Episode 72
October 16, 2011
Candied and Caramel Apples
As I was growing up I never really got to experience fruit dipped in dessert sauces. The closest my family ever got to playing with fruit was when my mother salted her strawberries or watermelon cubes or when she made halo-halo (Filipino fruit cocktail). So as I got older I never really understood what the big deal about chocolate covered strawberries and caramel apples was. Of course that was before I ate either of them. Now I’m a solid believer of dipped fruit and here’s a perfect episode just in time for Fall!
I actually found the recipe for candied apples while I was flipping through Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine. Their new columnists, the seriouseats.com, dedicated their piece to candied apples breaking it down to almost a science. What I thought was interesting was that they experimented outside of the normal candied apple recipe and used juices and different toppings to create more unusual desserts. Some of their examples include pomegrante candied pears, paprika candied apples, candied grapes, and balsamic vinegar candied tomatoes.
The candied apple recipe was pretty spot on. I had no trouble making it or using it, and the finished product was exactly as it was supposed to be. A word of caution: Make sure you’re using a fairly deep pot when making the syrup. The syrup will bubble up to at least twice its height and can spill over onto your stove.
After I decided to make the candied apple recipe I decided that it was only natural to double the episode and make caramel apples as well. The recipe I found online was pretty good but I did have a lot of issues with it. The original recipe had a little too much corn syrup and heavy cream it in. What ended up happening is the caramel would slowly slide off the apples – even when in the fridge. To solve this I reduced the amount of corn syrup and heavy cream. If you continue to experience that effect, just reduce the heavy cream by an ounce or two.
The corn syrup in the recipe can be optional though I strongly recommend keeping it in. Corn syrup helps keep the consistency of the syrup fluid and helps prevent crystallization.
For storage, wrap up the apples with plastic wrap and tie them shut with some ribbon. The candied apples don’t need to be refrigerated, but I do recommend that the caramel apples sit in the fridge to keep the caramel fresh and firm. And clean up? Simply boil hot water in the pot and the sugar will melt and you can just pour it down the drain. If it’s on the outside of the pot slowly pour boiled water from a teapot to help dissolve it or soak the pot overnight.
Here is the recipe for candied apples and the recipe for caramel apples. Below are the videos! Thank you for watching!
