Ingredients
1 cup cream, light
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup, karo
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter or regular margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
6 oz chocolate chips, semi-sweet
Directions
Heat the light cream in a heavy 2-quart saucepan to lukewarm (110
degrees F.). Reserve 1/2 c cream and set it aside. Add the sugar,
corn syrup and salt to the remaining 1/2 cup of cream in the
saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the
mixture boils. Slow stir in the reserved cream. Cook, stirring
constantly, for 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, 1 tsp at a time,
stirring constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until
the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, (234 Degrees F.) on the
candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Arrange the pecans on a waxed-paper lined baking sheet. Drop the
mixture by teaspoonfuls onto the pecans. As the clusters cool, remove
with a metal spatula to another waxed-paper lined baking sheet. Push
the remaining pecans together and repeat until all of the candy
mixture is used. If the mixture becomes too thick, heat over low
heat. Melt the chocolate chips over hot water and stir until smooth.
Spread on the top of each pecan cluster. Let stand until the
chocolate is set and store the candies in a cool place.
Makes about 4 dozen.
Servings: 12 servings
Pecan Caramel Clusters Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Candy; Dessert; Nut; Pecan
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to trace the history of written cooking instructions way back into antiquity, certainly as far back as the early Egyptians, and maybe further still. Interesting though that maybe, these, old cookbooks were just basic hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for food preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to historians are some tablets in ancient Sumerian which recount the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled a few scripts showing how to cook the recipes prepared by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, he recounts how the roman meals were divided into hors d`oeuvres, entrees and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. This early Roman chef describes how the cooks of his times used a wide range of herbs and spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks for example thyme, rue and dill. During the succeeding few centuries, the rich and powerful families of Wesstern Europe strove to lay on the best banquets, and as a consequence, chefs and their recipe collections were highly sought after. Even so, it wasn`t until the 1800s that fine cooking and cookery books really came of age. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to assembling, verifying, and publishing recipes of the day. By the time we get to the twentieth century, cookery books were starting to become popular due to more people being able to read, leisure time and being a little richer. Like it or not, the introduction of TV brings us celebrity TV chefs and the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the internet revolution, allowing everyone to search through thousands of recipes just like those on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Pecan Caramel Clusters recipe.
