mathmom's blog

After the last post, we started to be able to see what the fuss was about.  The ones made with twice the butter were the best candy I have ever tasted.  Ever.  So then we started experimenting.  How long do you pull it?  Longer than you think.  And then pull a minute or two after that.  Suddenly every single batch was creaming, pretty much right after we would cut them. I tried adding less than double butter and I think they taste much better (more delicate, according to one taste tester). The latest experiment we did involved using Earth Balance instead of butter.  It cooked pretty much the same as usual, although I was distracted right at the moment I had to pull it off the stove so it cooked maybe a bit longer than usual.  Amanda and I each pulled a quarter, while Luke pulled the bigger half.  Luke's really wasn't turning very fast---perhaps because it was too hot when he took it off the marble.  Mine was turning faster than Amanda's so we traded for a while.  Aman

The last recipe did manage to cream, but after about 2 days.  They were pretty crunchy, and I wonder if I cooked them too long.  But I think we certainly didn't pull them enough. We tried another batch of the same recipe tonight, but this time only made a half recipe.  I took the cool spatula thermometer out of its spatula (leaving just a stick) because it wasn't clear that the temperature measuring bit would be low enough in the liquid to measure.  It turns out that it would have been fine: after adding the butter it bubbles up considerably, but we had forgotten that. I resolved to take the mints off earlier (at 256 or 257) so that it wouldn't get so crunchy, but just at the end the temperature went up and up and up very fast---totally unlike my experience with cooking candy, so I suspect that the thermometer (or the thermometer holder, me) was doing something wrong.  We poured it on the slab and commenced pulling according to directions.  This time we added a few drop

Some friends of ours have a granddaughter getting married (and she's a friend of ours as well) and so I agreed to help out with the shower.  Apparently this is to be a "southern" shower, full of tradition and elegance, but not too far over the top. Among things that are needed for a shower are punch with great grandma's punch bowl, sandwiches with cream cheese and green pepper jelly, and southern pulled butter mints.  "Ah, nobody can make those anymore.  We used to know someone, but the tradition needs to be passed down."  Like a fool, I said that I'd be happy to give it a try.  I suffer greatly from "I got a PhD in math, how hard could X be?" where X is something like gardening, or quilting, or cleaning, etc.  It's always harder than I think it will be. "We'll call Mrs. X who makes these, maybe she'll pass down the method.  I hope you don't hate me!"  I was actually planning on doing research online, watching a fe