Fall in New England welcomes the most gorgeous colors of orange and red to our foliage with cooler temperatures and the need to stay cozy with comfort food. From hearty lentil and vegetable soups to pumpkin muffins, bread, coffees, well pumpkin everything to apple pies and crumbles - Ooooh, I want it all! (Good thing, we have a spin bike in our basement and running shoes ready at the door!) I have been perusing cookbooks for inspiration to fill our growing boys’ growing appetites for all things Fall and delicious. As this past Sunday was a total wash-out and so was our 12-year-old’s State Cross Country Meet, it was the perfect day to get cooking/creating. Matt got an early start with a slow simmering meat stew. I wanted to make an apple pie with a salted caramel sauce, because every Sunday dinner needs a dessert, right?! However, we were running out of time as we were taking our boys to Jane Pickens Theater to see ‘To Kill a Mockingbird"‘. I was going to cheat…yup, you heard me, I was going to cut a corner and buy salted caramel ready to go, but I resisted the temptation for convenience and fear (more on the fear part below) and decided to make my own.

Fear and salted caramel sauce….it’s a thing, a ME thing, just like butternut squash and me (read my Butternut Squash Soup post and find out what happened there). Back 9 years ago when we were living in Virginia Beach, for Valentine’s Day dinner at home, I went to prepare candied pecans for the first time for a goat cheese salad. Matt was talking on the phone to his mother (my mother-in-law is like the nicest Martha Stewart!) and I was at the stovetop melting the sugar waiting patiently for it to golden, I remember feeling all Martha like…picture me at the stovetop making candied pecans for a fancy salad….YAY, me - when I dipped my finger in the HOT LAVA sugar to taste it! WHAT was I thinking??! In a nano-second and true cartoon-like way I yelped and then proceeded to put my finger in mouth to cool it off! Matt all the time was still on the phone with his mom and wondering what the heck I was yelping about….I pulled my finger out of mouth along with skin from my top lip, get this, in the shape of a heart! Not kidding. So, there was the last time I attempted to melt sugar and be fancy until fast forward to Jane Soudah’s Delightful Desserts cookbook.

From Salted Caramel Apple Pie, Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies, and Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart with Vanilla Salt, I was intrigued and threw caution to the wind, besides my skin had healed. ;) I turned on some chill jazz music, read the instructions oh, 15 times or so, did a few pep talks and placed my ingredients and kitchen equipment like I was a doctor preparing a patient for surgery. I need to work on my patience with browning butter and sugar to a golden hue….it is not my strength, however, I put on the timer for each step and just let Jane instruct me through each step helping me to become a salted caramel maker. (Note: do not stir the sugar while it is developing it’s golden hue. I did…whoops.) I even bought Weck glass jars from Stock Culinary to make as gifts - I felt positive. Perhaps, it was the glass jars waiting for me at the end to tell me to go slow and trust the process and whatever I do, don’t taste the sauce with my finger (Thanks Serv Safe!) I patiently stirred, timed, measured and cooled. At the very end, I took our flaky sea salt and sprinkled it into my now homemade golden caramel sauce and poured it into the waiting glass jars and I did a little ‘YAY ME’ dance. Thanks, Jane Soudah for the inspiration and for the awaiting delicious dessert recipes that I cannot wait to try with my homemade caramel sauce and thank you world for cozy elastic yoga pants.

HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!

Let me know what type of Fall meals you are making? Do you prepare food gifts? Do share.

Stay Salty!

xo tami