Classic Snacks Made from Scratch (16 page)
Read Classic Snacks Made from Scratch Online
Authors: Casey Barber
Pudding! Is there any other snack food that gives you a greater return on investment? Just a few minutes of stirring leaves you with a completely nostalgic bowl of pleasure that’s totally possible to eat all four servings of in one sitting. (Oops.) You don’t even have to chew, just slurp it down for maximum enjoyment. Make each flavor individually, or layer them for a homemade Snack Pack.
And if the thought of pudding skin gives you goosebumps, there’s an easy way to avoid it: place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the pudding surface before chilling.
YIELD:
about 2-1/2 cups (4 small servings)
TOTAL TIME:
10 minutes, plus chilling time
DIFFICULTY:
1
2/3 cup (4-2/3 ounces) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups whole milk
INSTRUCTIONS:
Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt together in a heavy-bottomed pan. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir constantly, as the sweetened milk will burn on the pan bottom if left unattended, and you don’t want burned bits in your pudding.
Once at a simmer, stir for a few minutes more, until the pudding is opaque and thickened. Serve warm or chill, as desired.
Store the pudding in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
YIELD:
about 2-1/2 cups (4 small servings)
TOTAL TIME:
20 minutes, plus chilling time
DIFFICULTY:
2
1/4 cup (1-3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl, then add the egg yolks. Whisk vigorously until the yolks are fully incorporated; the mixture will change from a chunky, grainy yellow paste to a light and creamy slurry.
In a 1-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk until it is steaming and just starting to bubble at the edges. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof liquid measuring cup. Slowly drizzle the milk into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously and continuously.
Return the milk and egg mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until thickened. Transfer the pudding to a clean bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Serve warm or chill, as desired.
Store the pudding in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
YIELD:
about 2-1/2 cups pudding (4 small servings)
TOTAL TIME:
1 hour 15 minutes, plus chilling time
DIFFICULTY:
1
1/4 cup small tapioca pearls
3 cups whole milk, divided
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
Soak the tapioca pearls in 1 cup of the milk at room temperature for 1 hour.
Drain the tapioca and discard the soaking milk. Place the tapioca in a saucepan with the remaining 2 cups milk and the sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir constantly for 10 to 15 minutes, until the pudding is thick and the tapioca is tender.
Transfer the pudding to a bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Serve warm or chill, as desired.
Store the pudding in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
EVEN FIVE-STAR COOKS LOVE TAPIOCA
Confession: I stole the soaking method from Thomas Keller, because it’s so easy to let the tapioca sit there while you go about your business prepping other stuff or cleaning the kitchen. Would you rather stand around whisking a pot of steaming milk or fix yourself an entire dinner while the tapioca soaks? I thought so.
I may be one of the few people in America who remembers Boyertown, USA. The amusement park created by Boyer Candy Company in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to rival Hershey’s wasn’t the raging success the company hoped it would be—it only lasted two summers before hitting bankruptcy court. Happily, Boyer’s Mallo Cups didn’t meet the same fate; the creamy marshmallow-and-coconut confections are still made in Altoona.
YIELD:
12 candies
TOTAL TIME:
1 hour 30 minutes
DIFFICULTY:
5
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
digital thermometer, stand mixer, 12 standard-size silicone cupcake liners
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (a scant cup)
3 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped (a scant 1/2 cup)
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup (3-1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup finely shredded coconut
TEMPER THE CHOCOLATE:
Fill a small, straight-sided saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer.
Place half the semisweet chocolate (3 ounces) and all the milk chocolate in a large stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl set over the simmering water. The bottom of the bowl shouldn’t come into contact with the water.
Stir the chocolate constantly until it’s fully melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and place on a cool surface. Add the remaining semisweet chocolate and stir to melt. Check the temperature of the chocolate as you stir; it needs to drop to 84°F to 86°F to make sure the chocolate tempers. (What does “tempering chocolate” mean? See the sidebar.) Continue to stir until you hit the target temperature.
MAKE THE MARSHMALLOW:
While the chocolate cools, place the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof stainless steel or Pyrex bowl set over the pan of simmering water. Whisk continuously for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is slightly opaque, frothy, and warm to the touch.
Transfer the whisked egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed for about 2 to 3 minutes, until opaque and glossy. Add the cream of tartar and whip for 1 to 2 minutes more, until stiff peaks form when the mixer is turned off and the whisk is lifted.
ASSEMBLE THE MALLO CUPS:
Once the chocolate has reached 84°F to 86°F, place the bowl back over the simmering water and bring the temperature up to 91°F to 93°F. Don’t let the chocolate get hotter than 93°F or you’ll need to cool and heat it again, and that’s a pain.
Place 12 silicone cupcake liners on a baking sheet. Using a mini spatula, paint the bottom and halfway up the sides of each cup with 1 teaspoon melted chocolate. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden. (Hardening time will vary based on room temperature.)
Fill each hardened chocolate cup with 1 tablespoon marshmallow fluff. Sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon shredded coconut on top (depending on how much you like coconut). Press gently with your fingers to make sure the coconut sticks to the marshmallow.
Spoon a thin layer of chocolate on top of the coconut and gently spread using a mini spatula to cover completely. Allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature.
Store the candy cups in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. They’re also pretty darn good straight from the freezer!
TEMPER TANTRUM
I hate tempering chocolate. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but I put it in the same category as deveining shrimp (although definitely not as gross). So why bother? Beyond the scientific explanation of what you’re doing to the chocolate’s crystalline structure when you temper it, the end result means you’ll have glossy, gorgeous candies that keep perfectly at room temperature.
Tempered chocolate will harden and cool more quickly once you enrobe or cover your goodies with it, it won’t melt as quickly when you hold it in your hand, and it will stay shiny at room temperature without developing a chalky coating (that’s actually cocoa butter separating from the chocolate).
Don’t want to bother tempering your chocolate? Fine, you don’t have to, but you’ll need to store any finished candies made with untempered chocolate in the refrigerator to stop the chocolate from “blooming” with cloudy chalkiness.
When faced with one of those knee-high metal tins subdivided into caramel, cheese, and buttered popcorn varieties, which do you go for first? I used to make equal forays into each, combining the boring butter with the more exciting cheese and caramel so I wouldn’t be left with an overflow of any one flavor. I always find caramel to be at its best when paired with something salty, so I’m constantly making a half batch of both this and my cheese popcorn (
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) to sneak into the movies. Rather than popping fresh corn for this recipe, you can substitute 10 cups plain popped corn for the oil and kernels.
YIELD:
approximately 10 cups
TOTAL TIME:
1 hour
DIFFICULTY:
2
POPCORN
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon yellow or white popcorn kernels
CARAMEL
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (2-3/4 ounces) light corn syrup
1 cup (7-1/2 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
MAKE THE POPCORN:
Pour the vegetable oil into a 3 or 4-quart heavy-bottomed stockpot and add 2 or 3 popcorn kernels. Cover the pot and heat over medium heat until you hear 1 or 2 of the kernels pop.
Add the remaining corn kernels in an even layer and re-cover. Cook, shaking gently and frequently to evenly distribute the hot oil as the kernels pop. Once the popping sounds slow to a crawl, remove the pot from the burner and transfer the popped corn to a large bowl.
MAKE THE CARAMEL:
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.
In the same pot you used for the popcorn, melt the butter and corn syrup over medium heat. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until the sugar is no longer
granular and pasty but opaque and smooth, with bubbles forming around the edges. Whisk in the baking soda and cream of tartar; the liquid will puff and bubble up. Continue to whisk frequently for 3 to 4 minutes as the caramel changes from pale to deep golden amber. You’ll start to smell the sugars caramelize as you whisk, and the caramel will look “broken” and curdled from time to time—don’t worry, this is normal.
Remove the caramel from the heat when the caramel is golden like a penny. Carefully fold the popcorn into the hot caramel a few cups at a time until each kernel is coated; if you’ve ever made Rice Krispies Treats, the process will be familiar. Slow and steady wins the race here.
When the popcorn is fully coated, turn it out onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then cool to room temperature before breaking into bite-size pieces.
Store the popcorn at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
BALLER-STYLE
Sadly, long gone are the days when we can hand out bushels of homemade treats to the neighborhood kiddos on Halloween, but we can still make the most killer popcorn balls for other parties.
Just add 1 cup mini marshmallows to the cooked caramel after removing it from the heat; stir to melt thoroughly before mixing with the popcorn. Oil your hands with vegetable oil or butter before shaping the coated popcorn into balls and placing them on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 200°F, then cool completely and wrap the balls in waxed paper or plastic wrap.
Is there a more divisive candy on this planet than Peeps? The chewy little chicks are like the cilantro of the sweets world, inspiring fanatical allegiance and shuddery revulsion in equal amounts. I fall into the latter camp—texture, flavor, and beady eyes all work against the Peep, in my humble opinion. But I’d never deny Peep loyalists the chance to make their own army of chicks and bunnies at home. Don’t forget to add the tiny blank stare to each of your marshmallow creations.
YIELD:
about 2 dozen candies
TOTAL TIME:
9 hours, including setting time
DIFFICULTY:
3 for bunnies, 5 for chicks
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
candy/oil thermometer, stand mixer, pastry bag (or zip-top bag) and large round piping tip
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope powdered unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup water, divided
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1-1/2 cups for coating
1/4 cup (2-3/4 ounces) light corn syrup