Brown sugar, how come you dance so good?

Photo: © Lori Korleski Richardson

I love gooey, chewy caramel. But as I've gotten older, my teeth just can't handle it, and I'm tired of losing fillings to my sweet addiction.

I thought I'd try my hand this Christmas season at making some, but every recipe I found for caramels included corn syrup, which I refuse to buy. So what to do?

Then I remembered pralines. You can make them like caramels, or like a brown-sugar candy. I love both kinds, but thinking of my teeth, I opted for the latter. They are pretty easy to make. It helps if you have a candy thermometer, but that's no guarantee that they will set up. One sheet of mine did, the other didn't. Go figure. I put them in the freezer if they don't set up and use them for topping vanilla yogurt or ice cream.

Note: I keep my unsalted butter in the freezer. To use, I shred what I need with a grater. It comes to room temperature very quickly that way.

Lori K's Pralines
Makes 24 smallish ones

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar (I like dark best)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter, shredded
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped, plus 12 halves for decoration

Instructions
Melt the sugar and cream in a heavy pan over medium heat, using a silicone spoon to stir. Once it melts, turn up the heat a little and put in the candy thermometer, if using. Cook to soft-boil stage, 240 degrees, about 12 minutes. Turn the heat to simmer and let it cool down to 220 degrees. Add the vanilla and butter, and cook at 220 degrees for about 6 minutes until it's all well blended. Add the pecans and stir well.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment. Drop a spoonful of the mixture on the sheet, three across and four down. Top each with a pecan half. Repeat on the second sheet. The candy will harden as it comes to room temperature.

An apple a day ... straight from the oven

I've always loved baked apples, but haven't made them very often, being concerned about the amount of sugar, nuts and butter that are used to make them taste good. But lately, I've been cooking some for breakfast, and I am pleased to share that they don't really need any butter, much less sugar, and nuts are completely optional.

 You don't really need to peel their skins off, either, which saves prep time and gives you a little more fiber as well. Granted, they are a little tough and need to be handled with care while the apples are hot.

I cut the apples in quarters, pare out the seeds with a small knife, then cut each quarter in half again lengthwise. I put all the slices from three apples in a large gratin dish (mine is enameled cast iron), sprinkle them with granola, a little brown sugar and cinnamon, and add some Craisins.

Usually I do this all the night before, because I'm a bit foggy in the morning before the first cup of coffee kicks in. I turn on the oven to 350 degrees when I turn on the coffee, slip the gratin dish in as the oven is warming and set the timer for 40 minutes (allowing the oven to bring the cold dish up to 350 and then bake for 30 minutes. Your oven may take more or less time to preheat.).

When the apples look like they are about to collapse and the melted sugar and juices are bubbly, they are ready. Serve in a bowl, either alone or with a little milk. Delicious.

When the pan has cooled, add some water and let it stand until the sugar dissolves. It will then be easy to clean.

Peaches and pancakes

Peaches' fuzzy faces are with us for a short time only as fresh, but they drip with delight on that day they are ripe. The day before, they are tart and firm; the day after, mushy and rotting. So carpe persica, and enjoy them while they are at their peak.

Even if your peaches have started on their slide into the slime side, often you can cut out the bad and enjoy the ripe rest of them. Here's a way to turn them into an excellent topping for ice cream, or if you're having pancakes for breakfast, use them instead of, or along with, maple syrup.

Lori K's Peach Jammin'
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 cup of fresh peaches, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon crystalized ginger

Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl and mix well. Microwave for 1 minute, stir and repeat, until the peaches are soft. They will get syrupy as they cook. Serve warm over pancakes or ice cream.

A breakfast dessert

As much as everyone appreciated the eggs Hussard for a crowd breakfast, the bananas Foster put the breakfast over the top.

Bananas Foster by Lori K

Serves 4

I adapted this from Brennan's recipe; they use banana liqueur, which I have never cared for. So I just upped the rum.

Ingredients:
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup Meyer's rum
4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Instructions:

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in half the rum, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rest of the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. (If the rum doesn't ignite, just continue When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.