Sweet Spoons Recipes

CHOCOLATE SPOON RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl.
• Microwave at 15-20 second intervals to melt, stirring at each interval. Continue melting and stirring until the chocolate is easy to drizzle.
• Place the spoons on a plate or platter, balancing the handle so the spoon is level.
• Fill each spoon with chocolate. Immediately top with your favorite sprinkles!
• Refrigerate to set the chocolate. Stir into your favorite hot beverage and enjoy!

GREEK SPOON SWEETS (STAFYLI GLIKO)

Steps:

• Wash and clean the grapes, making sure that all stems are discarded.
• Cover the bottom of a large saucepan with a layer of grapes, then sprinkle with a layer of sugar. Repeat until all the grapes and sugar are in the pan.
• Pour the lemon juice over the grapes and sugar, and let rest for 12 hours.
• Add 1 1/2 cups water to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
• Let rest once more overnight, or up to 24 hours.
• Bring the grapes and liquid to a boil and add the vanilla and cloves.
• Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the syrup has become thick enough to coat a spoon. You want the fruit to look candied (the grapes will have actually shriveled a bit), and the syrup to be loose but gooey.
• Ladle the spoon sweets into clean mason jars and refrigerate.

QUINCE PRESERVES - GREEK SPOON SWEET

Steps:

• Wash them well with soap and water. Without letting them dry, place them on a pan that you have covered with a clean tea towel. Then place the pan in a preheated 160°C /320°F oven for 15 minutes.
• Quince is a hard fruit so you will need a really sharp peeler and knife to cut it.
• Remove the skin of the quinces using a vegetable peeler. Cut them in half, and then each piece in half again. Cut and discard the center containing the seeds.
• There are two ways to cut quince for making a spoon sweet. One is to cut it with a knife into small strips of about ¾ of an inch long and ⅓ of an inch thick (1 ½cm long and ½ cm thick). Some pieces won't look much like strips but that's okay. And the other way which is widely used around Greece is to cut it with a box grater using the larger grating holes. You can use whatever way is easier for you. The results will be more or less the same. Using the knife method, you will get chunkier uneven pieces while using the box grater will give a smoother even texture to the final result. The softness or crispness of the fruit will depend more on the cooking time and not so much on the size the fruit is cut.
• Add the quince pieces to a large cooking pot. It's okay if they have gotten dark in color by the time you finished preparing them. Cooking them will fix this.
• Add 150 ml of water to the pot as well. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium-low and put the lid on the pot. Let simmer this way until the fruit has gotten completely soft. It takes approximately 45 minutes, but this will depend also on how ripe the quinces are, and how strong the heat of your kitchen stove is. So keep an eye on, especially towards the last minutes of cooking to make sure there is enough moisture within the pot so the fruit won't stick at the bottom. If needed, add a splash more water.Note: To properly tenderize quince you need to let it steam cook that's why it is cooked completely covered and with just enough water in the pot to create the desired moisture.
• Once the fruit is cooked and softened, add the sugar to the pot, along with 300 ml of water, the lemon juice, and the lemon geranium leaves if you are using them (see post above for alternative flavorings).
• Simmer over medium heat partly covered for about 30 to 40 minutes. Until the syrup looks nice and thick. To check if the syrup is at the right consistency, take a little plate and add a spoonful of the spoon-sweet to it. Within minutes, it will cool down to room temperature and you'll be able to see how thick the syrup is. It shouldn't be too runny just nice and thick. The texture of a spoon-sweet is a tad runnier than that of a jam and the syrup should be just enough to cover the fruit.
• Transfer the preserves to the sterilized jars while it's still hot, leaving ¼ of an inch (½ cm) space from the lid. Then flip the jars upside down to airlock and let them cool down like this at room temperature. Store in a dark cupboard for up to 1 year or in the fridge. Note that the fruit tends to get harder when refrigerated.

BIG DADDY'S SWEET CORN SPOON BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the corn and eggs in blender and puree until thick and smooth. Transfer the puree to a bowl. Add the butter, sugar and milk and fold gently to incorporate well. Stir in the mozzarella cheese and bacon. Add the smoked paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. The mixture should be thick and creamy.
• Pour the corn mixture into a greased souffle dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley. Bake until browned, about 45 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

CARAMEL-DRIZZLED SPOONS

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt two ounces of white chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip six spoons into chocolate; tap spoon handles on edge of bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Repeat with remaining chocolate and spoons., In a microwave-safe bowl, melt caramels and cream; stir until smooth. Drizzle over spoons. Let stand until set.

SOUR CHERRY SPOON SWEET

Steps:

• Place the cherries in a colander under cold running water to rinse well. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and add 2 cups cold water. (The water should cover the cherries by about 1 inch.)
• Set aside to soak for 2 hours. Drain well, separately reserving the cherries and the soaking liquid.
• Place the cherries in a small heavy saucepan.
• Sprinkle the sugar over the top to cover the cherries.
• Add a pinch of salt along with the reserved soaking liquid.
• Place over high heat and bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat and simmer, without stirring, for 20 minutes.
• Brush the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush from time to time to keep the sugars from crystallizing around the edges.
• Remove from the heat and set aside for at least 2 hours.
• Return the saucepan to high heat and bring to a boil, using a metal spoon to skim off any foam that rises to the top.
• Insert a candy thermometer into the pot and boil for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture reaches 230°F to 240°F on the thermometer.
• Stir in the lemon juice and boil for 1 minute.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Stir in the kirshwasser and vanilla and set aside to cool.
• When cool, serve or transfer to a non-reactive container, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 months.