I need a peanut brittle recipe or any tip that would make it taste and fragment more like a cookie than like a hard candy; I use a recipe where I put 2 Tbsps. of baking soda but it still fragments more like a candie, Have anyone tried See´s peanut brittle , that one fragments perfect almost like cookies! Any clue?

By Quartet (Quartet) on Wednesday, September 13, 2000 - 05:51 pm: Edit

Try adding glucose to the sugar when you cook it. That should soften the final product. YOu'll have to research how much. I don't really know.

By Yankee on Thursday, September 14, 2000 - 01:54 am: Edit

Francois Payard:

Macadamia Nut Toffee

290 gr. Heavy Cream
40 gr. Light Corn Syrup
335 gr. Sugar
400 gr. Nuts, lightly toasted & salted

Bring the first three ingredients to a boil in a saucepot with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until 285 F. Remove from heat and stir in warm nuts. Quickly pour out onto a silt pad and spread to desired thickness. Cool and break into pieces.

I use either macadamia, peanuts or cashews in the recipe, all work well. Just be sure to toast and salt them before. Make sure they are warm before adding to the hot caramel, otherwise the mixture will harden too quickly.

Baking soda is for honeycomb, isn't it?

Enjoy.

By vbean on Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 05:13 am: Edit

No, this is toffee, not brittle. Baking soda is quite a chemical reaction. The baking soda drys it out, gives it color, and keeps the candy crunchy and brittle.
There is no honeycomb, baking soda is for the color and crisp break.
You don't bake professionally do you? (yankee)
Store your candy in a case with silica or limestone under it (NEVER touching it) this will remove moisture from the case.

By Yankee on Friday, September 29, 2000 - 01:47 pm: Edit

vbean,

Please, get out of your own backyard once and a while. You really have no idea what honeycomb is, do you?

I am sorry that you feel the need to insult people for no reason. Perhaps one day you will just get over it.

By Ramodeo (Ramodeo) on Friday, September 29, 2000 - 05:34 pm: Edit

Don't count on it, Yankee.

By vbean on Friday, November 03, 2000 - 06:07 am: Edit

Yankee,

You have never been pleasant to me. You are always the know it all.
I know honeycomb sugar, baking soda can create it but not well (too thick).
Your, (or M. Payard's recipe) is not a recipe for brittle.

By Yankee on Friday, December 08, 2000 - 11:41 am: Edit

Hey Vbean,

Well, I guess you better get chef Payard on the phone and set him straight about calling that stuff in his book "brittle." I'm sure he will appreciate hearing from you. LOL!

There is also type of honeycomb candy that is very popular in Australia, and it's made with baking soda. My fiance is an Aussie, and a pastry chef, so maybe you should call her and set her straight after you get off the phone with Francois.

How stupid are you, Vbean? There are an infinite number of names for similar products and methods in this business. To claim otherwise is pretty ignorant. Too much "ebonics" for breakfast this morning, Vbean? Get a life.

By vbean on Saturday, December 16, 2000 - 04:47 am: Edit

YOU CLAIMED OTHERWISE! I do not care who your fiancee is. Chef Payard (the next time that I see him) will probably say that he does not know brittle that well. It is not traditional in France.
His candy that you printed will never have a crisp "brittle" break. Brittle is an American candy. Bubble candy with just baking soda is a pretty rustic (and not tasty) product.

By Yankee on Wednesday, December 20, 2000 - 01:13 pm: Edit

Vbean,

I'm sorry that you have nothing better to do than spew crap over the internet at 1:45 in the morning.

The Payard recipe works just fine. Perhaps if you knew how to cook, or had any pastry skills at all, you too could make it. Duh.

Please, though, let me know when you call Payard.

Not very PC to call "brittle" an "American" candy, vbean. You really need to expand your horizons beyond the East Bay.

Bubble candy? Never heard of that expression. Is it an ebonics term? We call it "honeycomb." Again, it's quite tasty. But, it too requires baking and candy making skills to make properly.

Keep trying Vbean, you may get it right one of these days. Don't be so bitter. The world is full of crappy pastry chef's. I guess you are just another one of them.

By vbean on Saturday, January 13, 2001 - 03:55 am: Edit

Yankee,

I have not lived in the "East Bay" for over twenty years. I have worked in LA, Paris, Liege, Honolulu, SF, Maui, and Larkspur etc... I know how to bake and cook very well. I have helped train and inspire many individuals.
I am QUITE sure that they would kick your ass.
Toffee is not brittle. If you understood sugar you would know the difference between them. Bubble sugar and honeycomb? Oh yah, that is a hard reach. I just laugh at YOU! I am happy and doing very well baking at a very well known restaurant.
I get a lot of press, so we might meet some day.
You will be the loud mouth proclamining his abilities. I will be the one givng people tastes.
You need to read more baking history; if you had you would know more about "American brittle".
I think that you would be very shocked to know who I am. Forget it- I have no interest in ever meeting you!

By W.DeBord on Saturday, January 13, 2001 - 08:07 pm: Edit

Vbean I'm not the police here but as a regular visitor I would appreciate it if you could stop this constant chest beating. I find it embarrassing for any new visitor or potential young chefs to think this is how seasoned professionals talk to each other.

Regulars here know and relate knowledge and abilities thru talking about recipes, proceedures, menus, etc... The more you try to prove your-self the less professional you look.

I (and someone else)have asked you BAKING questions (to learn from you) couldn't you please address the real ideas and issues this forum promotes? Look back to the topic when you mentioned what mini pasties you where producing during the x-mas season.

Thank-you

By Yankee on Saturday, January 20, 2001 - 01:47 pm: Edit

Vbean,

Well, I guess you really are a legend in your own mind. I don't think I've ever been "shocked" to meet some run-of-the-mill hotel hack, so get over yourself. Stop being such a bore.

Perhaps you are happy wallowing away your days producing freezer-burned crap. Well, good for you.

Why don't you offer up some information, rather than ranting? What is brittle, toffee, bubble sugar, honeycomb according to the recipies and methods YOU use?

Since you are such the "globetrotter," you might realize that there are endless variations out there. And, that no one recipe or method is the "correct" one. Hello?

By vbean on Friday, January 26, 2001 - 06:23 am: Edit

W.DeBord, I am so sorry that you find me embarassing (keep supporting Yankee though).
I am happy for you that you have so much time to guide this site.
Most young Chefs should know that they will meet a lot of people like Yankee, bitter and hostile.
If you don't cook with love your food will be nothing at all.

By W.DeBord on Friday, January 26, 2001 - 08:30 am: Edit

Vbean there is a difference between who you are and how you behave. I do not find you embarrassing but I do find your behavior to be VERY CONFRONTATIONAL and often off track from the subject at hand and stuck in NON-ISSUES!

I've tried to remain polite but I do not stand by and watch a disaster with-out trying to help avoid it. A responsiblity I've learned from my culture.

The only person I defend here is George, who provides this great site and I don't wish to make or let anyone else make a mockery of this site or ruin the pleasure most of us derive from it.


Again, I had some BAKING questions for you (I asked you them because I thought you had some knowledge to contribute and that maybe you visit this site to talk about food instead of fighting) so if you get the time maybe you could contribute some of you baking knowledge?

By Yankee on Monday, January 29, 2001 - 12:43 pm: Edit

Vbean,

You know, that first poster was looking for a brittle recipe. I gave her one from Payard that makes toffee. All you have done here since is insult people and restate the obvious.

Again, you failed to answer a simple question and instead decided to spew and rant garbage.

When you finally decide to pull your head out of your tail, please let us know.

Cheers.

By W.DeBord on Tuesday, January 30, 2001 - 08:22 am: Edit

Yankee why go there? Your smarter than that!

By Yankee on Tuesday, January 30, 2001 - 12:51 pm: Edit

DeBord,

Perhaps, but certainly not all the time. We all get bored once and a while.

I am long since over Vbean. It's just too bad she can't seem to get over herself. The business is full of these people and it gets a little old after a while.

Don't you have to head back to work soon? A month off? I can't even imagine it.

Cheers.

By W.DeBord on Wednesday, January 31, 2001 - 07:36 am: Edit

We open today. Actually a month becomes boring once your spouse is back to work and your alone. I spent so much money the first three weeks that I didn't dare go shopping the last week.

Vbean is female????? I sure missed that! I don't think so. But I'd love to know who this well known chef is?

Come on Vbean, who are you?

By Yankee on Wednesday, January 31, 2001 - 02:08 pm: Edit

Actually, who really cares?

Perhaps Vbean is actually a twelve year old boy in Iceland.

Cheers.