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These Thanksgiving dishes will leave both meat eaters and plant-based diners full and returning for seconds. Many of these vegetarian recipes can work as a side dish or a holiday hearty main meal. Continue reading “15 Vegetarian Dishes Everyone Will Love for Thanksgiving” » LEGGI TUTTO
Homemade English toffee! Top this crunchy, caramel toffee with dark chocolate and toasted nuts. It’s so easy to make and keeps for weeks. Ships well, too!
Toffee is so dangerous for me to have around the house. No one should eat as much as I do when it’s available.
But for special occasions, I’m more than happy to bust out the sugar and whip up a batch!
This nutty, chocolate-covered toffee is the quintessential holiday treat, perfect for nibbling at the end of a big meal or gifting to a friend.
Video! How to Make English Toffee
What is English Toffee?
I make this classic English toffee with sugar, butter and touch of salt. A thin layer of chocolate over the toffee makes it even more of a treat, plus there are nuts in both the toffee itself and sprinkled over top.
Ideas for Swaps and Substitutions!
I use chopped toasted pecans in my toffee, but feel free to omit the nuts or substitute another nut in its place.
I also opt for dark chocolate chips because toffee is pretty sweet and the dark chocolate helps balance that sweetness. But feel free to use whatever chocolate you like to eat. White, milk or dark chocolate are all good!
Tips For Toffee Perfection
Making toffee isn’t very difficult, but it can feel scary if you don’t do it very often. Here are a few tips to make it easier:
1. Get a decent candy thermometer:
Yes, you can go by the color of the caramel to gauge when it’s ready, or you can drop a spoonful in a glass of water to see if it forms a ball. But why fuss with either option when a candy thermometer costs $8 and is such a better way to guarantee a successful, delicious batch of toffee?
If you’ve never used a candy thermometer before, this recipe is a good place to start. It’s fairly forgiving and doesn’t require many steps. Just heat the sugar, butter, and corn syrup to between 295F to 305F (hard crack stage), and you’re done.
2. When it comes to toffee, corn syrup is your friend:
The corn syrup in this recipe helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing. This gives you one more layer of insurance when making this toffee.
3. Still nervous? Place a bowl of ice water near the stove:
This way, if you do accidentally spill some hot caramel on your hand, you can immediately plunge your hand into the water.
Please don’t let any of this scare you away from making toffee. It’s significantly easier than you might think, and the reward for your bravery will be all the English toffee you can eat!
From the editors of Simply Recipes
How to Keep Toffee from Getting Grainy
Toffee gets grainy when a stray sugar crystal gets in the melted mixture as it cooks. There are a few tricks to prevent that from happening.
Rub the inside of the pot with butter so sugar can’t cling to it.
Add the sugar in the center of the pot, so it does not touch the sides.
Once the mixture comes to a simmer, stop stirring, put a lid on the pan, and let it simmer 2 minutes to dissolve any stray crystals.
Use a wet pastry brush to brush away any sugar that splashed onto the sides of the pot.
How to Prevent the Layers from Separating
Hardened chocolate can separate from the toffee layer for a few reasons.
Use chopped chocolate instead of chips, and the chocolate layer will be more likely to stick. Chocolate chips have a non-melting coating to help them keep their shape. But when they melt, the coating can prevent the chocolate from sticking to the toffee.
Sometimes the chocolate melts at a temperature that makes it shrink when it hardens, pulling it away from the toffee layer. If your chocolate isn’t melting or spreading easily on the hot toffee in the sheet pan, use a hair dryer to re-melt the chocolate until it’s workable. Or pop the pan in a 300°F oven for a minute or so.
How to Adjust This Recipe for Altitude
This recipe was written for sea level. Cooks living at altitude will need to cook their toffee to a slightly lower temperature. Look up the temperature water boils at for your elevation, then subtract that from 212°F. The number you get is how many degrees you should subtract from the 295 to 305°F range given in the recipe.
How to Store & Freeze Toffee
The toffee will keep at least 2 weeks at cool room temperature, stored in an airtight container with layers separated by waxed paper. Add a silica gel packet if you can (the kind that comes in shoe boxes!), which absorbs moisture and helps keep the toffee from getting sticky. Or refrigerate the toffee up to 3 months.
Can you freeze toffee? Yes! Freeze it in an airtight container, with layers separated by waxed paper, up to 3 months (or longer—we always ate it by then!)
Love Toffee? Try These Other Candies!
Updated November 23, 2020 : We added a new video to help you make the best toffee ever! No changes to the original recipe. Enjoy!
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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy. LEGGI TUTTO
The perfect sweet finish to an autumnal evening, this pear-packed honeyed loaf has a decadent, fluffy texture due to a boost from Platinum® Yeast from Red Star®. Save Recipe Print Honey Pear Loaf Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf Ingredients Dough: 2¾ cups (344 grams) all-purpose flour 1 (0.25-ounce) package (7 grams) Platinum Yeast 1¾ teaspoons […]
The post Honey Pear Loaf appeared first on Bake from Scratch. LEGGI TUTTO
Sometimes it just takes one special ingredient to give your favorite cook a much-needed boost. A next-level soy sauce, delicious berry preserves, a fancy olive oil – they deserve to try out the good stuff! Continue reading “2020 Home Cook’s Holiday Gift Guide: Dreamy Ingredients” » LEGGI TUTTO
The best popovers are tender and soft inside with a thin crispy outside. Make them plain, savory, or sweet, and serve them with custard, jam, or butter. Make a batch now and freeze some for later to serve at your holiday table, alongside a Sunday roast, or for a light breakfast
Photography Credit: Sally Vargas
Popovers, the feather-light rolls with soft, eggy almost hollow centers inside and crispy golden cloaks, are the American answer to Yorkshire pudding.
Both are made with a thin egg batter, but popovers were traditionally baked in special cast-iron pans with deep, straight cups that are hard to come by today, while Yorkshire pudding is made by pouring the batter into a roasting pan with the drippings of the roast.
YOU CAN MAKE POPOVERS WITHOUT A POPOVER PAN
A popover pan is deeper than a muffin tin and has straight sides, but you don’t need one to make popovers. You can make these just as easily in muffin tins. They won’t be as tall as those made in a special pan—in fact, their baked shapes are unpredictably lopsided (in a charming way).
Regardless of the shape, you will want to eat them right out of the oven, while they are still hot inside, just waiting to be slathered with butter.
TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT POPOVERS
Making popover batter is EASY! If you’re not into using kitchen appliances, you can simply whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Personally, I find using a blender does the job quickly and efficiently, so that’s the route I took for this recipe. Either method will work just fine.
Thin for the win! The batter is thinner than you might expect for something baked in a muffin tin. If you’ve ever made crepes, it’s like that.
Skip the preheat: Many popover recipes require you to heat the pan in the oven before filling the cups with batter—I did not find this necessary. (I tested both ways with similar results.)
No peeking! Once the popovers are in the oven, resist the urge to open the oven door and peek in on their progress. The closed door encourages steam, which creates the famous popover puff. If you open the door you’ll lose the steam and the puff.
WAYS TO FLAVOR POPOVERS
You can leave popovers plain or dress them up with fresh herbs or cheeses for a savory version to serve with soup or roast chicken. If you’re craving something on the sweet side, you can add citrus zest, more sugar, or extracts.
To make savory popovers:
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Chives
Gruyere
Cheddar
To make sweet popovers add an additional tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla along with any of the ingredients below:
Orange zest
Lemon zest
Brush baked popovers with melted butter and roll them in cinnamon and sugar.
Dust with powdered sugar.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH POPOVERS
Popovers are great to have with soup, salad, or alongside roast chicken, roast beef, or just about anything you would serve with rolls.
They’re also fantastic as a breakfast treat, sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar and served with butter and jam. Afternoon pick-me-up with coffee or tea, anybody?
In any case, serve these hot right out of the oven or reheat them at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes.
How to Store and Reheat Popovers
You can make the batter ahead of time and bake the popovers the next day or prepare a batch start to finish and freeze them for later or keep a few on your counter. Check out the tips below to keep your popovers fresh.
To make ahead: You can make the batter and refrigerate it for up to one day before baking. Just let the batter come to room temperature and whisk it well or whirl it in the blender for a few seconds before pouring it into the muffin tins.
To store: Store baked and cooled popovers in a ziptop bag for up to a day. They are still edible after a day, but they don’t taste as fresh. Reheat them on a baking sheet at 350°F for five to 10 minutes.
To freeze: Store fully baked and cooled popovers in a ziptop bag. They will last for up to three months in the freezer.
NEED SOME CARBS IN YOUR LIFE? LOOK NO FURTHER
Popovers Recipe
Ingredients
Butter, to grease the muffin tins
3 large eggs
1 cup milk (skim, 2% or whole)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 425°F: Adjust an oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Generously grease the bottom, sides, and area between the cups of a standard muffin tin with butter.
2 Bring the ingredients to warm room temperature: Place the eggs in a bowl of hot water to cover for 10 minutes. In a microwave-safe cup, heat cold milk for 30 seconds, or until it feels warm to the touch. (Alternatively, warm the milk in a saucepan on top of the stove.)
3 Mix the batter: Break the eggs into the blender. Add the milk, salt, sugar, and flour and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth and frothy. Add the melted butter and blend to combine. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl.
4 Bake the popovers: Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each muffin cup slightly more than half-full. Bake on the lower shelf of the oven without opening the door for 20 minutes. It’s important not to peek into the oven during the baking process. You need the steam in the oven for the popovers to rise.
Turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for 8 minutes longer.
Now you can peek! Open the oven and check to see if the popovers are brown enough. If they aren’t, bake for another 5 minutes, or until they are puffed and deep golden brown.
5 Serve: Popovers are best served warm from the oven. Serve them with dinner as you would a roll or enjoy them for breakfast with butter and jam.
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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy. LEGGI TUTTO
1 Preheat the oven, prepare the baking dish: Preheat the oven to 375℉.
2 Slice the vegetables: Using a mandoline or a very sharp chef’s knife, cut the parsnips and carrots diagonally into slices about 1/8-inch thick. Halve the fennel, then cut into slices about 1/8-inch thick.
3 Sauté the aromatics and fennel: Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is foamy, add the shallots, and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the fennel, and cook until just tender, 4 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in the garlic and thyme, and cook until aromatic, another 30 seconds.
4 Layer the vegetables: Grease a large (2 quart) gratin dish or a 9-x-13-inch glass baking dish with butter. Layer half of the parsnips in the gratin dish, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper.
Top with half of the carrots, and season with another pinch of salt and grind of black pepper. Scatter half of the fennel mixture on top of the carrots.
Repeat with the rest of the parsnips and carrots, finishing with the remaining fennel mixture. Set aside.
5 Begin the béchamel: You’ll need two sauce pans, one small and one medium.
In a small sauce pan set over medium-low heat, add the milk and cream.
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter foams, whisk the flour into the melted butter, and cook until nutty smelling and light golden in color, about 3 minutes.
6 Add the milk to the roux: Slowly whisk the warm milk and cream a little bit at a time into the butter and flour mixture (roux) until combined. The sauce should be smooth.
Bring the béchamel to a simmer, keeping an eye on the heat and stirring frequently to prevent scorching. It will really start to thicken as it simmers.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes.
7 Remove from heat and add the cheese: Remove the béchamel from the heat and whisk in the blue cheese a few crumbles at a time. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne, if you want a little heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if desired.
8 Add the béchamel to the vegetables: Pour the warm béchamel over the top of the vegetables in the gratin dish and let sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the sauce to soak into the vegetables.
Scatter the pecans over the top of the gratin. (The gratin can be made ahead up to this point, then refrigerated until ready to bake.)
9 Cover and bake: Snugly cover the gratin with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the gratin is golden brown and bubbly, and the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife.
10 Serve: Let rest 20 minutes before serving. LEGGI TUTTO
This month, we welcome back Marta Rivera for more of her meal plans. Marta is a trained chef, mom of twins and Army wife, and a Simply Recipes recipe tester and developer!
Most people are looking for easy meals for the beginning of this week, especially here in the States where many are celebrating Thanksgiving.
Even if you’re not celebrating along with us, the simplicity of the throw-together meals in this week’s meal plan will not only make you breathe a sigh of relief, but they’ll also give you even more reasons to give thanks.
Sandwiches are a hit with my crew any time of the year, but they work best for me this week because everyone can chip in to make them while I’m working on the holiday prep.
Foil meals are a no-fuss option that avoid crowding in the kitchen come clean-up time and a hearty soup rounds to get the most of this year’s bird brings an easy end to this week’s meal plan. LEGGI TUTTO
If you’d like to support Kei & Molly Textiles and get a hold of some wonderful goods at the same time, they’re offering Simply Recipes readers a 10% discount on their Gardener’s Delight Bundle ($38), a special gift bundle they’ve assembled for the holiday season!
The bundle includes their popular Bees and Tree of Life flour sack dish towels, two Lavender Sprigs sponge cloths (which are super absorbent and naturally biodegradable), and four sweet vinyl stickers.
Enter code SIMPLYRECIPES10 at checkout. A fantastic gift for you, a beloved home cook, or the favorite gardener in your life!
Please note while we encourage you to peruse and purchase all their goods, the 10% discount only applies to the Gardener’s Delight Bundle. LEGGI TUTTO
