Chocolate Peanut Butter Semifreddo With Caramel Corn Recipes

PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• First make the popcorn: Put a large pot over medium heat, and add the oil and popcorn. Place a lid on the pot, slightly askew, so that steam can escape. Pop the corn until there are a few seconds between pops, and it sounds like they are mostly cooked.
• Pour the popped corn into a large roasting pan (like one you would use to roast a turkey) and sprinkle with kosher salt.
• In the same pot that you made the popcorn, melt the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring, for 7 minutes.
• In a tiny bowl, mix the baking soda and vanilla together until the baking soda is mostly dissolved.
• Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and baking soda mixture. The caramel should be very light and frothy. Immediately pour the caramel over the popcorn, and gently fold the caramel into the popcorn to coat it. (At this point, you might think there is not enough caramel for the corn, as there will be globs of caramel, and a lot of the popcorn will not seem well-coated. But don't worry! There will be plenty.).
• Bake the caramel corn for 15 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and gently stir the popcorn into the melting caramel until the popcorn is better coated. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, after which the popcorn should be evenly coated with the caramel.
• Return the caramel corn to the oven and bake for a final 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and give the corn one final stir to coat thoroughly. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• When the popcorn is totally cool, it will have a nice, thin, crispy coating. Serve immediately or store in airtight containers for up to 10 days.

PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCOLATE SEMIFREDDO

Steps:

• Line a 5-by-10-inch jumbo loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 4-inch overhang on all sides. In a medium saucepan, combine milk and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add peanut butter, and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Add half the peanut butter mixture and whisk until combined. With a rubber spatula, add half the remaining peanut butter mixture and gently fold 3 times (mixture will be rippled).
• Transfer half the cream mixture to loaf pan. Top with half the peanut butter mixture and 1/4 cup chocolate mixture. Top with remaining cream mixture, then drizzle with remaining peanut butter mixture and 1/4 cup chocolate mixture. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl mixtures together. Freeze until firm, about 5 hours (or up to 3 days). Let sit 20 minutes at room temperature before serving with extra chocolate sauce.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER SEMIFREDDO WITH CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Caramel Corn: Preheat oven to 225 degrees. In a large heatproof bowl, sprinkle peanuts over popcorn.
• In a saucepan, bring brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, until smooth and combined. Cook until darkened slightly and fragrant, about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat; immediately stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn mixture, stirring to evenly coat. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake 1 hour. Let cool completely. Break into bite-size pieces and serve, or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. (Makes 10 cups.)
• Semifreddo: Line the bottom and sides of a standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides. In a large heatproof bowl, combine chocolate, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In another large heatproof bowl, combine peanut butter and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Remove from heat; immediately divide cream evenly between bowls. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir each mixture until smooth. Let cool until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Combine egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Beat constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch (it should feel smooth when rubbed between fingers), 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then transfer to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on low speed until foamy. Increase speed to high; continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form and bowl no longer feels warm to the touch, 7 to 9 minutes.
• Divide meringue evenly between chocolate and peanut-butter mixtures; gently fold into each until thoroughly combined and no white streaks remain. Transfer half of chocolate mixture to prepared loaf pan; smooth top with an offset spatula. (Refrigerate peanut-butter mixture and remaining chocolate mixture until ready to use.) Freeze until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Pour peanut-butter mixture into pan, smoothing top; freeze 15 minutes. Pour remaining chocolate mixture over peanut-butter mixture and smooth top. Gently fold plastic-wrap overhangs over semifreddo to cover. Freeze until firm, at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.
• Remove semifreddo from freezer 10 minutes before serving. Remove plastic from top, flip pan onto a chilled serving platter or cutting board, and lift pan from plastic. Remove plastic and slice semifreddo crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Serve, with caramel corn. Semifreddo can be stored, covered, in freezer up to 3 days.