Pecan and Almond Chocolate Toffee

Would you like to know the story of how I become a food blogger?

A little over a year ago I was spending a few days in Disneyland and California Adventure with my family. Sure, I was thrilled about going on rides and meeting Minnie Mouse, but the biggest reason I was excited this year was because we would be there during the California Food and Wine Festival! 

A few months before, my dad signed my mom and I up for a cooking demonstration titled "Sweet Sundays" (my dad is great! Happy Fathers Day Dad!). The demonstration was put on by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, owners of Baked Bakery in Brooklyn, New York. 

After a fabulous brunch the audience was educated and entertained by these two master-bakers as they showed how to make some of their most popular and favorite recipes. My favorite recipe they made that day was their peanut butter chocolate bars, which I will definitely blog about soon! 

After the demonstration I had to go right out and purchase their cookbook. I desperately wanted the recipes, but I also wanted their autographs. There is just something about getting a personalized autographed cookbook that makes it TEN TIMES better! 

While they were autographing my cookbook somehow the subject of my fascination with food came up (Ok, who are we kidding, I'm sure my mom blurted it out!). Anyway, they asked me what I wanted to do with a "food and nutrition in business" degree. I told them I had no clue, but I wouldn't change my major for anything, I LOVE FOOD!

Out of the blue one of them said "I think you should be a food blogger"! (Um, excuse me, is that even a real career?) He then proceeded to tell me about how food blogging was the new big thing in the food world (yes, this was even before Julie and Julia came out), and that there were a lot of great food blogs out there. 

Next, he wrote down the name of four of his favorite food blogs for me to go to (David Lebovitz, The Amateur Gourmet, Smitten Kitchen and Orangette). In fact, I still have that piece of paper!

Now, you would think that divine inspiration like that would prompt me to start blogging the moment my plane landed back down in Portland. Wrong, I waited almost nine months before I started my blog. But I haven't looked back since. 

This pecan almond chocolate toffee recipe was from their cookbook I purchased that day. I made it on a whim a few weeks ago to bring to a friend's birthday celebration. After one taste I knew it was a keeper recipe. This toffee tastes just like Almond Roca--only better! 

This recipe is a lot easier than most toffee recipes because you do not have to temper the chocolate. You just chop the chocolate and spread on top of the hot candy layer, and viola! it melts perfectly. I ended up only making a half-batch because I did not have enough pecans and almonds for a full batch, but trust me, you will want to make a full batch--and even then it will be gone too soon!

Pecan and Almond Chocolate Toffee

From Baked

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup toasted pecans

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup sugar

5 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped

4 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

Butter a 9 by 13 by 2 inch glass or metal baking pan (do not use nonstick spray)

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the almonds until they are a fine powder. Place the powdered almonds in a small bowl and set aside. In the same food processor bowl, pulse the pecans for just 1 or 2 seconds, or until they are coarsely chopped by not powdered. Set aside.

Put the butter in a medium pan over low heat. When the butter is halfway melted, add the sugar and 1 tablespoon water and cook over low heat, stirring very gently with a silicone or rubber spatula, until completely combined. Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high, and wait for the mixture to reach 300 degrees F., about 15 minutes. The mixture will start to bubble and turn brown. If the browning seems uneven, swirl the pan during the cooking process but do not stir.

Meanwhile, toss the dark and milk chocolate pieces together.

When the mixture reaches 300 degrees F., remove the pan from the heat and remove the candy thermometer. Stir in the pecan pieces and pour the mixture into the prepared pan. After the mixture has evened out in the pan, wait 1 minute, then sprinkle the chocolate pieces all over the toffee. Wait about 3 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate into an even layer. Sprinkle the almond powder over the melted chocolate, then carefully put the whole pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the freezer and break the toffee into pieces with a sharp knife. Store the toffee, between layers of parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature.

The toffee will keep for up to 5 days.

Yield: 1 1/2 pounds

The Food of France

"I have unfinished business with Paris."

This is what I keep telling everyone who asks me how I liked Paris and how I liked the food I ate there. There are two main reasons I say this: first, because we only spent four days in Paris and two were completely filled with going to the Normandy beaches and the Versailles gardens. And second: when I actually WAS in Paris one of our group dinners was at the Hard Rock Cafe (to make myself feel a little less guilty I ordered the Paris Burger), and our very last dinner in Paris--and our last dinner of our whole trip--was at an Italian Restaurant! After spending a week and a half in Italy, we eat our last meal at an Italian Restaurant!

Delicious Raspberry Macaroon

So now you can see why I have unfinished business with Paris. I didn't get to visit a single place from the 15 pages I printed of "Where to Eat in Paris", or David Lebovitz's book, The Sweet Life in Paris (which I diligently read during flights and train rides proceeding Paris).

REAL French Creme Brulee

With all that said, I would like to tell you that I DID have good food in Paris, just not as much as I would have liked.

After some pretty dreary weather in Austria and Germany I was ecstatic when we got off the train in Paris, a city I have dreamed of visiting since I was a child, and it was sunny! That first night our whole group headed to Rue Claire for dinner. It was just around the corner from our hotel (which was also just around the corner from the Eiffel Tower!). The street was simply precious with tons of restaurants, bakeries, specialty food and wine stores, and produce markets. Now this is why I came on this trip!

Places to go on Rue Claire

I did stumble across a few wonderful cafes and bakeries in France but honestly one of my favorite wasn't even in Paris at all! It was in a small town on the northern coast of France, near Normandy beaches, called Sainte Mere Eglise.

I stumbled upon Le Fournil while scoping out a good place to have lunch. Many students from our group were going to have lunch at a hamburger stand nearby. Disappointing and disgusted, I went in search of a "more French" place (these students reported that it was the worst burger of their life, and subsequently came and had a second lunch at the place I picked out!).

After this good lunch we walked outside and discovered Le Fournil across the street. I had to go in. After looking around in astonishment at my dream French Bakery I decided to buy a small white chocolate and raspberry mouse cake (pictured above). I was so caught up in the moment that I took it to go eat outside and forgot a fork! I ended up eating it with my hands like a barbarian--it also didn't help that I was moaning and muttering "this...is...so...good" between mouthfuls of moist cake. 

I was so impressed with my cake that I had to make a second trip into the patisserie to buy something I could take home. My friends told me I probably didn't have enough time and might miss our bus, but this was worth it! I grabbed the first thing I saw that was packaged and paid for it--a small bag of tiny orange candies which I am eating right now!

Many people go to Paris with high expectations for delicious crepes. My first crepe--with nutella--was purchased at a small crepe shop right next door to the Moulin Rouge. But my favorite crepe place was also found on Rue Claire. 

I had heard several girls on my trip mention that they had frequented a crepe cart around the corner so many times that the man now knew their names. On our last night in Paris--after the depressing Italian dinner experience--I knew I needed a crepe. I went with a group of students to this stand. I ordered one of the most simple crepes you can get, cinnamon sugar with butter. I took so many pictures of the crepe man in action that he pretty much offered to apprentice me! I should have taken him up on the offer!

If I had to pick my favorite meal I had in Paris, I would say it was the very last meal I ate there before heading to the Paris airport to fly back home to Portland. I had gotten up early that morning to make sure I was packed and ready to go. I had a little extra time so I decided to wander in search  of a good breakfast. 

I discovered a boulangerie and patisserie directly across the street that I had never noticed before, J.M. Bretteau. I went inside and picked out a heavenly-looking almond croissant. Just thinking of it now is making my mouth water. It was the best pastry I have EVER put into my mouth.

To go with my croissant I went to a fruit stand and purchased a small container of raspberries and some fresh squeezed orange juice. It was such a humble breakfast, and couldn't have cost me more than 7 euros, but like I said, it was the best meal I had in Paris. It was so bittersweet, too, because it was also my last meal of my three week long trip.

Well, this concludes my blog posts about my awesome European trip. It was an experience of a lifetime and I really hope I am blessed enough to have the opportunity to go back again soon--especially to Paris! I made wonderful memories, met people from all over world, took about 2,000 pictures, spent about $300 on souvenirs and ate about 63 meals (with countless snacks and desserts). Just thinking about it now is making me hungry! I think I'll go make myself a crepe....Au Revoir!

The Food of Austria and Germany

Imagine my pure delight when wandering around the streets of Salzburg, Austria I find a food market! Taking up a small square were booth, tents, and carts selling everything from beautiful locally grown produce to fresh made sausages and pretzels. One of the best parts was, that although there were a few tourist-looking people here and there, the market appeared to be mostly full of locals! This would be my first taste of authentic Bavarian fare, and I wanted it to be memorable and mouthwatering.

I immediately knew I had to get a sausage. If there was something I knew about Bavarian food it was that the sausages were awesome--the real deal! I initially passed up a few carts that looked too "touristy" for my preference but, before long, I finally found "the one"!

I knew it was the one because, first, I could not read or understand anything on the menu. And second,  I could not understand the people--the ones who were diligently making the sausages or the ones enthusiastically consuming them.

Although I was excited about the fact that I could not read anything on the menu, it also posed a problem, for obvious reasons. I wanted the best sausage, but how would I know which one to pick. I decided to be bold and ask two older gentlemen in front of me which sausage they were ordering. I was taking a gamble, because for all I knew they only spoke German. Lucky for me they spoke great English and told me exactly what sausage I ought to get: a krainer sausage.

No questions asked I ordered one. What arrived shortly blew my mind: a perfectly seasoned pork and beef sausage with a hint of garlic, and get this, it is filled with melted cheese! It was delicious served with a sweet mustard and a roll. Reason enough to go back to Salzburg--as if I needed any more reasons.

While wandering the streets of Salzburg I learned something very intriguing to a foodie like me...the American pretzel is upside down! I am sure the first American pretzel maker had the best intentions, but they made a huge mistake. In Austria and Germany I kept being made aware of our ignorance with numerous pictures of pretzels, all upside down!--or right-side up...

Our first meal in Germany seemed like it was out of a movie. As soon as we stepped foot into Hofbrauhaus, one of Germany's largest and most popular beer houses, I really knew I was in Germany. Right inside the front door was a full authentic German band, complete with lederhosen and every customer in the whole place had a huge mug of beer which many were swaying in the air while singing. The food wasn't spectacular, but the atmosphere couldn't be beat!

Before we left Germany we spent one night in Rothenberg. A picturesque well-preserved medieval town complete with old fortress walls surrounding the town. It was one of my favorite cities we visited on the whole trip and while there I kept having to remind myself that this was no Leavenworth, this was actually the real deal! This is what Leavenworth is designed after. Everything was so picture-perfect that it seemed surreal!

While in Rotenburg I repeatedly kept seeing what the Germans call "Schneeballen." In fact I purchased the very first one I saw, thinking it was a specialty of the bakery we were in. But when we left this bakery and turned the corner there was another display of these in the window of another bakery--and around the corner another! They were everywhere! Schneeballen were taking over the streets of Rotenburg, Germany. Schneeballen (meaning "snowballs") are strips of tough pastry dough that have been compacted into a ball, deep-friend, and then covered in powdered sugar or chocolate. They looked really delicious, but taste-wise, the ones I had couldn't stand up in a contest against the cookie or the doughnut. 

Our group only spent about 5 days total in Austria and Germany, which was a shame. The food was great (although it was always very heavy meals), the people were wonderful, and the buildings were precious. Almost the whole time we were in these two countries we had really terrible weather (imagine a snow and hailstorm on to of the alps making the "spectacular view" completely white!), but I can't wait to go back!