Out & About #1051 | Gochujang Caramel Rice Krispies + Oomomo Pop-Up

While the Chestnut Tiramisu took social media by storm, I personally found the most memorable dish from Culinary Class Wars to be Edward Lee's reimagined tteokbboki dessert with gochujang caramel. The pairing was unthinkably unique, with a profile that harnessed the renowned sweet-and-spicy profile of Korea's beloved yangnyeom chicken.

​Featured on the show on was a variation of a semifreddo stabilized with Italian meringue and moulded into the shape of elongated rice cakes. Breaking down its components, one could envision the dessert to taste creamy and "marshmallow-like", as the judges had described. I reckoned that the equivalent for home cooks could be Rice Krispies squares drizzled with gochujang caramel. Thus, I set out to craft just that.

Naturally, a step-by-step recipe did not exist for this concept. Drawing from my own multitude of riffs on the timeless holiday potluck dessert, I'd formulate the base with toasted hazelnuts and salted butter. The latter was an intentional decision to ensure that the overall concoction would not emerge cloying.
The addition of nuts is also a no-brainer for me, for it enhances textural variance without an extraordinary amount of effort. While I must admit that hazelnuts were a more finnicky choice than almonds or pecans due to the additional step of removing the skins and inconvenient circular shape (they slid about the cutting board), they exuded utmost olfactory appeal.

​Rice Krispies
Adapted from Kellogg's

Ingredients:

• 56 g butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 cups (132 g) Rice Krispies cereal
• 5 cups (220 g) marshmallows

• 2 cups Rice Krispies = 44 g x 3 = 132 g​
  • 135 g used
• 1 cup marshmallows = 44 g x 5 = 220 g
  • 218 g used​

• 200 g hazelnuts

Directions

1. Arrange the nuts of choice onto a baking tray in a single layer. Bake at 350 F for 6 minutes. Let cool, then chop into fine pieces. One should aim for relatively the same size as a piece of Rice Krispie cereal.
2. Line a 9 in x 13 in baking pan with parchment paper. About 0.5 in of parchment overhang on each side is ideal.
3. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add in marshmallows (mini or jumbo) and stir until fully incorporated. Add in vanilla, then stir to combine.
4. Add in Rice Krispies cereal and chopped hazelnuts. Reduce heat to low and mix well to incorporate. Take care to prevent crushing the cereal pieces.
5. Turn off stove and transfer mixture to the lined baking pan. Distribute evenly and press firmly to compact.
6. Let rest for a minimum of 30 minutes at room temperature.

Note:

• In past trials, I had always used a medium-sized saucepot to melt the butter. Due to size constraints, the Rice Krispies cereal would be added in two parts to prevent spillage. Using a wide-brimmed frying pan is recommended over a saucepot, as the shape naturally facilitates even mixing.

​Caramel

The caramel would be adapted from Sunday Baking's Caramel Butter Sandwich Cookie recipe. Although I had debated scaling down the quantity at first, I ultimately reasoned that it would be easier to simply adhere to the original quantities. Moreover, there would not be any repercussions to "over-dressing" the Rice Krispies anyway.

Ingredients:

• 135 g heavy cream
• 35 g unsalted butter
• 15 g honey
• 15 g corn syrup

• 150 g sugar
• 30 g chocolate couverture
•  ̶3̶ ̶g̶ ̶s̶a̶l̶t̶

​Directions

1. In a small saucepot, combine heavy cream, unsalted batter, honey, corn syrup, and one's desired quantity of gochujang. In place of gochujang, I took to about 1 tsp of tteokbokki sauce with a somewhat runny consistency, sieving out the seeds as needed.
2. Bring the cream mixture to a light boil, then set aside. To prevent formation of a surface film, I kept the saucepot over very low heat and continued to stir the pot's contents every so often.
3. In a medium saucepot, heat sugar over medium-high heat until fully dissolved. Stirring frequently is recommended as to prevent burning on the bottom of the pot.
4. Slowly add warmed cream mixture to the caramelized sugar. Mix vigorously as bubbles emerge.
5. Continue mixing until homogenous. Heat the mixture to 114 C, then remove from heat.
6. Add in chocolate couverture and mix to incorporate.
7. Let cool until ready to handle. Optionally, transfer the caramel to a piping bag for easier handling; be mindful of the residual heat.
8. Drizzle over Rice Krispies squares. Let rest for a minimum of 15 minutes in the fridge, or 30 minutes at room temperature, before slicing.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

• Either gochujang or tteokbokki sauce (what I used) can be used for this recipe. The amount can be adjusted to suit one's preferences and spice tolerance.
• Throughout the process of mixing, my white spatula became stained from the red chili pigment. As such, using a dark-coloured spatula is recommended. Metals such as aluminum or Stainless steel, the usual material choice for presenting and consuming kimchi, is obviously not recommended for use against non-stick pans, as it will damage the coating.

Consistent with the cupcake frosting showcased in her recent cupcake video, the inclusion of corn syrup yielded an extremely glossy finish. The caramel set quickly, yet remained malleable even hours later. An interesting observation was how the caramel readily settled into the surface ridges and continued to adhere to the tops of the Rice Krispies square when portioning. This differed drastically from ganache, whose sturdier, toothsome properties often result in shattering and splitting at the weakest points under pressure.
From this experiment, it can be deduced that glucose assists with preserving malleability, making it ideal in applications such as caramel toppings/inserts or glazes. Having boiled the cream and stabilized it with a sugar syrup, the shiny layer could also sit at room temperature without fear of disintegration. With regard to frosting, however, my personal preference still resides with a thicker, substantial component such as ganache, even if not resilient to changes in storage temperature.

I was eager to sample the treats as soon as possible, slicing into the slab the moment they retained their shape. Declaring the squares a tremendous success, I happily munched on the slightly spiced caramel and gratifying crunchy foundation. The hazelnuts were, admittedly, a tad overwhelmed by the presence of caramel. Nevertheless, their nutty contributions and sporadic bits of crunch were not to be overlooked.

Meals of the week comprised of: Pan-Fried Fillet in Corn Sauce, supplementary materials such as frozen Pork & Cabbage Dumplings from T&T and IKEA meatballs, Portuguese Sauce Pork, Carrot, and Onions with Choy Sum over Rice, and Stir-Fried Eggplant and Ground Pork.

​In review of Purdy's Halloween Truffle Box, Coffee Crunch and Turona were discovered to be the best. PB&J and Pumpkin Spice concoctions were simply not for me.

​For the short week following the Remembrance Day holiday, I had managed to negotiate just one in-office day, which worked in favour of my endless schedule items and, more generally speaking, my sanity.

​Heading downtown, one would observe preparations underway for the lofty Christmas tree outside City Hall, along with shimmery lights being hoisted above the Skating Rink-to be.

​Sunny, single-digit conditions enabled another cycling trip through the downtown core. While undocking at the Bay/Dundas station, a member of CycleTO approached me to promote petitioning against the premier's incredibly idiotic decision to remove existing bike lanes. The interaction was a tad awkward, for I had geared up and was ready to depart. Instead of taking the flyer from the English accent-wielding man, I quickly snapped a photo instead. Rather than crumpling the slip in my pocket and potentially losing it later onwards, a photo would allow for leisurely review later.

Oomomo's pop-up store at Yonge and Wellesley would assume my first stop. Conveniently, there was a docking station immediately south of the store on Dundonald St.

Surprising was the sheer scale of the store, for it was comparable to a fixed shop location, save the absence of interior decor. I recognized that this may be the retailer's pilot project in determining shopper demographics and probability of success with a potential expansion.

​About one quarter to one third of the store was dedicated exclusively to cosmetics. One fifth would comprise of hobby items, such as Pokémon figurines, Sanrio plushies and key chains, etc. The remainder of the store would stock stationery, baking goods (including cookie cutters, piping bags, and moulds), and houseware items such as matcha whisks, a small assortment of ceramics and glasses, small- to medium-sized containers.

Festive holiday accessories were also spotted, along with a drink refrigerator and freezer for Love Gelato products.

New members would earn the chance to try their hand at the gachapon machine. Existing members would be able to browse a pared down selection of their usual finds, at the disadvantage of being unable to earn points. As I was neither in desperate need of a particular item nor wished to lug it back home across four (!) methods of travel, I opted to strictly roam the aisles before re-entering the Yonge/Wellesley retail scene.

​Soon, I'd turn onto Wood Street - a segment bearing two Bike Share stations between Yonge and Church. Having returned my bike to an empty station, I was prepared to return from errands with it vanished. Should those circumstances emerge, the alternate plan was to source a bike from one of three other nearby stations.

Solace was found in the plush teddies inside Loblaws. After interacting briefly, I'd navigate along the perimeter towards the aisles of canned goods.

​Five cans of beans, diced tomatoes, and cream-style corn would be procured for donation towards the local food bank.

Execution of this charitable act made most sense when I was already downtown. For starters, using Bike Share would enable a swift return to the office donation box without fear of my eco bag tearing midway due to weight. It would also relieve me of lugging the heavy cans from my suburban abode onto a busy commuter train, then juggling the load again for the duration of my 15- to 20-minute office trek.

Miraculously, the same bike remained docked when I returned twelve minutes later, with the dried leaf I had accidentally wedged into the dock still fluttering in place. The return route would involve heading south on Church, west on Gerrard, then south along Bay until arriving back at the southeast corner of Bay/Dundas. Along the way, I was shocked to witness delivery drivers and scooter-riders sound their bell to alert me of their presence, and even apologize while crossing in opposite directions!

​My watch had halted tracking at peculiar points along the way, but the Bike Share app assisted in time and kilometrage tracking. The entire trip spanned no more than forty minutes, leaving with me with enough time to dash towards Timmies for a Baileys Dream Hot Chocolate.

​My watch had halted tracking at peculiar points along the way, but the Bike Share app assisted in time and kilometrage tracking. The entire trip spanned no more than forty minutes, leaving with me with enough time to dash towards Timmies for a Baileys Dream Hot Chocolate.

​Although the Baileys Dream Hot Chocolate did curb cravings for a cozy cup of hot chocolate, it tasted rather artificial. Amusingly, it was thicker than regular hot chocolate, though not exactly milkier - which was greatly appreciated. Passable but not covetable, one could likely source greater satisfaction from the chain's regular Hot Chocolate.

And then, it was time to go home.

​Forcibly being removed from our locker-equipped workplace meant bringing personal belongings back home. My biking gear would remain for now; parchment paper, a single oven mitt, and backup sweater, toque, and scarf combo would be brought home. Squishing three bags into one GO train seat is never enjoyable, but I digress.