As you may recall, one of the things I wanted for Christmas was a bag of Chris Cosentino’s Boccalone lard caramels (amongst other things).

After the holidays I was able to cross a few things off that massive list (I Know How To Cook, the dough press, a scraping beater, a rolling pin and the spice storage solution, specifically), but I was still no closer to tasting those caramels.  As I probably mentioned at the time of writing, unless I get myself (or someone I know) to California (which is highly unlikely) I don’t have much chance of partaking of them any time soon, either.

You may also have noticed that this past weekend I rendered down the better part of 10 pounds of pork fat into lard, the majority of which has been earmarked for sealing the prosciutto.  Even after taking that into consideration, there was still a fair amount of fat left over.  Some I planned to freeze for another day, but it occurred to me that I had enough of a surplus to sacrifice a little to a lard caramel experiment.

When I first read about these fancy lard caramels, I assumed there must be some magical twist to them.  Further research revealed that wasn’t the case, and in fact the only thing unique about them (compared to other caramels) is the fact that the lard supposedly comes from Cosentino’s restaurant.  Beyond that, everything I read indicated they’ve employed a fairly standard caramel recipe.

So, with that in mind, I took my variation on Alice Medrich’s caramel recipe and lardified it.

But that wasn’t enough.  I also had to see if lard caramels could translate into my favourite variety; the chocolate cream caramel.  I’m not talking about that insipid Tootsie Roll stuff, but a chocolatey, chewy lump with grown up flavour.

I started by combining the typical caramel ingredients (sugar, salt, golden syrup) in 2 pots.

Gradually, I added chopped 78% chocolate, lard and cream to one mix and ground vanilla beans, lard and cream to the next.

Once those were in, I continued to cook the caramel until the temperature rose to about 265*.

After it achieved temperature I poured the hot goo into prepared pans and let it sit.

Several hours later… voila!  Vanilla caramels (above) and chocolate cream caramels (top of post).

So how do these stack up to regular caramels, you’re wondering?

Well, the vanilla caramel is rich and lusciously creamy, but finishes with an intriguing savoury note.  To further intensify it I’ve since sprinkled some of the slices with a smoked alderwood salt that counterbalances their sweetness.

The chocolate cream caramel is another story; one that I have not quite made my mind up about yet.  While it is similar in shape, texture and appearance to those old Kraft squares, the flavour is darker, with a demurely refined tone.  It’s also much firmer than the vanilla caramel, which may be the result of a slight scorching of the chocolate in the pan, I’m not 100% sure.  The smoky pork flavour is also much more prevalent in the chocolate version, in a way I’m not sure I like.  As of this writing I have not written them off, but I certainly haven’t decided that I’m loving them, either.  I’ll have to sit on them for a few more days before I declare my final verdict.

Overall though, I’d say the vanilla lard caramels were a smashing success, and along with my garamelic, something that I could see myself eating regularly for years to come.  If you’re interested in recreating or experimenting with it, I just took the garamelic recipe and divided it in half, replaced the butter with lard, and in the case of the chocolate creams, melted 5 ounces of chocolate down into the cream before adding it to the caramel.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezie!

Until next time…

Within the last week or so (or pretty much since US Thanksgiving rolled around) it seems that everyone and their dog has been compiling lists of gift ideas for the foodies in our lives.

But instead of telling you about great things to buy for everyone else, I thought I’d turn the idea on its head and do a round up of the various bits and bobs that I’m hoping to get this year.  You are welcome to provide your own gadget-y suggestions in the comments, of course.

However, before you start thinking that the publishing of this list is nothing more than a poorly veiled series of hints for the Everyman (or various other people in my life) I will assure you, it is not.  You see, I’ve made kitchen stuff off limits as a gifting inspiration for the Everyman.  A few years ago he bought me a gorgeous Peugeot red pepper mill as part of a Christmas gift (which I loved), but then for a birthday he bought me one of those ginormous chocolate fountains (which I was a little less stoked about).  To be fair, he had at one point heard me say that I wanted a chocolate fountain, but I’m very particular about the larger appliances that I allow into my kitchen, if for no other reason than the premium on our space.

Plus, to me a loved one should never give practical presents; that’s what my parents, friends and acquaintances are for.  Presents from loved ones should be frivolous extravagances that you are deserving of, but would probably never bother buying yourself, which in my case would be stuff like jewelry or spa days.  And there’s always that phantom ring that everyone’s been asking about and keeps hovering over our heads, because you know, shacking up is like so 2007… so put a ring on it already, right?

But no.

The purpose of this list is to share with you the various options for presents that my dear old Dad might be getting me this year.  Practical Dad never wants to disappoint any of us, so he always sends cash and let’s us kids pick out whatever our hearts’ fancy.

So without further adieu, here’s the loot that’s got my toes a-tapping this season…

1 – Fillable Stainless Steel Rolling Pin – Yeah, it’s a rolling pin.  I get that.  But it’s a really cool rolling pin that has (what I think) is a unique twist.  It’s got a centre you can fill with liquid to keep your pastry icy cold while you’re working.  On top of that, it’s got measurements etched into it, which is something I’ve been wanting for many years.

2 – I Know How To Cook – I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I really enjoy reading cookbooks, even if I never bother to use most of them.  This book, which is apparently a French classic from the 1930′s that’s finally been translated into English, actually sounds like something I would cook from, because it seems to focus on simpler, home-style fare, more than say a Mastering The Art Of French Cooking would.

3 – Kitchenaid Mixer Scraping Beater – The up tick in the frequency of my bread-making during the past year has suddenly made this one seem like a rather useful idea.  It might not sound like a big deal, but if you have to stop the mixer every few minutes to scrape the sides of the bowl, it adds time on to the process each time you pause.  Sometimes I just want to be able to walk away from what I’m doing, or as Ron Popeil says, “just set it and forget it!”

4 – La Cucina – For no other reason than that I find Italian cuisine so fascinating and varied that I feel I will never be able to know it all.  Plus, I like the fact that it’s written by the Italian Academy Of Cuisine; it lends it quite the air of authenticity I think, almost like it was laboured over by legions of nonnas the world over.

5 – Jamie Oliver Pasta Set – I know, it’s so blatantly brand-centric, but I’ve really always wanted one of those cute, old fashioned-looking enamel colanders.  I also don’t have any of the other bits that come with it yet (except for the rolling pin, which would become particularly useless if I also buy #1 above).

6 – Ad Hoc At Home – Another great cookbook by a chef who I admire that would probably serve more as a source of inspiration than as a recipe book.  Although, I’ve heard the fried chicken recipe is magical, so I’d likely try that at least once, you know, just to see…

7 – Dough Press – I’ve been wanting to learn how to make pirogies for a while now, and I hear that one of these can come in quite handy at times.  It also looks like it would be fun for making hand pies.

8 – Momofuku – Yes, yet another cookbook.  I doubt I’d ever attempt to cook anything from this book ever, but I just can’t help falling for David Chang’s expletive-laden writing style.  He’s simultaneously vulgar and charming, and he can cook.

9 – Magnetic Knife Rack – But not for knives, though.  A while back I counted up the contents of my spice drawer, which amounted to 90-ish containers, give or take a few.  The way that they’re displayed in the kitchen right now (stacked atop each other on various tea trays in a drawer) is obviously far from optimal.  I’m envisioning mounting a few of these knife strips on the wall and just displaying the spices that way.  The added bonus is that I think it would also make some vibrantly pretty wall art.

10 – The Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook – Because I like flavours that are clean and simple, and because I have a soft spot for things with the word Rodale in the name.

11 – Boccalone Lard Caramels – I love the things that Chris Cosentino comes up with (hello, ‘nduja), but these caramels are close to my heart because they remind me somewhat of a combination of these and these.  I know I’ll probably never get my hands on any of his lard caramels, so it might be time that I try my hand at making these, too.

12 – Silpat – I already had one of these, and I sing its praises often.  However, the last time I was broiling something, I accidentally left a sheet pan with the Silpat on it in the oven.  By the time I removed whatever I was broiling, the Silpat had melted into a gummy, goopy mess.  Suffice it to say that I now need another.

13 – Mario Batali Amici Wood Oven – I would love it if I could have one of these for Christmas, but a lack of proper space for it, as well as its astronomical cost will prevent me from owning one this year.  If I had the money to spend on it, I’d be able to buy all of the other things on this list several times over, plus the stand mixer pasta attachments, copper-bottomed pans, full size food processor, larger La Crueset Dutch oven, ceiling pot rack and rootbeer distilling supplies that I’m also lusting after.  Some things, are just not meant to be at the present time, and this unfortunately is one of them.  C’est la vie!

So, that concludes the list of kitchen gear that I’m hoping to amass this holiday season.  Lest you think my father is a millionaire, let me clarify and note that I’ll never be purchasing all of these things for myself on his behalf.  But, my birthday is coming up in a few months too, so I could always get a head start on planning for that, right?  If there’s anything cool that you think I have missed, please feel free to drop me a line in the comments.

Until next time…