Gourmet Spiced Turtles with Vanilla Bean Caramel, Dark Chocolate, & Sprinkled with Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel + Toffee Chips |
clustering the spiced pecans... |
making the vanilla bean caramel... |
pouring the vanilla bean caramel over the spiced pecan clusters |
a little extra salt neva hurt no'body |
ready for the chocolate... |
I experimented a little bit by adding on some chocolate stour marshmallows--yumm! |
now it's time for the tempered chocolate, fleur de sel, & toffee bits |
READY TO EAT!! |
For the Spiced Pecans:
16oz Pecan Halves
3T Unsalted Butter, Melted
½t Salt, Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Pumpkin Pie Spice
¼t Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Chili Powder, & Cardamom
1-2T Sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
For the Vanilla Bean Caramel:
¾C Heavy Whipping Cream
½C Sugar
1/3C Dark Brown Sugar
3T Light Corn Syrup
2T Unsalted Butter, Cubed
1t Vanilla
1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds
½-1t Salt (depending on your taste)
For the Dark Chocolate Coating:
12oz High Quality Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, Roughly Chopped
Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling
Toffee Chips, For Sprinkling
Directions:
1. For the Spiced Pecans: For the pecans, preheat oven to 350°F. Toss pecan halves with melted butter and kosher salt and spread onto a large sheet pan. Toast the pecans, stirring halfway through cooking, until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes; set aside until cool enough to handle. Once you can handle them, toss them with the spices and sugar until it adheres. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and arrange cooled pecans into X-shaped clusters or feel free to place the pecan pieces into small mounds to yield a more rustic-shaped cluster.
2. For the Vanilla Bean Caramel: For the caramel, combine the cream, sugars, and corn syrup in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan and whisk until incorporated. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Please do NOT stir the mixture after it comes to a boil; if necessary, dip a pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pot to remove any sugar stuck to the sides. Continue boiling the mixture until it reaches 250°F on an instant read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds.
3. Working quickly, spoon a generous teaspoon or so over each cluster of pecans. Allow clusters to set, uncovered and undisturbed, for at least two hours but preferably overnight.
4. Tempering the Chocolate:To melt and temper the chocolate coating, prepare a double boiler or set a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water. Add approximately 3/4 of the chocolate (the remainder will get added in after the initial heating) to the top of the boiler. Melt the chocolate, stirring often, until it reaches the following temperature(s) on an instant read thermometer: 116 to 120°F for semisweet; 110 to 112°F for milk chocolate, and immediately remove from the heat. Add the reserved chocolate and continue stirring until the temperature drops to the following: 82 to 86°F for semisweet;80 to 84°F for milk chocolate. Return the chocolate to the boiler and heat on low until the temperature rises back up to 90°F, watching carefully to make sure the chocolate does not exceed the temperature.
5. Finishing the Turtles: Drizzle the tempered chocolate over the caramel-covered pecan clusters. Sprinkle the top with some vanilla bean fleur de sel and some toffee chips. Set aside in a cool place to set. Turtles will keep for up to two weeks, stored between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature.
source: homemade turtles.
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