Saturday, September 24, 2011

Happiness is...Blue Cheese Caramel Sauce

 September

The goldenrod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusky pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest
In every meadow-nook;
And asters by the brookside
Make asters in the brook.

From dewy lanes at morning
The grapes' sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.

by Helen Hunt Jackson 

I can't deny that I have been enjoying this late Summer/early Autumn weather.  Though the days are clearly getting shorter, we have had clear sunny skies and mild, warm evenings with wonderful briny breezes.  Lovely weather.

Call me crazy, but I've even been enjoying the humidity.  We don't often get hot and humid here in the coastal northwest.  Sticky heat gives me a good excuse to take a mid-day icy cold shower, which I almost never get to do. 

The trees are beginning to change colors, from dark green to gold and amber.  There are pumpkins in the market, and I am often dreaming of soup and sweaters and mufflers and long walks on crisp, smoke tinged nights.  I love Autumn, it's my absolute favorite time of year.

Another reason I love Fall is Apples.  I only eat apples in the Fall, because it is the only time they are any good.  I plan on making Apple Pie, Apple Butter, Mulligatawny Soup, and grilled Apple & Smoked Cheddar sandwiches.  An Autumn Apple Feast!

I picked up 3 delicious looking Honeycrisp Apples at the market the other day.  I planned on making Caramel Apples, but decided I would make a Caramel Dip instead (much easier on the teeth).

When I bought the apples they were sampling them out with Blue Cheese and it was a brilliant combination.  I kept thinking about how good the apple and the cheese go together, so today when I got in the kitchen to make my Caramel Apple Dip I decided I would add Blue Cheese to my sauce.  Why not?  I've had Blue Cheese and Honey before, and how different are honey and caramel anyways?

So good!  I kept wanting to taste it again and again. Sweet, creamy, salty, Blue Cheesy, and delicious with my Honeycrisp Apple slices.  

I can't wait to share this sauce with everyone I know.  I just know it would be scrummy over vanilla ice cream or drizzled over a slice of apple pie.

Blue Cheese Caramel Sauce

25 individually wrapped Caramels, about 1 cups worth
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Blue Cheese, I used Salemville Amish Gorgonzola

Place the Caramels and Heavy Cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium heat.

Stir constantly, until the Caramels have melted completely and the sauce has thickened.

Lower the heat and stir in the Blue Cheese; blend until cheese is completely incorporated into the sauce.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Transfer sauce to a jar or bowl; do not cover until completely cooled.

Enjoy warm, room temperature, or chilled with apple slices, pears, pie, ice cream, or anything else you can think to dip or drizzle it on.

1 comment:

  1. Yummy food and its very healthy food . that's good look and my favorite food.

    ReplyDelete