HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
It’s hard to imagine we have already reached the end of October. Much like the leaves swirling in the crisp autumn breeze, we are reminded of the fickle nature of time. It really doesn’t wait for anyone. Brion and I were in a store around the end of September that already had Christmas displays up. For me, that really doesn’t work. Maybe it just comes as we get older, but I really enjoy trying to stay in the ‘moment’ and enjoy each day, season and year as they unfold. That time will never come again, so why do we feel the need to rush it so. I guess you could call it, ‘making the most of your own personal journey’.
Halloween means many things to different people. When I think back to Halloween when I was growing up on the farm, it was fairly ‘low key’. My mother did all that she could to make it fun for us — carving jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples and making a special treat of popcorn balls. My dad had his own point of view of such a holiday that being, ‘if he wanted his kids to have candy, he would buy it for them’, as opposed to us asking the neighbors for it. Nevertheless, the world didn’t end because of it. There were always school parties in grade school to ‘dress up’ for that were fun. Looking back at some photos of my sister Loretta and I in our costumes brings back some treasured memories.
For a Halloween treat this year I am making some salted caramel rice krispie treats. The salted caramel craze has become a ubiquitous flavor in the culinary world, appearing in everything from ice cream to coffee to cocktails etc. etc.
French chocolatier and caramélier, Henri Le Roux is credited with creating salted caramel in 1977. He was making caramel when he accidentally added some fleur de sel, a type of French sea salt, to the mixture. Instead of throwing the batch away, he tasted it and was pleasantly surprised by the combination of sweet and salty flavors. He went on to create a salted caramel confection, which he called ‘caramels au beurre salé’ or ‘salted butter caramels.‘
Salted caramel’s popularity grew in the late 1990s after Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé created a salted caramel macaron. Hermé’s macaron became popular with American food professionals, and a related trend of salted chocolate also began to gain popularity. In 1998, Michael Recchiuti, a chocolate maker from San Francisco, began selling fleur de sel caramels covered in chocolate.
In addition to its popularity in the food industry, salted caramel has also made its way into the beverage industry. Salted caramel lattes and hot chocolates have become popular seasonal offerings at coffee shops, and some breweries have even incorporated the flavor into their craft beers.
Salted caramel may have started as an accidental combination, but it seems that over the last few years it has managed to infiltrate itself into every possible food and drink sector. From its origins in a French chocolate shop to its contemporary status as a flavor craze, salted caramel has proven that sweet and salty can be a winning combination. The appeal of salted caramel lies in its balance of flavors – the sweetness is offset by the savory notes of the salt, which not only adds depth to the taste but also accentuates the caramel’s buttery richness.
Salted caramel rice krispies treats are great for kids (and adults) Halloween parties and can be made in 15-20 minutes from start to finish. A simple way to transform a classic recipe into something special.
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- 3 Tbsp butter,
- 284 gm mini marshmallows
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 7 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1/2 cup pepita seeds
- 397 gm caramels, unwrapped
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 170 gm milk chocolate chips
- sea salt for sprinkling
Ingredients
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- Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper that hangs over the edges of the pan. Once the caramel & drizzle have completely set you will be able to lift the entire block out onto the cutting board.
- Place caramels & water in a saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Keep warm.
- In a medium pot, place butter & mini marshmallows. Melt on medium heat stirring constantly. When mixture is smooth, add vanilla. Turn off heat & add cereal, combine well. Place about 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared pan. GENTLY press into the baking pan. If you pack them down too hard the bars will end up hard & crunchy opposed to soft & gooey. Sprinkle the pepita seeds over the sticky rice krispies.
- Next, pour the caramel sauce over top of the rice krispie/pepita layer. Drop the remaining warm rice krispie mixture onto the caramel in dollops, quickly spreading it around carefully into an even layer as much as you can. Place bars into the fridge to chill.
- In a saucepan add 1/2 cup heavy cream. Once it barely begins to boil remove from heat. Pour the milk chocolate chips in a cereal bowl. Slowly mix cream and chocolate by adding the heated heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time while stirring the chocolate chips. Add a little at a time until it is at the right consistency to drizzle. Then let it cool for a few minutes. Drizzle on top of the rice krispie bars then sprinkle with sea salt.
- Place pan back in fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. Cut into preferred size portions while cold. If you are returning them to the fridge at that point, remove at least half hour before serving.