As a kid, I'm never a fan of Caramel. The sticky, gooey and almost cloyingly sweet treacle didn't exactly hold a spot in my heart. Hence I have always deliberately avoided Caramel related desserts or sweets. However as I aged (just like my egg whites!), I slowly developed the taste buds for it. It was all thanks to one ingredient that created an entire evolution of this simple, children's favourite - salt. That one condiment that propelled Caramel into super stardom and one of a grown-up profile, and had it appearing in patisseries and restaurants. It got me hooked, line and sinker.
So for the gifting season, I decided to try using it as filling in my macs. At first, I struggled to attain the right consistency of the Caramel to keep it from flowing out of the shells. After consulting my best friend, the internet, the best solution was to thicken it through cornflour. I'm pretty sure it is not an orthodox method, but it will do for now. I threw in the salt at a certain point when I was cooking it but it may have been muted through the heat.
Whether salted or not, it worked beautifully, with the Caramel filling being able to hold itself together and remained sandwiched neatly within the shells. This turned out to be a limited edition flavor as my first batch of shells went bonkers with one inaccurate measurement; that is how intolerant it is to errors!
Hope it has been a great start to your 2012 so far, with a new year and a new beginning. I'm looking forward to what surprises this new year will bring and the new memories and experiences that will be created, either through a personal journey or with my loved ones. May you be on the right track for one too.
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