THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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RECIPE: Chocolate Caramel Turtle Brownies

February 6, 2014 at 2:43 pm · Filed under Cookies-Cake-Pastry, Food Holidays, Recipes

In this month’s issue of Ladies’ Home Journal, one reader shares how her “Man-Catcher Brownies” have captured the hearts of more than a few admirers. This caramel, chocolate and nut-filled dessert is reportedly so good, it’s prompted at least two proposals.

Feminists that we are, we’re calling this brownie by its historic name: Chocolate Turtle Brownies.

It’s named after the chocolate turtle confection—a caramel-pecan patty enrobed in chocolate, with four almonds, pecans or walnut pieces inserted to represent the legs of the turtle. A bit of head and tail are formed by extra chocolate runoff.

Call them turtles, man-catchers, caramel-nut brownies or make-your-work-colleagues-happy brownies: anyone who loves sweet, chocolatey snacks will love them.

The history of chocolate turtles is below.

For more chocolate caramel deliciousness, check out this Chocolate Caramel Shortbread recipe. National Chocolate Caramel Day is March 18th.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE CARAMEL TURTLE BROWNIES

Prep time is 20 minutes, total time is 40 minutes.

Ingredients For 16 Brownies

  • 30 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 package (15.25 ounces) German chocolate cake mix
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or other chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
    		•   

    turtle-brownies-mug-meredith-230
    [1] Sweet, nutty and a bit gooey: turtle brownies (photos #1 and #3 © Meredith Corp).


    [2] Chocolate turtles: chocolate, caramel and pecans (photo © Enstrom Candies).
     

     

    turtle-brownies-vertical-meredith-230
    [3] Make a double batch! They freeze well.    		  

    Preparation
    1. PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

    2. MELT caramels with 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk in a small saucepan, stirring mixture occasionally; set sauce aside.

    3. STIR together cake mix, melted butter and remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk to form a dough. Press 1-1/3 cups of the dough into an even layer. Bake until puffed but not cooked through, about 7 minutes.

    4. REMOVE from oven and pour caramel sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle chocolate chips over caramel in an even layer.

    5. TOP with remaining dough, crumbled into bits and scattered. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and return to the oven. Bake until brownies are puffy and set, 10 to 11 minutes more. Cool completely and cut into squares.


    THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE TURTLES

    Candy historians trace chocolate-caramel-pecan turtles candies to the 1930s. A caramel nut patty originally made from chocolate, caramel and pecans, it evolved to use a choice of other nuts, including almonds, cashews, macadamias and walnuts.

    Other names for the confection include pecan patties and caramel pecan patties (made without the “feet”) and katydids.

    Turtles can be enrobed in dark, milk or white chocolate, the latter of which can be painted with colored cocoa butter to resemble an actual turtle shell.

    The mix of flavors has been adapted to cakes, cookies and ice cream—and to this brownie recipe.
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF BROWNIES

    > THE HISTORY OF CARAMELS

    > THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

      

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    VALENTINE GIFT: Moonstruck Chocolates

    February 6, 2014 at 8:42 am · Filed under Chocolate, Giftable, Valentine's Day

    Yes, Moonstruck Chocolate has a red heart-shaped box filled with delicious bonbons (10 pieces, $30.00). But the fine chocolatier also has some different offerings for Valentines with special tastes.

  • Sea Salt Caramels (in photo) have been given the Valentine’s Day treatment with Merlot-infused sea salt crystals. The vanilla caramel is cooked in an open copper kettle with pure sea salt, then enrobed in your choice of dark or milk chocolate and hand-decorated with sea salt crystals that have been infused with a robust vintage Merlot. A box of 20 caramels is $45.00. Think purple passion plus a unique taste experience.
  • Heart To Heart Truffles echo the classic Valentine hard candies with messages like Be Mine, Kiss Me and Sweet Talk. These bonbon versions have the same pastel exteriors (tinted white chocolate) but are filled with flavored ganaches: Cointreau, Blackberry Honey, Peanut Butter, Pinot Noir and Strawberry. You can buy a box of mixed flavors or the solo flavor of your choice. A five-piece box is $11.25.
    		•   

    caramels-merlot-sea-salt-moonstruck-230sq

    Merlot salt caramels: purple passion. Photo courtesy Moonstruck Chocolates.
     

     

    moonstruck-love-bugs-230sq
    Love bugs for kids of all ages. Photo courtesy
    Moonstruck Chocolate.    		  
  • Love Bugs are bittersweet dark chocolate ganache flavored with natural strawberry, in the shape of an adorable love bug. Hand-dipped and hand-decorated, a box of 18 truffles is $67.50.
  • Oregon Distillers Collection, for the spirited Valentine, is a nine-piece collection of truffles featuring spirits from five of Oregon’s finest craft distillers. The truffles are beautifully painted “edible art.“ The box is $20.00. The chocolates contain approximately 2.5% alcohol content by weight. The flavors include Bendistillery Crater Lake Pepper Vodka Truffle, Bull Run Temperance Trader Bourbon Whiskey Truffle, House Spirits Distillery Krogstad Aquavit Truffle, Clear Creek Distillery Oregon Apple Brandy Truffle, House Spirits Distillery Coffee Liqueur Truffle, House Spirits Distillery Aviation Gin Truffle, Rogue Ale Dead Guy Whiskey Truffle, Clear Creek Distillery Oregon Pear Brandy Truffle and Bull Run Distillery Pacific Rum and Cola Truffle.
    		•
     
    These specialties and much more are available at MoonstruckChocolate.com.

      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Pink Party Food

    February 6, 2014 at 8:27 am · Filed under Cooking & Baking, Entertaining

    We’ve been invited to a “pink party” for Valentine’s Day: All the food and drink are in shades of pink, with some touches of deeper rose and red. If you want to hold your own party, menu options are below.

    There’s also a National Pink Day on June 23rd, so we’ve included some summery dishes.

    You can make anything more pink with beet juice, red food color or rosy accents like pomegranate arils, raspberries and strawberries. You can make sauces and soups pinker with a touch of crème fraîche, mascarpone, sour cream, or plain yogurt.

    You are encouraged to wear something pink to the party. Owning nothing pink, we’re donning pink nail polish.
     
     
    PINK PARTY MENU

    PINK & RED COCKTAILS

  • Champagne cocktail with pink sparkling wine
  • Cosmopolitans
  • Pink Champagne and strawberry punch

    •  
    PINK & RED WINES

  • Pink sparkling wine (Yellowtail and Martini are great values)
  • Red Wine
  • Rosé
  • Cranberry or pomegranate juice spritzers (with white wine) or mocktails
  • Pomegranate Martini
  • Vodka and pink lemonade

    •  
    There are scores and scores of other pink cocktails—just search online.

    		  

    lobster-bisque-mackenzieltd-230
    [1] Lobster bisque. You can serve soup shooters on a buffet (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).


    [2] Pink crudités (photo © Sid Wainer & Son).
    RED & PINK APPETIZERS

  • Bruschetta with strawberry-basil or tomato topping
  • Crab cocktail
  • Crudités: red bell peppers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, red Belgian endive, etc., with spicy pink dip (recipe below); you can include some celery, fennel or other pale vegetables for variety
  • Goat cheese log rolled in pink peppercorns
  • Hot dogs in jelly-mustard dip
  • Pink deviled eggs (soak peeled whole eggs in beet juice or food color)
  • Poached shrimp with cocktail sauce
  • Red pepper dip
  • Salume platter
  • Shrimp spread with crackers
  • Shrimp tea sandwiches
  • Smoked salmon or gravlax platter
  • Smoked salmon pinwheels or tea sandwiches
  • Smoked salmon rillettes
  • Strawberry bruschetta (recipe)
  • Taramasalata (Greek caviar dip) with crackers or party breads
  • Tuna sushi and spicy tuna rolls
    		•

     

    olive-oil-poached-salmon-pomwonderful-230
    [3] Think pink with poached salmon (photo © Pom Wonderful).    		   PINK & RED BUFFET
     
    PROTEINS & OTHER MAINS

  • Pasta in pink sauce
  • Poached salmon
  • Rare beef (we’re poaching a filet mignon)
  • Shrimp & strawberry salad (recipe in footnote* below)
  • Steak tartare or tuna tartare

    •  
    PINK & RED SIDES

  • Beet salad or pickled beets
  • Cherry tomato salad
  • Radicchio and radish salad with pickled red onions

    •  
    _______________
    *Combine 3 cups cooked rice, 1/2 pound cooked, sliced shrimp and 3/4 cup thinly sliced celery in a large bowl. Make dressing with 2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup strawberry yogurt, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt to taste. Dress the salad and then fold in 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries. Chill and serve on a bed of greens.

     

    PINK & RED SOUPS

  • Borscht (you can turn it from red to pink with sour cream)
  • Cream of tomato soup
  • Lobster or shrimp bisque
  • Red bell pepper purée
  • Red gazpacho
  • Tomato or watermelon gazpacho

    •  
    PINK & RED DESSERTS

  • Cherry cheesecake
  • Fresh strawberries and raspberries
  • Pears poached in red wine
  • Pink frosted cake or cake pops
  • Pink ice pops (freeze your own from cherry or pomegranate juice)
  • Raspberry or strawberry mousse
  • Red velvet cake, cupcakes, donuts, ice cream
  • Cherry cheesecake
  • Strawberry ice cream/cupcakes
  • Strawberry milkshake shooters
  • Strawberry sorbet
  • Watermelon: granita or fruit salad

    •  
     
    RECIPE: SPICY PINK DRESSING OR DIP

    Ingredients

  • 2 cups mayonnaise (full fat)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup sherry wine (not cooking sherry)
  • 1 tablespoon dried tarragon, finely crushed or 1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce sauce, or to taste
  • 2-3 drops red food coloring or beet juice

    •  
    Preparation

    1. MIX mayonnaise, sour cream, sherry, tarragon, garlic powder and hot sauce until well blended.

    2. ADD a few drops of food coloring to desired shade of pink. If the dressing is too thick, you can thin it with a small amount of milk. Chill well before serving.

    Recipe courtesy Food.com.
      

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