This popcorn fudge recipe was a hit at our Memorial Day festivities.

A fun recipe from Betty Crocker, it incorporates a dulce de leche fudge layer, salted caramel and caramel popcorn. Be sure to use caramel popcorn that is really well coated to prevent your popcorn from getting soggy.

Prep time is 15 minutes, total time is 1 hour 40 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: TRIPLE CARAMEL POPCORN FUDGE

Ingredients For 64 Pieces

Fudge Layer

 
Caramel Layer

Preparation

1. LINE bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with foil, leaving edges of foil hanging over 2 sides of pan for easy removal later; spray foil with cooking spray.

2. HEAT dulce de leche and chocolate chips in 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth (mixture will be very thick); remove from heat. Quickly stir in vanilla. Stir in 2 cups caramel popcorn. Spread in pan.

3. MICROWAVE caramels and cream uncovered in a medium microwavable bowl, on High for 2 minutes. Stir every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Very slowly pour caramel mixture over fudge layer, and gently spread to cover. Sprinkle with salt and 1 1/2 cups caramel popcorn; press gently so it sticks.

4. REFRIGERATE until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares (8 rows by 8 rows). Store covered in refrigerator.
  

Reigniting the Spark: Outdoor Cooking Still Hot

 
Tasty Trends: It’s All About the Meat

Treat yourself to extra-long tongs. These are from Sur La Table.

Household Roles: Male or Female, Everybody Grills

Do you use olive oil when grilling? Perhaps you shouldn’t. Olive oil has a lower smoke point than other oils, so it will burn faster.

Each fat (including butter, lard, oil and shortening) has a particular smoke point, which is the temperature at which the fat begins to break down. At this point, both the flavor and the nutritional value of the fat begin to degrade; and the fat will eventually smoke and burn if kept on the heat.

The higher the cooking heat, the higher smoke point your fat must be. That’s why grapeseed oil (485°F), soybean oil (490°F) and safflower oil (510°F) are so popular for deep fat frying, the highest heat of stovetop cooking.

While extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of 440°F, few people would use this pricey oil for grilling. Much of the regular olive oil has a smoke point of just 320°F.

Here are some comparative smoke points:

440°F:
Peanut Oil
Sunflower Oil

450°F:
Corn Oil (Refined)
High-Oleic Sunflower Oil (Refined)
Palm Oil
Peanut Oil (Refined)
Safflower Oil (Refined)
Sesame Oil (Semi-Refined)
Soybean Oil (Refined)
Sunflower Oil (Semi-refined, Refined, High Oleic, Refined)
Vegetable Shortening

468°F:
Olive Oil, Extra Light

485+:
485°F: Grapeseed Oil
485°F: Tea Seed Oil
490°F: Rice Bran Oil
495°F: Soybean Oil
510°F: Safflower Oil
520°F: Avocado Oil (Refined)

MORE ABOUT THE SMOKE POINT

Why your fats smoke and burn, or not: What’s the smoke point?

 
CHART OF SMOKE POINTS OF OILS

Different oils have different uses in smoke points. Here are the comparative smoke points of most oils.

Three-pea salad. Photo © Hannah Kaminsky
| Bittersweet Blog.

Says Hannah:

“Spring is on my mind, driving me to the point of distraction. Longer, brighter days captivate me while simultaneously throwing of my finely tuned rhythm, and the influx of fresh, vibrant produce easily overwhelms my senses. What to eat first? Where to go, what to do?”

The best cure for seasonal disorientation is immersion, so let’s jump right in and celebrate the other reason for my pea-brained state: Peas! In all their green glory, this simple salad combines snow peas, pea shoots, and English peas to showcase their myriad textures, flavors, and shapes. The rather silly, rhyming title doesn’t do this combination fully justice, but was unavoidable thanks to the matcha tea-infused dressing, lending equal parts bitterness and sweetness to the blend.

RECIPE: THREE PEA SALAD WITH MATCHA TEA DRESSING

Ingredients For 3-4 Servings

 
Green Tea Dressing

Preparation

1. TOSS the sliced snow peas, pea shoots and English peas together in a large bowl.

2. WHISK together in a small bowl all of the ingredients for the green tea dressing. Beat the mixture thoroughly until smooth.

3. POUR dressing over the vegetables, tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
  

[2] You can serve smaller bites.

[3] You can also swirl the blueberry topping into the cheesecake batter.

May 26th is National Blueberry Cheesecake Day. It may be hard to find a piece of blueberry cheesecake—cherry and strawberry are the popular berries toppings.

But you can easily make your own, from fresh or frozen berries. A homemade sauce is much tastier than the gelled goop into which berries are set on many commercial cheesecakes.

Then, just pick up a slice of cheesecake, top, and celebrate. You can also use the berry topping on ice cream/sorbet, pancakes/waffles, puddings, and other cakes: angel cake, chiffon cake, pound cake, and sponge cake.

You can bake your own cheesecake and create a blueberry swirl cheesecake by swirling the topping into the batter.

> Here are some of our favorite cheesecake recipes.

> The history of cheesecake.

> The history of blueberries.

>The 14+ cheesecake holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE TOPPING

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MIX the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.

2. COMBINE the blueberries, 1/2 cup of water, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mix comes to a low boil.

3. GENTLY STIR the cornstarch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the fruit. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon (about 5 minutes).

4. REMOVE from heat; gently stir in the vanilla and zest. Cool; refrigerate until ready to use. Warm very slightly in the microwave for easy pouring.
 
Recipe Notes

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.