Dispensing Happiness

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.-Elsa Schiapirelli

That's me, the magical good cook.

Borrowing from my friend Dexygus, I've created my own food blog.

Read of my exploits in the kitchen! Salivate over the descriptions of fabulous desserts and savory meals I've concocted!

No, seriously...go ahead. It'll make my day.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Hardtack...the other kind

.


(Just-smashed hardtack)

I was reading bakingsheet the other day, and saw Nic had a post about crackers and Swedish hardtack.

I thought, 'oh, wow...I haven't had hardtack in years. Decades, even. I should grab the recipe.'.

Then I read on, and discovered that Swedish hardtack was completely different than the hardtack I'd grown up with!


See, when I was little, some friend of my grandparents would give them a tin filled with a hard, clear candy, coated in powdered sugar, for Christmas. The candy would often come in different colors and flavors; cinnamon being the one I remember most.

Naturally, I went looking for a recipe, and came up with the following:

Old Fashioned Hardtack Candy
--------------------------------------
2 C. sugar
3/4 C. corn syrup
1 C. water
Mix and cook to 270 degrees F. or hard brittle stage with threads as it falls in cool water. Remove from the heat and add food coloring as desired and 1/2 tsp. flavoring (cinnamon, peppermint, etc.). Pour into a buttered dish and cool. Break into pieces and roll in powdered sugar. - Cherie Harmon


Which I made Tuesday night. This is what it looks like.


(Dusted with powdered sugar)


I really don't know why, but I find myself cooking out of season a lot. During the winter months, I'll decide I want to make ice cream, or do a lot of grilling.
Now that the temperatures are steadily in the upper eighties (with matching humidity...ugh), I'm dusting off one of our fondue pots, making candy, and planning a lot of meals requiring much stove-front time. Eh, I gotta be me, I suppose.

5 Thoughts for food:

At 11:31 PM, Blogger Stephanie said...

Oh, and for the record: I used mint.

 
At 12:31 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

ugh, i'm the same way! one reason i started blogging was so i can document a "cooking with the seasons" type of thing, but i want to try so many recipes that use out-of-season stuff!

 
At 12:34 AM, Blogger Stephanie said...

Nice to know I'm not alone here...!

 
At 7:48 AM, Blogger Nic said...

I have to say that I get inthe mood to do a lot of out of season cooking, too. I've been craving gingersnaps lately. Not entirely appropriate for July, eh?

 
At 12:10 PM, Blogger Stephanie said...

Nic, it's comforting to know I'm not the only one who does this sort of thing. What drives us, I wonder?

 

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