmm… maybe that’s where I get my passion for food!) Olvera Street seemed like a place where we could spend an enjoyable few hours. For those of you not from the LA area, Olvera Street is a gathering of traditional Mexican shops, buildings and eateries smack in the middle of the downtown area of this big metropolis. There’s lots to discover, see and learn about the Mexican Culture. While my mom went nuts in the shops (she legit had to go into every one and wanted to buy just about everything!), my father and I explored the food and candy shops. After a bit of window shopping with our mouths watering, my dad decided to try two different traditional Mexican treats, Jamoncillo and Jamoncillo Nuez. This translates to Milk Candy, and Burnt Milk Candy.
After a quick google search, I learned this candy is made from stirring evaporated milk with sugar for a very, very, very long time. The result is a delightfully sweet confection very similar to a piece of fudge, minus the chocolate. Just one bite was enough for me, because this bar was seriously sweet, yet creamy, smooth and just melts in your mouth. The Burnt Milk Candy had a somewhat more intense flavor compared to the plain Milk Candy, but the flavors were super similar. My dad totally loved these candies, and gobbled them up in no time.
We just happened to go to Olvera Street this past Friday, as preparations for the Day of the Dead were in full force. The Day of the Dead is a celebration for those who have passed on, and are honored and their Spirits invited back into their families homes with the creation of intricate alters. The alters are decorated with flowers, speciality foods, candies and sugar skulls.
I totally fell in love the with sugar skulls. They came in all sorts of sizes and were decorated with vibrant colors and intricate designs. Although they are completely edible, almost everyone I spoke with said they didn’t taste very good. Despite that information, I bought a couple, one to display at home and one to taste. Being a little hesitant, I opted to give one skull a good lickin’ rather than taking a huge bite. And to be honest, I didn’t find it to be bad tasting. All its really made out of is sugar, flour, meringue powder and water, so it tasted like sugar. I am sure if I took one big bite the pure sweetness would have been overwhelming and would have sent me into an immediate sugar high followed by a serious sugar coma. I can see how children would positively love these, and how adults might find their pure sugar taste to be unappealing. All in all, a great $1 investment to discover something from a culture other than my own.
As we continued to meander along this historic road, I came across something even more exciting than the sugar skulls themselves. Many of the stores sold the molds to make your own sugar skulls at home. Perfect and right up my alley! My parents graciously offered to purchase a mold of my choice so I could attempt to make my own at home. For about $10, I got a mold that made 6 skulls and it included 2 recipes and multiple directions on how to make different kinds skulls. I have some skulls in the freezer as I am write this and can’t wait to see how they come out! Check back in later today too see the final product!
We left Olvera Street after three hours or so with full bellies and lots of purchases. It was really a wonderfully delightful afternoon of treat tasting and cultural exploration. I look forward to another trip thier again soon.
Happy Baking and Skull Making!
-Kristy
Memories from Maine!
I grew up in New England and my family was lucky and fortunate enough to have a summer house on the coast of Maine (thanks to my wonderfully smart grandparents!). I’ve haven’t been able to visit our summer home in well over 3 years now, and I miss it terribly! There is something about how simple, relaxing and enjoyable summer life is this vacation town. Your biggest decisions of the day are which beaches to go to and where to go get your evening ice cream sundae. I love falling asleep to the sounds of the surf rather than the howell of cop sirens. I love the smell of the salty air and watching the sail boats drift along the water while I eat my breakfast on our back porch every morning. I love that the street our cottage is on has no street lights, and stars at night are overwhelmingly abundant. Believe me.. the list of my the many things I love about Maine could go on and on, but I’ll stop here for now! Oh Maine… we have been apart far too long!
Today I received a package from my parents full of wonderful little delights from the small but lovely town of York Beach, ME. There were T-Shirts, photos, post cards, fresh blueberry jam and the best part, was the Salt Water Taffy from The Goldenrod, called Kisses. The Goldenrod is a landmark of York Beach. Its a restaurant, ice cream parlor and candy shop all rolled into one (really, it couldn’t appeal to me more!). You can get a delicious sandwich with a freshly made Raspberry-Lime Ricky, followed by a traditional Banana Split and on your way out pick up a pound of Taffy. It been in the same place since 1896 and the salt water taffy is made the same way now as they did when it originated. You can watch the taffy being made from the sidewalk outside the restaurant and the sweet smell of the hot sugar wafts a few blocks down attracting lots of onlookers (Mmm… it smells soo sweet and delicious!). As a child, my brother, sister and I used to watch the process for hours, and try to guess which kind of taffy was being made. I was seriously always mesmerized by it!
As soon as I opened the package I dug right into the taffy! My parents sent me a mixed box, so I have lots of variety. I opted for a strawberry, followed but a peppermint. The taffy was light and airy, and sweet and delicious! Sometimes taffy is so sticky and chewy I feel as if it would pull my teeth right out, and I hate that. But this taffy is NEVER like that! Its perfectly chewy, without being ridiculously sticky! My favorite flavor growing up was the peanut butter, and I have decided to save those for last! The peanut butter taffy has a wonderfully rich and nutty flavor, and has a creamy peanut butter center. Okay, I might just have to have one peanut butter kiss to start… Mmmm… Pardon me while I take another bite!
It amazes me how the flavor and smell of a particular food can make me so nostalgic! Thank so much for listening… or I mean reading along with my little mental trip back to one of my favorite places in the world! I hope you enjoyed the ride!
Happy Baking and Taffy Tasting!
-KM
A Child’s Candy Fantasy!
One of my fondest childhood memories was spending an afternoon at a place that I like to refer to as a Child’s Candy Fantasy… The Hebert’s Candy Mansion in Shrewsbury, MA. Yes, I said— CANDY MANSION! This place is literally an old Mansion that was converted into a candy store/candy factory/make your own sundae cafe/a child’s fantasy/a dentist’s worst nightmare! Hebert’s is most well known for their deliciously smooth chocolate bars and decadent homemade fudge. The owners were serious Smart Cookies when they added the make your own sundae cafe—especially since Massachusetts consumes the most ice cream all year round compared to any other state! It’s a fact– I swear!
Even though going to the Candy Mansion was about 20 minutes or so out of the way, my father took me there prior to heading to the airport for my flight back to LA. Hebert’s Chocolate, and some pure maple candy made the perfect treats to bring back to my friends in LA. To order your own Classic New England Chocolate, Candy and Fudge, Click here!
Happy Baking!
-KM
