fleur de sel Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Honey Cake with Fleur De Sel

Sarah Kieffer — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:42:00 +0000

The days aren’t discarded or collected, they are bees that burned with sweetness or maddened the sting: the struggle continues, the journeys go and come between honey and pain. No, the net of years doesn’t unweave: there is no net. They don’t fall drop by drop from a river: there is no river. Sleep doesn’t divide life by halves, or action, or silence, or honor: life is a stone, a single motion, a lonesome bonfire reflected on the leaves, an arrow, only one, slow or swift, a metal that climbs or descends burning in your bones. -Pablo Neruda Honey Cake with Fleur de Sel There are so many recipes for honey cake out there, but one Friday morning I decided to tinker with my own. I love honey and coffee and butter together [like in this syrup], but most of the cakes I found were made with oil and piles of sugar and piles of spices. I found I still needed some sugar with the honey, but I mostly just wanted to highlight those three ingredients. The warm honey topping was inspired by this cake [isn’t that top so so pretty?], and I saw the honey-salt combination in many places; […]

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honey butter popcorn

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:26:00 +0000

I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says ‘Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.’ – Lewis Carroll I’ve had honey butter popcorn on my to-do list ever since I saw Melissa’s version, but never got around to making it. Then my mother-in-law sent us home with beautiful strawberry popcorn, and I decided it was time. So we spent a snowy afternoon snuggled on the couch, with tiny honeyed snowflakes in our bowls and on our lips. It’s possible we’ll stay right here until winter is done. Honey Butter Popcorn 3 tablespoons oil 1/3 cup popcorn You can watch this video for stove top instructions [it’s only two minutes long and worked like a charm]. For the honey-butter topping, see The Faux Martha.

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salty bourbon squares

Sarah Kieffer — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 03:23:00 +0000

When something brings out the worst in me, I find myself scrambling to find the good. After a 5 hour car trip alone with my two kids, where everyone [and that would be especially me] was crabby, where naps were rejected scornfully, and where a zip lock bag chock-full of cheddar bunnies was purposely, but oh so quietly, crumbled into the tiniest pieces imaginable, then sprinkled all over knees and hair and seats and floor, and then not to mention the 6 straight days of unbearable humidity and just not.enough.sleep, I am searching for the best of me. It’s hard to find. It’s in these moments I see that angel and demon on my shoulder, waiting. For one instant I feel ripped in two, almost like those active labor contractions that brought these two babes in, and I have to make a choice. If I lose it, this car ride is going to be a never-ending train wreck. So I have to search for the door: the door down a long, dark corridor, the door so terribly hard to open. There, scrawled across it, almost illegible, is the word ‘patience’. And I have to make it there, open it, and […]

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Caramel Sauce

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:28:00 +0000

It’s that time of year again, a magical month full of contradictions. Outside our windows the world is icy cold, covered in a white dusting determined to keep us tucked away in our little homes. Inside, however, we are warm and glowing: the fire burns bright, the lights are twinkling, and we blush with the rosy glow of holiday cheer. It is a perfect winter wonderland, and we revel in the majesty. But, well, it’s not always that romantic, is it? That snow can sure be a nuisance. I really don’t like being cold. And there might have been some muttered curses when those lights stopped working after they were put on the tree. Also, listening to ‘Up On The Housetop’ on repeat for 45 minutes will make a person crazy, even if it keeps the little ones quiet. And who bought them a toy dog that barks Christmas songs continuously? I could use some of Santa’s elves to stop by and make this day look better. Or else, smearing caramel sauce on everything might work, too. Caramel Sauce 1 1/4 cup [250 g] granulated sugar 1/3 cup [80 g] water 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup […]

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No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Chocolate is a classic ice cream flavor, although richer than its vanilla counterpart. This no-churn ice cream is very decadent, and a small amount is all you need to enjoy deep chocolate flavor. It is studded with extra chocolate chunks, and I recommend a sprinkling of fleur de sel over the top if you are a fan of sweet and salty combinations. How To Make No-Churn Ice Cream I dedicated a whole chapter in my first cookbook to no-churn ice cream recipes because I love the ease and versatility of this method so much. No-churn ice cream is simply made by folding whipped cream into condensed milk, along with your favorite flavors or mix-in’s, then spreading in a pan and freezing. Besides heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk, you’ll add a bit of salt to cut the sweetness. And I like to add a small amount of cream cheese for it’s tang, to balance the flavors, and keep the ice cream smooth when it’s frozen. More No-Churn Ice Cream Recipes: Strawberry Rhubarb No-Churn Ice Cream No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream with Cacao Nibs No-Churn Mint Ice Cream

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