m brown, could you take a look?

[mudbug]

Two different people just sent me a couple of recipes for the saffron-pistachio brittle recipe. I have not yet tried yours. I was wondering if you might be so kind as to look at them and tell me which might be better and why. (Not discounting your own of course.)

Thank you!

Traditional Brittle - A traditional holiday classic

2 cups sugar 1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
2 cups crushed pistachio
1/3 tsp. saffron
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. baking soda

Heat and stir sugar, syrup and water in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage (234 degrees). Add pistavchio, saffron and salt. Cook to hard crack stage (305 degrees), stirring often. Remove from heat.

Quickly, stir in butter and soda. Pour at once onto 2 well-buttered 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch pans, spreading with spatula. If desired, cool slightly and pull with forks to stretchthin. Break up when cold.


SAFFRON-PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Vegetable oil or canola oil
4 cups sugar
1 pinch saffron
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups finely chopped pistachio nuts

In a medium nonreactive heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the sugar with just enough water to make a paste. Wash the sugar crystals off the sides of the pan with a clean pastry brush dipped in water.

Allow the sugar to melt and caramelize without stirring, and continue to dissolve sugar crystals on the sides with the wet pastry brush. When the sugar begins to turn a light mahogany color, add the honey and saffron and pour the caramel onto the oiled sheets.

Sprinkle each pan with 1 cup of pistachios. Place the parchment paper on top of the brittle, oiled side down. With a rolling pin, spread the mixture toward the edges of the pan.

When the brittle is rolled out to a thickness of about * inch, let it cool. If the brittle cools off too quickly before it is rolled thin enough, remove the parchment paper, put the cookie sheets in a 325 degree F. oven for a few minutes, and repeat the rolling process.

Remove the large piece of brittle to a cutting board and break it up with a heavy knife into roughly 2-inch pieces. (If you wish, chop a handful of the brittle pieces very fine and fold into the chilled ice cream mixture.) Freeze the ice cream in an ice cream maker.

To make the lavender sauce, heat the sugar and 1 cup water in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. When the sugar is dissolved, add the honey and lavender.

Boil until the temperature reaches 235 degrees F. on a candy thermometer. Let the syrup cool and strain out the lavender. Add a few drops of lemon juice to taste. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

[m brown]

I wish I could tell you which one to use, try both! do you like honey or corn syrup better?
I do not like adding the syrups because they make the brittle too plyable for my liking.
Let me know which one you decide upon. I think they will both yield a lovely product.
Especially the one with honey... woops, looks like I picked my fav!

[mudbug]

Guess what? I just discovered the original source of the honey verion that was sent to me. It can be found at http://www.winetoday.com/story/0001821.html (scroll down)

It's actually from the "Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook" by Alice Waters and others.

Ok, my decision is made. Have to try that one first! Of course, it was amended by the messenger to include saffron, so I'll have to experiment.

[This message has been edited by cchiu (edited 11-20-2000).]