Sea salt – Francois et Moi

Sea Salt Bourbon Soft Caramels

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 19:27:19 +0000

I’m bringing back an oldie, but a goodie today, you guys. Just over 2 years ago, I shared my tried and true soft caramel recipe, and today it’s still one of the main “sweets” recipes I reach for around the Holidays. This year I have a few recipe tweaks, new imagery and a fancy, schmancy printable recipe card to accompany this gem of a recipe! When people see that I’ve made caramel, I often get the comment, “Wow–Caramel is hard to make! How’d you do it?” While caramel-making does take some attention to detail, the only real sticky part about it (pun intended!) is making sure the caramel doesn’t burn. And with constant stirring and a watchful eye on the candy thermometer, you pretty much can’t go wrong. So, I hope that if you have the interest in making caramel, you shake off those “intimidated by caramel” vibes and jump right in with this recipe. Your family and friends will thank you. Follow

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Fresh & Crunchy Saltwater Pickles

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 12:16:17 +0000

Pickllllles! Oh do I love pickles. Especially the ones you find at Yum! Kitchen any time you order one of their gourmet sandwiches. Have you tried their pickles? They’re bright green, crunchy and salty, and they’re tough to find anywhere else. Thus I decided to make some at home, so that we wouldn’t need to buy a sandwich every time we had a craving for one. After a bit of research, I found that what helps these babies retain their color and crunchiness is that they’re actually soaked in saltwater rather than vinegar. Also known as half sour pickles, saltwater pickles need to be refrigerated, and also have a shorter shelf life than traditional vinegar pickles. But let’s be serious, their shelf life isn’t really an issue–they usually disappear within a few days! Ingredients*: 8 pickling cucumbers (short cukes) 1/8 c + 1 tbsp sea salt 4 c water 6 cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 heaping tsp black peppercorns 1/2 heaping tsp mustard seed 1/2 heaping tsp coriander 6-8 small fresh sprigs of dill two – 1/2 gallon mason jars with lids recloseable bag + rolling pin *Proportions are for two 1/2 gallon jars of pickles. Step 1: Wash and dry your cukes. Place 4 pickles in each jar. Step 2: In a […]

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Culinary Lavender Sea Salt

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 03:16:23 +0000

Lavender is my fave. I love the aroma and flavor, and try to sneak it into just about everything, both in the kitchen and DIY projects whenever possible. So I’m surprised (and a bit disappointed in myself!) that it never dawned on me to make lavender sea salt. I’m not talking about lavender bath salts (which are also lovely); I’m talking the edible kind that adds that je ne sais quoi when sprinkled on anything from homemade pot de creme to crackers to rimmed grapefruit margarita glasses. Fellow blogger, Nina Graham of Frippery and Curiosities, opened my eyes to it when she mentioned that my homemade herb cracker recipe was a great way to put her lavender sea salt to good use. Of course, I heard the words lavender and sea salt and knew I needed to get my hands on some! I used Cypriot Pyramid Sea Salt which is naturally occurring sea salt from Cyprus that forms in the shape of tiny pyramids (!!) and is conveniently available at Trader Joe’s right now (also available online). It’s a bit on the pricier side, so I filled out the recipe with coarse sea salt which is available in bulk at almost every grocery store. I went with a more specialty salt because not only did I make some for myself, but I also packed up a […]

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Salted Bourbon Soft Caramels

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 13:59:20 +0000

When I was little, I always looked forward celebrating Holiday traditions with my family. From making wreath cookies with my mom, to reading The Night Before Christmas as a family on Christmas Eve, to singing Silent Night by candlelight at church, the memories we made through our family’s traditions have created a patchwork of gleaming nostalgia that always help put me in the Christmas spirit, even now as an adult. Over the past few years, Ken and I have begun our own traditions, and one of our favorites is making homemade caramels together. We’ve found its a good activity for 2+ people, because though it’s not hard to make, it does require a close watchful eye and about an hour of constant stirring, so it’s nice to be able take turns stirring along the way. The bourbon flavor isn’t super dominant; it simply adds a fullness to the flavor and provides a nice compliment to the sea salt sprinkling. The result is a rich, chewy caramel that is a welcomed change up at the annual Holiday cookie exchange. Ingredients: 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk 1.5 c White Corn Syrup 1 c Butter 2 c Granulated Sugar 1 tsp Fine Grain […]

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