Twiks Bars

Forget the heart-shaped box of chocolates. Your sweetie would rather have these…


You would rather have these…


To all the romantics out there, happy Valentine's Day!

Twiks Bars
Printable Recipe

For the shortbread crust:
12 ounces (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing the baking dish
15 ounces all-purpose flour
3 ounces sugar
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

For the caramel layer:
10 ounces sugar
4 ounces water
3 ounces heavy cream
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel

For the chocolate layer:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or scant 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsalted (¾ stick) butter, diced

Make the shortbread crust:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to the baking dish and press into an even layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

Make the caramel layer:
Combine the sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, brush down the sides of the pan with water, and boil for 11 to 13 minutes, or until caramelized. The sugar will be fragrant and a deep amber color when it is caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and dip the bottom into an ice water bath for a second or two. Slowly stir in the cream and butter and then stir in the fleur de sel. Pour the caramel over the shortbread and spread evenly. Let cool to room temperature.

Make the chocolate layer:
Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl, place the bowl over a small pan of simmering water, and heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Pour the chocolate mixture over the caramel layer and spread evenly. Let cool for a couple of hours, or until set.

To serve:
Using the parchment paper, lift the bars out of the pan and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into portions and serve.

Makes 24 bars. Inspired by a certain well-known and well-loved candy bar: Twix. For a professional-looking presentation, cut the bars using a hot knife and wipe it clean between cuts. Bars keep for several days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Verrines

Do you know the word verrine? I looked it up. It’s French for protective glass. And, for reasons that I don’t understand since I don’t speak French, it’s the word used to describe any appetizer or dessert that’s composed of various tasty components artfully layered into a glass. My first encounter with a verrine was on a trip to Paris, when I first laid eyes on Pierre Herme’s Émotion Ispahan. Ever since that moment, I’ve had nothing but verrines on the brain, I’ve been dreaming up verrine after verrine. Tahitian vanilla panna cotta, diced strawberries, and diced lavender gelée with a tuile. Caramel gelée, diced caramel-poached pears, lemon mousse, and a pear chip. Green tea gelée, apricot gelée, and crumbled French macarons. But now it’s time to stop dreaming and start making—I finally got just the perfect cups to do it!


Citrus & Caramel Verrines
Printable Recipe

¾ cup sugar
1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon water
1 orange, cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 ½ teaspoons (1 envelope) gelatin
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated Meyer lemon zest
½ vanilla bean
Suprêmes from 1 orange
Suprêmes from 1 Meyer lemon
Suprêmes from 1 grapefruit
Suprêmes from 2 tangerines
1 tablespoon orange liqueur, optional

Preheat the oven to 250˚F. Combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Dip the orange slices into the sugar syrup to coat and arrange them about an inch apart on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 35 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the slices and bake another 35 to 40 minutes, or until dry but not brown. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, slowly sprinkle 1 ¼ teaspoons of the gelatin over the orange juice. Combine ½ cup of the sugar and 3 tablespoons of the water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, brush down the sides of the pan with water, and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, or until caramelized. The sugar will be fragrant and a deep amber color when it is caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and dip the bottom into an ice water bath for a second or two. Slowly stir in the remaining 1 ¼ cups of water. Return the pan to low heat and stir until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and heat to a bare simmer. Whisk in the gelatin mixture and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Chill over an ice bath until just beginning to thicken. Divide the mixture among 6 juice or dessert cups. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until set.

Measure ¼ cup of the milk into a small bowl and slowly sprinkle over the remaining 1 ¼ teaspoons of gelatin. Combine the remaining ½ cup of milk, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, cream, orange zest, and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add both the pod and the seeds to the pan. Heat to a bare simmer. Whisk in the gelatin mixture and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Chill over an ice bath until just beginning to thicken. Divide among the dessert cups. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until set.

Toss together the suprêmes along with their juices and the orange liqueur, if desired, in a medium bowl. Divide among the dessert cups. Leave at room temperature for about an hour. Top each with 1 of the candied orange slices and serve.

Makes 6 servings. Can be made up to a day ahead of time and kept covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. It’s best at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge about an hour before serving, and top with the candied orange slices at the last minute. Juice cups with an 8-ounce capacity are just right for this dessert, and you will need about 3 oranges for this recipe.

Chocolate and Vanilla and

Caramel. I love caramel equally, and I, for one, think it should get equal billing.


Caramel-Truffle Tart
Printable Recipe

9 ounces heavy cream
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or scant 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 fully baked 9-inch Pâte Sucrée Tart Crust
2 ½ ounces sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups Caramel Pastry Cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring 2 ounces of the cream to a bare simmer in a small, heavy saucepan. Place the chocolate into a small bowl, add the hot cream, and whisk until smooth. Transfer to the tart crust and spread evenly. Let cool for a couple of hours, or until set.

Combine 2 ounces of the sugar and the water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, brush down the sides of the pan with water, and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, or until caramelized. The sugar will be fragrant and a deep amber color when it is caramelized. Pour onto a parchment-lined baking tray and let cool to room temperature.

Whip 2 ounces of the cream to stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of the cream into the pastry cream, then fold in the remaining cream. Transfer to the tart crust and spread evenly.

Combine the remaining 5 ounces of cream, remaining ½ ounce of sugar, and vanilla and whip to firm peaks. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe onto the tart in a decorative manner.

Transfer the caramel to a large zip top bag and crush finely using a meat pounder. Sprinkle the crushed caramel over the tart. Cut the tart into portions and serve immediately.

Makes 1 9-inch tart, serving 8. If you don’t have a pastry bag, simply spread the whipped cream over the tart, swirling decoratively, with a spatula.

Caramel Pastry Cream

It’s a basic every cook should know.

Caramel Pastry Cream
Printable Recipe

6 ounces sugar
¼ cup water
2 cups milk
1 ¼ ounces cornstarch
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
½ ounce unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine 5 ounces of the sugar and the water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, brush down the sides of the pan with water, and boil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until caramelized. The sugar will be fragrant and a deep amber color when it is caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and dip the bottom into an ice water bath for a second or two. Slowly stir in the milk. Return the pan to low heat and stir until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and heat to a simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 1 ounce of sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the egg and yolks. Continue whisking while adding the hot caramel mixture in a thin stream. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it thickens and just comes to a boil. Immediately strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and stir in the butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate.

Makes about 2 ½ cups. A delicious alternative to the usual vanilla pastry cream—try it in cream puffs, éclairs, Napoleons, tarts, or between cake layers. For a light-as-air filling, fold in some whipped cream. Keeps for several days in the refrigerator. The plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the pastry cream will prevent a skin from forming.

Apples

For some reason, I didn’t like cooked fruit when I was little. I liked it fine raw, just not cooked. I especially hated cooked apples. Not a single bite of cooked apple would pass these lips. I thought apple pie wasn’t worth eating, baked apples were yucky, apple sauce was gross, and stewed apples would just about make me cry. But my first bite of tarte tatin changed all of that.


Tarte Tatin
Printable Recipe

8 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, halved, and cored
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup water
1 8 to 9-ounce sheet puff pastry dough

Toss together the apples and lemon juice in a large bowl. Combine the sugar, butter, and water in a tarte tatin pan or a 10-inch, heavy sauté pan. Bring to a boil, brush down the sides of the pan with water, and boil for 10 to 12 minutes, or until caramelized. The sugar will be fragrant and a deep amber color when it is caramelized. Immediately add the apples cut side up, arranging them in neat overlapping circles.


Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the apples are tender.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425ºF. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to an 11-inch square and cut out an 11-inch circle. Transfer the circle to a plate, reserving the scraps for another use, and refrigerate.

Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Top the apples with the pastry circle, tucking it in around the edges, and cut a 1-inch X in the center. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes and, using pot holders, carefully invert onto a serving platter. Let cool slightly, cut into portions, and serve.

Makes 1 10-inch tart, serving 8. Spectacular in the fall, when apples are at their best. And, of course, caramel is good in any season. Frozen puff pastry works perfectly, just thaw it in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Golden Delicious apples are my favorite for this recipe, they keep their shape once cooked, and they taste silky and buttery. Be very careful when adding the apples to the caramel in the pan—caramel is extremely hot, and it will bubble up on contact with the apples. I like to cook the apples on the stovetop for quite a bit longer than usual, so that the all of the juices the apples exude have enough time to cook down. This method ensures that the crust does not become soggy once the tart is inverted.