Elda and Paul requested spicy caramels.
Basic light butter caramel recipe, add cinnamon, fresh grated nutmeg, and ground clove. Soak whole cloves and a big healthy pinch of chipotle in the cream. Cross fingers and hope for the best. And don't rub your nose, because it will hurt for a very long time.
When the caramel had almost reached 240 degrees, which is where I would normally take it off the heat, my friend Dave called to say he was up the street and he wanted to fit me for my custom dry glove rings and could I come out and meet him? I ran out the door and dragged him inside. When I made it back they were at 245, I had no choice but to finish them and pray that they would work.
Verdict: They are of course harder than usual. The flavor is unbelievable. The chipotle is very, very subtle, you can't smell it, you can see little red flecks in the caramel and you can taste it just a bit, but then the slow burn hits after you've had one in your mouth for a while, and it's amazing. Not too hot, though we'll see if sitting around makes them stronger. I've cut them into smaller bites than usual, both because they are harder and to avoid a chipotle overdose.
Next time, I think I will put a whole chipotle pepper in the cream and let it soak for a few hours, and add some molasses to the sugar mixture and see what that does.
Update: I mixed a small amount of fine sea salt and chipotle chile in a bowl and sprinkled just a bit on top of each caramel. NOW they are perfect.
holy macaroni ... you're on a roll! this is inspiring me to get off my duff and try something i've always wanted to do, which is a similar journey on the breadmaking path. bread and caramels: i am seeing a LOT of erging in my immediate future. that or buying new fat-clothes.
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