Caramel

Michelle Pennington of Centralia, Ill., wrote: "The recipe I would like to request combines a soft, buttery caramel wrapped around a marshmallow creme filling. The candies were rectangular in shape and wrapped in wax paper that was twisted at the ends. I bought these candies for years but can't find anything similar now." Valerie Lowery of Louisville, Ky., responded. "This referenced request caught my eye as it is near and dear to my heart, being from Louisville, Ky., the birthplace of the Modjeskas, the candy I believe Michelle Pennington is looking for. It is usually placed in the limelight at the time of the Kentucky Derby Festival.

We rank Baltimore's best meals on wheels, from Korean BBQ pulled pork tacos to salty caramel cupcakes. View the photo gallery

The annual Pillsbury Bake-Off concluded today in Orlando, Fla.  The $1 million winner was annonced live on "The Martha Stewart Show. " Here is Christina Verrelli winning recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream. Among the 100 finalists were two Baltimore area residents. Susann Studz competed in the Entertaining Appetizers category with Sushi-Style Crescent Crab Rolls , and Laura Majchrzak competed in the Sweet Treats category with her original Carrot Cake Tart recipe.

The annual Pillsbury Bake-Off concluded today in Orlando, Fla.  The $1 million winner was annonced live on "The Martha Stewart Show. " Here is Christina Verrelli winning recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream. Among the 100 finalists were two Baltimore area residents. Susann Studz competed in the Entertaining Appetizers category with Sushi-Style Crescent Crab Rolls , and Laura Majchrzak competed in the Sweet Treats category with her original Carrot Cake Tart recipe.

Shirley McCoy of Crystal Lake, Ill., asked for a recipe for caramel candy like that which "a man from the church made in big batches for sale at the church fair. You could chew them without losing a tooth, and they had the greatest caramel, buttery flavor."Mary Cadwell of Sioux Falls, S.D., answered the request. "These are very soft and very rich with a buttery caramel flavor that melts in your mouth," she said. "I make them every Christmas, and everyone loves them."A recipe for Almond-Flavored Poppy-Seed Muffins was the request of Mrs. L. J. Stevens of Sioux Falls, S.D. The selected recipe came from Felicia Whitney of Hudson, N.H., who notes that the muffins are her family's favorite.

Caramel, that chewy, gooey candy we associate with fall and Halloween treats, is no longer just for kids. Lately, this sweet confection with its haunting flavor is popping up in foods targeted for adults. Although grown-ups still might crave a caramel apple on a stick, a box of Cracker Jacks or those little individually wrapped caramel candies at the grocery store, today they can find the flavor swirled through ice creams, blended in coffee creamers, mixed into custard-style yogurts and wrapped into cheesecakes.

A few nights ago, we invited several people for a cold buffet supper before we all went to see a stand-up comic's act. Everyone arrived promptly at 6, and we gathered in the living room to have a few nibbles. Along with glasses of chilled wine, I served small cups of an icy-cold cucumber soup as an appetizer. Our guests loved this unexpected opener and quickly consumed their minuscule portions. Next, I led our friends to the dining room table, where plates laden with mixed greens and thinly sliced scallops napped with a light Sherry vinaigrette were ready for tasting.

We rank Baltimore's best meals on wheels, from Korean BBQ pulled pork tacos to salty caramel cupcakes. View the photo gallery

PERHAPS there is no better test of a family's love for their mixed breed dog than their description of it.There are families whose little mutt has kite ears, a retriever tail, dachshund body and terrier whiskers and they'll tell you, without any apologies, that their dog is a gorgeous poodle.Chris and David Powell and their two daughters, Marielle and Janine, own a small caramel-colored mixed breed named Caramel who has some beagle, a -- of this and that and a small bit of Basenji in it.According to the Monkton family, she is a Basenji.

Lourdes Ryczek of Chicago shared this Cuban recipe from her maternal grandmother, who began making it in the 1920s. "I spent a lot of time with her in the kitchen making her signature flan," Ryczek writes. Donna Pierce writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis. Maria Amelia's Flan -- Makes 12 servings CARAMEL: 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup water CUSTARD: 6 eggs 2 cans (15 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk 3 cups whole milk 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt For the caramel, dissolve the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat.

People who want chocolate a cut above the stuff found near grocery store checkout lines have plenty of big-name national brands to choose from. But connoisseurs know the only way to get truly fine chocolate is to find a local chocolatier. In the Baltimore area, there are a number of chocolatiers making confections the old-fashioned way — by hand. There's the Velvet Chocolatier, a tiny shop riding high after a recent shout-out by O, The Oprah Magazine. There's Cacao Lorenzo, run by a man who prides himself on upholding meticulous European chocolate-making techniques.

R. Melvin Goetze Jr., former president of the Goetze Candy Co. Inc., which was known to generations of Baltimoreans for its caramel and licorice creams, died Tuesday of heart failure at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Mr. Goetze, who had lived at the Blakehurst retirement community in Towson since 2007, was 94. Born in Baltimore, Randle Melvin Goetze — who went by Melvin — was raised in the Lakeside-Lake Montebello neighborhood. He was a 1935 graduate of City College and studied law at the University of Baltimore.

Nancy Hannah from Baltimore was looking for a recipe for a quick and simple single-layer cake with a caramel icing. She thought the cake might have been called Caramel Frosted Picnic cake and was made with the one-bowl method. She said the cake was ideal for taking to picnics because it held up well and was easy to transport. Gladys Wilt from Lothian sent in a recipe from her copy of "The Joy of Cooking," 1953 edition, for Hurry-Up Caramel Cake that she thought might be close to what Hannah was looking for. The name of this cake speaks for itself.

Greens and apples were sold by the bushel Sunday as shoppers stuffed their bags and carts at the Baltimore Farmers' Market in preparation for Thanksgiving. "This is our best market of the year. Next week will probably be the worst - everybody will be too full," said Bryan Kerney, owner of Truck Patch Farms in Carroll and Frederick counties. He'd sold more than 100 turkeys in less than 3 1/2 hours at the market, which is tucked under the Jones Falls Expressway. By 11:30, he had sold out of Steve Anderson's favorite pork sausage, before the Catonsville man could get there to buy a few pounds of it. Anderson was toting two trash bags that held a bushel each of kale and collards - enough for the first shift of the 50 to 60 guests expected at his home on Thursday.

A bona fide chocoholic, I adore Valentine's Day, when I can indulge in my favorite ingredient without guilt. When February rolls around, I start thinking about what chocolate confection to prepare. This year, I have decided to make one of those luscious dark-chocolate flourless cakes. I recently spotted a recipe in a French cookbook for one that had a slightly different twist. What caught my attention was the fact that the sugar was first caramelized, then diced butter and chopped chocolate were stirred into the hot liquid until they melted.

What's the difference between butterscotch and caramel? Before I answer, let's pause and say it together: "Mmmmm. Butterscotch." You just don't see enough butterscotch these days. So what's the difference? Technically, caramel is granulated sugar that has been melted and heated until it is brown but not burned, ranging from 320 to 350 degrees. You can add water to make it thinner, and you can add cream or milk to make soft caramel. (Add them carefully, though - hot sugar sputters like sugar lava.

What's the difference between butterscotch and caramel? Before I answer, let's pause and say it together: "Mmmmm. Butterscotch." You just don't see enough butterscotch these days. So what's the difference? Technically, caramel is granulated sugar that has been melted and heated until it is brown but not burned, ranging from 320 to 350 degrees. You can add water to make it thinner, and you can add cream or milk to make soft caramel. (Add them carefully, though - hot sugar sputters like sugar lava.

Editor's note: In a cautionary tale that combines 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' with 'Jaws,' a little boy named Norvin is so good at being a shark that he has every swimmer at Caramel Cove fooled -- almost.There was once a boy called Norvin who was a good actor but rather plain. In fact, he looked very like a shark. He had small sharkish eyes, a pointed sharkish head, and sharp sharkish teeth.Norvin lived near a wonderful beach called Caramel Cove, but he had to share it with lots of other swimmers.