Holiday Food Memories

As a daughter of a wonderful cook, certain foods and certain smells take me back in time and trigger memories.  Snowy days, holidays and especially Christmas are times I really get a little sentimental about traditional foods my family enjoyed.

Snowy Days

It always seemed when we had snow days there was homemade chili and cinnamon rolls. My subconscious mind still is hungry for chili and cinnamon rolls when we have a doozy of a snowstorm and are stuck in the house. The smell of cinnamon rolls always makes me hungry for chili.

Holidays

Mom always made homemade Angel Food Cake. I can still see a dozen eggs sitting out on the counter “warming up” for her to bake with. When that sumptuous sweet cake was finished, she would put the cake pan over a glass pop bottle to let it cool. Strangest sight but it worked. Whenever I see Angel Food Cakes or make one myself, I can see it in my mind, perched atop that pop bottle.

No one could make peanut brittle or divinity quite like my Mom. Her peanut brittle was always honeycombed and browned to perfection. Divinity was light as air, perfectly formed and not gritty or sticky. After I was married I begged for those recipes and am so glad I got her recipe, and most importantly the tips for them. I didn’t have my Mom nearly long enough, but we have managed to keep her peanut brittle and divinity a part of our family’s traditions.

I’m reminded each Christmas, since I can’t resist the peanut brittle, how much better I feel using food as medicine and avoiding sugar. But the memories are important too, so I enjoy a little, share a lot, and pay respect to tradition. That in itself is an a comfort.

Perfect Peanut Brittle

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white Karo Syrup
• 2 cups raw spanish peanuts

These first three ingredients are placed in a 2 quart heavy saucepan and cooked over medium heat. Stirred until completely dissolved and quite consistently until it reaches the hard crack stage. (310 degrees F). Remove from heat and quickly add:

• 1 Tablespoon Butter, stir it in and add
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Soda

The mixture will puff up making the honeycombed texture, you get when you quickly pour it out on a buttered baking sheet. If you like it flatter you can spread it out, but we like the thick honeycombed brittle texture.

To Die For Divinity

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 egg whites (at room temperature)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

To be truly successful it’s best if you don’t even attempt this on a humid day or in a humid kitchen.

In a 2 quart heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt over medium heat.  Stir it only until the sugar dissolves.  It will then take some time for it to reach the hard ball stage (260).

In a large glass bowl (and I do think it’s important to use glass for best results), beat the two egg whites to stiff peaks.

While waiting for the mixture to get to the hard ball stage.   Arrange wax paper and get your pecans ready to put on top (if desired).  When the mixture is ready time will be of the essence.  You will have to use two spoons and scoop the divinity out onto the wax paper quickly or it will get to firm as it cools and not be pretty.  Press a pecan half into the candy before it gets too firm.

Once your boiling mixture reaches the hard ball stage, you will pour it very slowly out of the saucepan and over the beaten egg whites while in the other hand using a hand mixer and beating the syrup and egg whites together.  Be prepared for it to puff up and get very shiny.  Once the syrup is in, add the teaspoon of vanilla (white is ideal) and be prepared to beat the candy for several minutes.  Plan on 4-5 minutes or more until the candy begins to hold its shape and looses its “shine”.  I never use my stand mixer for this, I can’t “feel” when the candy begins to firm up.

A Word About Thermometers

A good candy thermometer is important to get it just right. I’ve used several and honestly when you test them in a pan of boiling water, they are usually off, especially after years of use.  Look at the thermometer’s temperature at boiling (212 degrees) and may have to adjust the temperature. My current one is about 8 degrees hotter than it should be.  That can cause horrible divinity and fudge if you don’t know it’s running too hot.  That’s why I usually test and calibrate each year as well as test the old fashioned way.

What To Do Without a Thermometer?

Yes you can be successful without a candy thermometer.  Mom taught me to get a measuring cup full of cold water and sit it beside the stove.  As your candy cooks, put a little dab off the spoon into the cold water.  Reach into the water and do the tests.  If it makes a glob or little ball in the water, but when you take it out of the water with your hands it doesn’t hold its shape, it’s softball stage (235-240).  Refill the cold water and test again.  If the syrup makes a firm ball and will hold its shape when you pick it up out of the water, there you are, firm ball stage (245-250). When you test it again in new cold water and it’s so  firm it’s hard when you pick it up and can’t really reshape it easily out of the water, it’s at the hard ball stage (250-265).   These tests are very accurate and I still use them even when using the candy thermometer.  It’s important to not cook the candy too long if you’re making a softer candy like fudge.

If you’re ready to try the peanut brittle, you need to go to the hard crack stage.  It’s like a science experiment.  Again the syrup in the cold water will “spin a thread” as you’ll see in some old recipes.  It will make like a curvy icicle thing in the cup.  When you pick it up out of the water and it’s not terribly brittle, it’s probably at the soft crack stage (270-290).  If you’re going for the hard crack stage, this is the most fun.  You can hear it crack in the cup and when you take it out of the water, it’s very brittle and doesn’t stick to your teeth that’s the hard crack stage (300-310).

Wishing You Success and Memories

I’ve known wonderful cooks who couldn’t make divinity, but with Mom’s tips, I don’t know how anyone could go wrong.  Try it for someone special.  It will remind them of Grandma! Our daughter has even taken peanut brittle to her office because she brags it’s the best.  She’s yet to try it for herself though.  I’d love to know how your candy turns out.  Leave me a comment if you’ve given it a shot.  And from our family to yours, Merry Christmas!