8 cups of popped corn

¾ cups white sugar

¾ cups brown sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

½ cup of water

1 tsp. White vinegar

¼ tsp. Salt

¾ cup butter

Mix sugars, corn syrup, vinegar, salt and water in an 8 qrt. Pan.  Heat to boiling on med-high heat, stirring frequently, till it reaches 260 (hard ball stage) on Candy thermometer. 

Reduce heat to low, stir in butter until melted.

Pour over popped corn, allow to cool!!!!  Then form into balls.  Butter hands while forming balls.  Wrap in plastic wrap

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup English walnuts

2 eggs (beaten)

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter (melted and cooled)

½ cup of flour

1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix sugar and flour until thoroughly mixed.  Add eggs and butter and mix.  Add walnuts and chocolate chips and vanilla and mix.

Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell and bake 30 minutes at 350.  Test with a toothpick.  It should be chewy, not runny.

Makes 6 servings

Total time: about 30 minutes

4-6 sheets phyllo

3 T. unsalted butter, melted

3 T. cinnamon sugar

3 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into quartered wedges

2/3 cup sugar

3 T. dark rum, or apple juice

Juice of ½ lemon

Pinch of salt

(This is good with Vanilla ice cream!)

Preheat oven to 350°; line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Stack the sheet, roll into a log and slice into ¼” wide strips, place in a bowl. Separate the individual strands by working them loose with your fingers.  Divide into 6 mounds on the paper. 

Drizzle each with butter and cinnamon sugar.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Saute pears in butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until caramelized on on one side, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with the sugar and toss to coat.  Add rum and lemon juice, salt and simmer for 5 minutes, or until pears are tender. 

To assemble, place phyllo ribbons on a serving plate, spoon on the warm pears and sauce on top.  Add the ice cream if you want.

Makes 2 ½ cups

Time: 15 minutes + chilling

2 cups whole milk

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ salt

2 eggs

2 T. butter

½ t. vanilla extract

Heat milk in a saucepan over medium until it begins to steam and bubbles form around the edge.  Remove milk from burner.

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl.  Add the eggs and whisk until smooth, then gradually whisk in ½ of the hot milk.

Pour the egg-milk mixture into the remaining milk in the pan, and return pan to burner.  Cook custard over medium heat, whisking often, until thick.  Boil 1 minute whisking constantly, to eliminate the starchy taste of the flour and to thicken further. 

Off heat, stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted.  Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic, pressing it onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.  Chill before using.  

Makes about 8 cups
Time: about 1 1/2 hours

(Hot cobbler tastes terrific, but its juices are runny. They will thicken as it cools, though, so wait an hour before digging in.)

Toss Together:
8 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen (thawed slightly if frozen)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup instant tapioca
Juice of ½ lime
Pinch of salt

Combine; Knead in:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup sugar
½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
½ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed (1 stick)

Blend in; Top berries with:

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Toss berries with sugar, tapioca lime juice, and salt in a bowl. Spoon into a 2-qt. Baking dish.
Combine flour, coconut, sugar, pecans, baking powder, and salt in a second bowl. Using your fingertips, knead in the butter until incorporated. Mixture should look like course sand.
Blend in the egg, then arrange topping over the berries in clumps, covering them evenly. Bake the cobbler for 45-50 minutes, or until topping is golden and crisp, and filling is thick and bubbly. Cool in a rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes:
-A large, shallow baking dish provides more surface area to spread the topping over the fruit.
-Stir filling ingredients together, making sure the tapioca is well distributed.
-Pinch the butter cubes between your fingers to flatten and mix with the dry ingredients.
-Don’t over blend so the batter turns greasy. When the mixture looks like sand, you’re done.
-Mix in the egg with your fingers—topping will be sticky.
-The topping will be somewhat thin in spots –that adds to its rustic look.
-The cobbler may bubble over as it bakes, so don’t worry if it does.

Time: 45 minutes

For the Dough 

12 T. unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)

½ cup sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

½ t. salt

2 cups flour

For the Filling

2 cups pecan

½ cup sugar

½ cup corn syrup

¼ cup heavy cream

1/8 t. salt

1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat over to 325°.

For the Dough

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Off heat, stir in sugar, vanilla, and salt until dissolved. 

Blend butter mixture into flour.  Press dough into tart pan.  Freeze crusts for 15 minutes, then bake 25-30 minutes.  

For the Filling

Saute pecans for filling in butter over medium-high heat.  Stir constantly to prevent scorching. 

Bring sugar, corn syrup, cream and salt to a boil.  Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. 

Off heat, add vanilla and sautéed pecans.  Spoon filling into crusts; bake 10-15 minutes at 325.

Makes 12 tuiles

Time: 1 hour

2 egg whites

¾ cup powered sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

¼ t. table salt

1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup all-purpose flour

5 T. unsalted butter, melted, room temperature

The pudding, mousse, or custard of your choice

Preheat oven to 350°

Whisk together egg white, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl until blended.

Stir in crumbs and flour.  Add the butter and stir until combined.

Drop 1 T. of batter on a baking sheet and spread into a 3” circle.  Keep the circles about 3” apart.  Bake 7-9 minutes, then remove pan from oven and cool 30 second to 1 minute.  Lift tuile off the pan and drape over a small jar, like a seasoning container.  Let them cool completely. 

This shape will make a bowl out of them.  Fill them with the filling of your choice. 

Melt:

4          oz. White chocolate, chopped

2/3       cup heavy cream

2          T. powered sugar

            Pinch of salt

Combine and Stir in:

2                    t. cornstarch

Melt the chocolate with the cream and sugar in a sauce pan oer low hear until smooth, stirring constantly, about 8 minutes

Combine amaretto and cornstarch to make a paste.  Stir it into the chocolate mixture.  Increase hear to medium an bring to a boil for 1 minute, or until thickened slightly.  Transfer to a bowl, cool to room temperature. 

Makes one 9” round

Total time: About 1 ½ hours

Melt:

2          cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz.)

1          cup brown sugar

1          stick unsalted butter

Whisk Together; Pour Over:

2          cups whole or 2% milk

3          eggs

2          T. vanilla extract

2          t. instant espresso (or coffee) mix

½         t. table salt

13               slices Texas toast, cut into 1” cubes

Fold In:

            Chocolate mixture

Serve With:

            White Chocolate Cream Sauce

Directions:

Preheat over to 350°; coat a 9” springform pan with 1 T. softened unsalted butter.

Melt chocolate chips with the sugar and butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir frequently until chips are smooth, about 8 minutes.

Whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, coffee, and salt together and pour over bread cubes.  Toss well so the bread absorbs most of the liquid and begins to lose its shape.

Fold the melted chocolate into the bread mixture, the transfer to the prepared pan.  Bake 1 hour, or until center springs back when gently pressed.  Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, remove sides of pan, and slice.

1 Orange

1 cup sugar, divided

¾ cup water

Using a vegetable peeler (or better, the special end of a zester), remove ornage part of peel from fruit in long strips.  Trim off any white layer.  Cut peel into narrow strips, about 1/8 inch wide.  Stir ¾ cup sugar and ¾ cup water in a heavy sauce pan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Bring to broil.  Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.  Add orange peel; simmer 15 minutes. 

Place remaining ¼ cup sugar in small bowl.  Using slotted spoon, remove peel from syrup and transfer to sugar.  Toss to coat.  Cool, tossing occasionally.  Cover bowl and let stand at room temperature overnight.  Keep covered.