So, I have been on an extended posting vacation. My two young children and I seemed to have been sick for most of the winter and it has really slowed down my cooking. However, I am back! (For now at least).
As I sit at my computer with a tasty strawberry ring pop attached to one of my fingers it reminds me of my love for candy. Ever since I was a young girl I have loved candy. There were times in college where that and nachos were all I ate...small budget. Here is the thing though...I do not have what I call the candy touch.
I have several dear girlfriends who make AMAZING candy during the holidays. My sweet friend, Laura, never fails to bring me delish caramels that are always perfectly chewy and gooey. My darling friend, Nicole, sends me her incredible toffee and caramels from California and my mouth literally starts watering when I see the box arrive. (Nicole likes to mention on occasion that one couple actually got divorced over her candy--it really is THAT good!)
I am a good cook and a great baker...why does making candy usually end in failure for me?
I have thought about this question at great length and still have no good answer. I burned one batch of caramel so badly this year that I spent (literally) a month scrubbing the bottom of an All Clad pot (eventually resorting to the ever taboo steel wool, which I might add worked like a charm and left no scrapes). Here is what I have decided to live with for now...Martha Stewart aside, no one can be good at everything in the kitchen, and candy making is best left for those who have the aforementioned candy touch. Plus, getting it as a gift means no clean up for me.
I will continue to practice my hand at candy occasionally, but in the meantime, perhaps some of my dear friends who are so good at this craft will consider being guest contributors to the cookbook and will share their secrets for making some of the best candy these lips have ever tasted...
