4 simmered caramel Recipes

toasted pecans, heavy cream, granulated sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, in pieces, salt, black licorice strands , cut into 2-inch pieces, semisweet chocolate, chopped, milk chocolate, chopped, chocolate curls or jimmies, optional, line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with, mound 30 small clusters of pecans , about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a, couple inches apart on the pan ., make caramel : warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you, cook the sugar ., put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large, saucepan ., cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar, dissolves ., stop stirring , raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar, reaches the hard crack stage , or 305 degrees f on a candy, thermometer , about 7 minutes., whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture., gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture, will bubble up ., reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring, occasionally , until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees f, on the thermometer , about 5 minutes more., immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute., ladle a couple tbsp of warm caramel over some of the nut, clusters , to make the spider bodies., then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the, legs ., repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice., helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set, quickly ., if caramel hardens, warm over very low heat . ), let spiders cool 15 minutes ., meanwhile , put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl., bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow, simmer; set the bowl over , but not touching, the water., stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth ., alternatively , put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl., melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft , about 1 minute., stir , and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes, spoon about 1 tbsp of melted chocolate on top of each spider ., sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired., let cool until firm .

lovely butternut squash soup with caramelized onions and apples, heart-healthy recipe ), ribs of celery,chopped, carrot,peeled and chopped, olive oil, butternut squash,peeled and seeded, garlic,minced, fresh oregano,chopped, water , more maybe needed, salt and pepper to taste (if desired), curry powder (more or less to taste), onion,large dice, granny smith apple,peeled and cored large dice, non-fat yogurt (optional), fresh dill,washed (optional), green onions (optional), in a soup pot , saute the onion, celery and carrot in the oil over medium heat until the onion is golden, about 5 to 6 minutes., add the squash and garlic cooking 5 minutes, stirring., add the oregano and stock and simmer about 15 minutes or until the veggies are soft., while the soup is cooking , place a saute pan at medium-high heat with 1/2 tsp of olive oil and saute the diced onions., cut the apple into a large dice and when the onions are golden, add to the pan, toss sauteing 2 to 3 minutes., add the curry and cook 1 minute. remove from the heat, add the dill (optional) and set aside., place all of the cooked veggies (except the curried onions and apple mix) and liquid from the pot in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. more stock may be needed to adjust consistency., return to the soup pot and add the curried onion and apple. simmer for 2 minutes. season to taste and adjust consistency. serve hot or chilled., garnish with a dollop of yogurt and a sprig of fresh dill or onion tops.

catfish or 1 1/2 lbs red snapper fillets, cut up into about 4 inch pieces, white sugar, fish sauce (preferably three crabs brand), shallots, thinly sliced, chopped fresh chili pepper, ginger , julienned, ground black pepper