Food Love: candy

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Almond Roca Brittle

From my mom-in-law, Judi.

This is a Christmas staple for my husband's family and I finally got the recipe and made it myself. It takes a lot of hard stirring, but it SO worth the work.

Melt together:

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 T. corn syrup

3 T. water

Stir together until bubbly, thick, light carmel colored and 300 degrees (with a candy thermometer). Immediately spread in a 13" sheet pan (I lined my pan with a Silpat and it worked really well). Top with melted chocolate, about 1/2 cup, and sprinkle wet chocolate with 1 cup finally chopped almonds. Break into snack sized pieces and then try to restrain yourself from eating all of it in one sitting.

About the cooks

Alysun: I learned to cook while in Africa 4 years ago when I was forced to cook from scratch. I didn't have a clue away from the comforts of my culture's ready-made food selections. Now, as a mother to 2 small girls, and a wife to a hungry farmer, I love to cook good, healthy food for my family.

Andrea: I have always loved to bake, cookies especially, but cooking was never "my thing." I had my husband convinced I couldn't do much besides boil water for the first year of our marriage. But my husband likes food and he like variety. PB and J and Top Ramen didn't cut the mustard. So I broke out the cook books and figured out it's not so bad. I enjoy cooking now and look forward to trying new recipes. Cookies are still my favorite.

Annie: My food loves are pies, casseroles, birthday cakes, and holiday food! As a single woman I knew only of toaster waffles and sandwiches. When I got married I discovered that not only did I like to cook, I wasn't too bad at it either. I live in Portland Oregon with my husband and one year old son. In a former life I was a kindergarten teacher.

Jeana: I'm just recently discovering how much fun cooking can be. Dinner time used to always feel like a chore and I felt limited by my family's meager food budget. By getting organized, menu planning, and learning fool-proof recipes from other moms I am experiencing a whole new way to be creative.

Kelleigh: As the second oldest of 10 children, I was forced into cooking for an army at a young age. Fortunately, I "studied" under my father, the man who throws in "a little of this and a little of that", so I'm not really afraid to experiment and modify when needed. I am now cooking for my own little, tiny family (there are only 4 of us!) and REALLY enjoy being able to cook better food on a smaller scale. I'm always on the look-out for recipes that have a gourmet taste without the outlandish ingredients or price.

Lindsay: Growing up I loved to bake and my mom's only rule was, "as long as you do the dishes". When I got married, my sister-in-law made me a recipe book of all the Button family favorite recipes and it became one of my most used tools in learning to cook for my husband. Today, I'm an avid meal planner, and find cooking for my family of 5 fun and gratifying (most of the time!) And my husband and I have worked out a sweet deal: I cook, he does the dishes!