Soups on? Or, un-epic fail #2 - Candy Cane Pie

So, it's kinda pretty, yeah?
Actually it didn't taste half-bad at all.   More like peppermint ice cream with a crust.   It just didn't hold up to it's 'pie' name, so I now deem it not worthy enough to be added to my recipe book.. because,  well the recipe didn't turn out as it should.  And that makes me have a sadface.  :(  Oh well.   I'm sure, should I try this again, I will try and figure out the best way to thicken this thing up.   The problem was, it just didn't stay firm.  Sigh.


Let's start at the beginning, which - as they say is a very good place to start!
Thursday night, I decided to make the piecrust and the chocolate ganache filling. Which, was actually very easy to do. 

ganache atop chocolate crust

This is where it started to go badly.   I made sure to freeze it to set it.  I know now where I went wrong, but at this point it was too late.  I checked on it before I went to bed, and it was still not set the way it should have been.. no matter, I guess.   It was going to sit at least another 48 hours before I did anything with it anyway..

I changed my 'make' day from Friday to Saturday, because I had a date on Friday.  No, not a date/date..  a date.  (do you know the difference? Cuz I'm not sure I do.)  Regardless, the point is, I couldn't play with the pie on Friday because I was playing with a pizza pie and a really funny girl for a few hours, because both of us needed out of the house.  So, this mess had to wait for another day.

Enter - next day.  Which was Saturday.  I find I like to have mini breakdowns on the weekends for some reason and I was having a moment Saturday morning where I was hating life.. it didn't last long though, and I like to thank Goldfrapp for the help there.  She had me dancing in my PJ's (yes, yes my PJ's) while I finished putting this pie together.

be excited, i'm showing everyone I can dance in my skivvies

Ok, so anyways.   There's the candy canes.. the candy canes I had to smash into candy cane dust.  Well, this is like the perfect time to smash candy canes right?  Get the lead out of my head.    So, there's this song by my beautiful Alison Goldfrapp called "Rocket".  (yeah give it a listen).  Well, that is what I decided to smash candy canes to... and it was just fitting to turn

this

this

                                                                          Into

And so it began.. I mixed that candy dust into a cloud of fluff (vegan marshmallow) and coconut cream.. hoping it'd keep it's firmness into the day.  I put it on top of the somewhat frozen ganache and let it set while I did my housework and laundry... for that night (last night) I was taking it to it's victims... and I sure hoped it would work out.

Some hours later I took it out of the freezer, but it was still not firm.   A little miffed, I reluctantly sprayed the whipped cream on it (yes I said whipped cream - even vegans get to have whipped cream, vegan style!) and let it sit for another hour before I got ready to go and hauled it out the door.

So, what happened in the end?
Well, I served it up.. it turned into pretty much, ice cream in a crust.  Oh it was good, it just wasn't 'pie'.. it got good reviews, but not as "pie".. so in that respect, it did not earn a spot in my recipe book.  Instead, I'll just make an extra something or other either later this week, or at the end of this two year test... or, maybe, I'll add my recipe for vegan Skyline chili in it's place instead..   hhhmmmm so many decisions.

Regardless, I still have some of this in my freezer, and I'm sure I'll be gluttonous and eat the rest of it during the week.   So, because I have nothing more to leave you with, I'll leave you with something really cute... two of my kids.  Ichabod (the left) and Pippen (the right) because you wanna see em.

awwwww

So, now with this one coming to a close, I'm segwaying into my next veganization - that of which I am no where near prepared for because my weekend has been changed a bit on me, meaning my recipe is being changed.  So, what will happen?

Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out.
Happy night, y'all.

Music enjoyed while cooking and writing this blog:
Goldfrapp - Head First
Once Upon A Time (Tv)

Current Craving:
A home cooked meal

Current Motivation:
Busy starts again tomorrow.

Vegan Yetinips - aka pink himalayan salted caramels, recipe 7, Sorta fail!

what became of my fail

I thought of the Yeti today.   Why?  It's chillin out there!  I decided to work on the yetinips today because tomorrow I have a date with a beast.   (J/k I shouldn't call Christy a beast, should I?)  All joking aside - brave me will be at Kings Island tomorrow, screaming on The Beast with my Christy.  Just her and I, like old times.  Back when we shared an apartment we had seasons' passes and used to go at least twice a week.   Mind you, it did get old, but we shared alot of fun memories there - and even though it's going to be chilly tomorrow... I'm looking forward to spending time with her, being ridiculous.  :)

Pink Goodness!

So, back to the yetinips.

Early afternoon - and i get all of the ingredients together - including my favorite - yeti approved secret ingredient:   Pink Himalayan Salt!

So, I found out that using corn syrup in candy recipes help prevent sugar from crystallyzing.   Everybody seems to have such a dramatic issue with corn syrup.. heck, you've seen the commercials trying to convince us that 'sugar is sugar' blah blah blah.   Regardless, research further proves that many a vegan's friend 'agave nectar' serves equally as well as corn syrup for the glucose content - so instead of corn, I used agave.  So - this is unlike most candy - dairy AND corn syrup free!  :)

The whole concept was fairly easy.  But I had to be on top of it at every single turn.     One thing I didn't have (of which I really need) is a candy thermometer, and if I plan to make more candy I will invest in one of these fancy things.   I just used the 'eyeball' and 'time' test.   I'm hoping that my instincts to not fail me in this attempt.   But look at the golden vegan love boiling up in this pot!

salted caramel, boiling away!

So, quick as this went I let it do it's thing, then eyed it up and readied it straight into it's pan.   Right now it's chilling in my fridge getting ready for the end cap - the cutting, addition of the extra pink salt and the wrapping.

The waiting - it's the hardest part.  Yes Tom Petty, it is.  So, while I wait I plan to get an hour and a half of Kundalini under my belt... by then I'll be able to finish them and revisit this little blog.  
Til those caramels are ready - I'll be back.  Yogafied and ready to write more!

***Time Elapses***
Wow - my second fail in two weeks!  Well, ok we'll call this a sort of fail.  It COULD have worked..  I needed a candy thermometer.  Let this be a lesson.  I'm still going to hold on to this recipe because it can work.   And I'll try them again later on my own time.. because - - -
They're perfect for covering apples with.
This is what happened.  They were too soft to actually use as candy caramels.   I rolled them in balls, but they just kept flattening to something that looked like so: 

Perfect.. not for what I wanted them to do, but perfect for sauce, hard chocolate middles oozing out, coating apples - and the one thing that "I" just used it for - hot caramel apple cider.   Which is yummy!   So, it wasn't a complete fail.  I've saved those flattened balls so I can use them for my cider til they're gone.  Just about a spoonful is what they make.   I might even make some chocolate candy and put it in the middle when I have more time if I'm feeling frisky.  So, like I said - I'm keeping the recipe and trying again later when I get a thermometer so that they may turn out correctly.   Those of you who were hoping to get caramels - I 'owe' ya one!

Til next recipe.. i'm off to enjoy my 'wickedly awesome' caramel apple cider - and btw - the caramel is buttery, soft and so melty in your mouthy good I can't even explain. 
So, I'm still happy.
Hehe.



Music Enjoyed while cooking and writing this blog:
Goldfrapp - A&E
Bjork - Isobel
Bitter Sweet - Dirty Laundry
Ladytron- Ghosts
Goldfrapp - Ride a White Horse
Moby - Look Back In
Schiller - The Smile
Lady Gaga - Fashion
Shakira - She Wolf
Bitter Sweet - Trouble
A few episodes of Three's Company

Current Motivation:  Warming up this house!

Current Craving - Mac and Cheese