Flash in the Pan

There's an old myth floating about that science suggests drinking hot drinks when you want to cool off and cold drinks when you want to warm my. The twisted logic says that your body is an incredibly efficient heating and cooling machine. If you're cold, the fastest way to get warmer is for the body's own furnace to kick in, and it will if you drink something cold, lowering your core temperature. When it's hot, you drink something warm, causing the core temperature to rise and the cooling system (known as sweat) to activate.

Why don't people actually act that way? Because intuitively, I think, they know that it doesn't make sense. Oh, it might if you were cold and your body wasn't going to react. But the point is that you're already cold, and your body knows that. As you lose heat, the body will work to replace it. Sure, drinking hot chocolate (close to mind at the moment as the temperature is near freezing here) will make the body think that it's warmer and, thus, reduce the amount of heat it needs to produce. But that's because you've just added heat and the body now is warmer. Which was the idea in the first place. And by the time I reach for iced tea in the summer, chances are that I've already been sweating and still hot.

So celebrate the season, and if you're in a colder climate, I'll heartily recommend hot chocolate with a dash of caramel sauce.

Labels: beverages, caramel, chocolate

Back in March I chided (Or would that be mocked?) Häagen-Dazs for producing ice cream based on flavors submitted in a contest without public acknowledgment of the creator. At the time, someone from PR said that only the winning flavor's creator would be compensated - and I'm guessing that credit is part of the compensation. Well, the winning flavor - caramelized pear & toasted pecan is now shipping and there's certainly public acknowledgment for contest winner Leslie Zoerb.

My sample from the PR agency arrived yesterday and I tore into it as quickly as I could get it to thaw a bit from being packed in dry ice. (I used a trick my daughter came up with - microwave the container for 15 to 30 seconds or so to get it a bit soft.) This is a killer flavor, which means congratulations go to both Ms. Zoerb and to the people at the company who were able to translate her idea into a viable commercial ice cream. This is subtle: pear ice cream with pieces of caramelized pear and bits of toasted pecan. The blend is marvelous and, even though I don't normally like nuts in ice cream, they add texture and help balance the other flavors.

Apparently she was trying to make a pear tart when the power went out. Obviously an improviser when times get tough, she went to the gas-powered range, caramelized pieces of pear, and served them with vanilla ice cream and pecans. I did try going to the company link for the "back story" and found what looked like it was supposed to be a short video loop. Only, there didn't seem to be any sound, and all I could see was a picture of some pears, butter, brown sugar, and pecans, followed by the words, "Congrats, Leslie! Thanks for making the world a bit sweeter." OK, so they're clearly not a media company. Who cares? Pass the scoop, please.

Labels: caramel, Haagen Dazs, Häagen-Dazs, ice cream, pear, pecan

I had wanted to include this recipe in my new cookbook, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pizza and Panini, but it's another one I had to cut because of length. (So went the dessert pizza and panini chapters.)

Ingredients

Yield: 4 cups
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

3 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, add sugar and then water. Do not stir while you let sugar totally dissolve. Periodically dip a pastry brush into cold water and brush the inside of the pan. Do not let any crystals form on the sides of the pan.


2. When sugar turns dark amber, put a whisk into the pan and carefully and slowly add cream. Mixture will boil furiously and form a mass. Gently move the whisk and everything will eventually dissolve into a smooth liquid. Add vanilla extract (if using) at this point. Be careful, because it's absurdly easy to overcook this and wind up with a mass of burnt smelling stuff.


3. Let caramel cool some and pour into a heat-proof container. (A mason jar has done well by me.)

I usually always add the "optional" ingredients. In this case, though, I never use the vanilla extract because my family likes the strong caramel flavor. However, if you like vanilla caramel candies, you might want to try it with the extract.

Labels: caramel, recipe, sauce