The first day of June threatened rain upon Orange County with gloomy clouds and no breakthrough of sunshine. Luckily, no drops were shed from the sky on Laguna Beach, CA on June 2nd where Share Our Strength hosted Taste of the Nation®, its premier culinary benefit. Held at the breathtaking Montage Laguna Beach from 4pm to 7pm (with a VIP reception until 9pm), the Taste of the Nation 2013 was a highly anticipated event for the food lovers and elite of Orange County whose participation raised funds toward fighting childhood hunger. Revered chefs gathered to give the hundreds of guests a taste of their finest offerings; guests gathered to support the No Kid Hungry campaign and raised more than $203,000 for community programs such as the Orange County Food Bank and Second Harvest Orange County Food Bank.


In addition to the cast of star chefs present at Taste of the Nation 2013 in Laguna Beach, the team of organizers consisting of Judy Walker, Teresa Siriani, Justin Schuvie, Caroline Stoll, Avery Block, Gina Mims, Pamela Waitt, Todd Orlich and others ensured that the event was a success. Due to various sponsorships and the team's efforts, 100% of ticket sales were publicized to be donated to charity. The national presenting sponsor was Sysco; national sponsors were American Express, ONEHOPE Wine, Emmi Roth USA, Cavit Collection Wines, OpenTable, and The Food Network; and local sponsors were S. Pellegrino, Lexus, Montage Laguna Beach, Celebrity Cruises, Epstein Becker Green, Evans Family Foundation, ICG, Southern California Gas Company, and Orange Coast Magazine, some of whom were present at the event itself, especially the beverage sponsors such as Haven Gastropub + Brewery, Snake Oil Cocktail Company, and Acqua Panna. One hundred percent of ticket sales support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger.For those of you unfamiliar with Taste of the Nation, it is a country-wide series of exquisite tasting events with celebrity chefs that began in 1988 and continue to this day, adding to their impressive collection of more than $82.5 million raised toward ending childhood hunger..


Every chef present that evening was paired with a farm and winery wherever they were set up. Cooking live with assistants and plating beautiful concoctions, the serving areas were entertainment in themselves. Hosting Chef Craig Strong, Executive Chef of Studio at Montage Laguna Beach (Laguna Beach, CA), served Seared Scallops (with asparagus, tangerines, Chanterelles, and a tango gastrique) and was next to VR Green Farms and ZD Wines. This was certainly one of our favorites as the thick scallops' clean taste was highlighted by citrus notes; also, how do we deny the tasty savoriness of mini Chanterelles? Chefs Nick Roberts & Brooke Williamson from Hudson House/The Tripel (Los Angeles, CA) and Top Chef Season 10 served Beet Cured Salmon (with heirloom tomato gelee, zucchini salad, Thai chili cream, and salmon roe) alongside Tutti Frutti Farms and Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards. Not only was the presentation beautiful but the independent elements as refreshing by themselves as when all together, especially the gelee.


Chef Jenn Louis of Lincoln/Sunshine Tavern (Portland, OR) and a Food & Wine Best New Chef 2012 served a Bruschetta of chicken liver mousse and herb gelee next to Maggie Farms and Silver Oak Cellers. I absolutely adored the liver mousse and the crisps it came on top of. Chef Josiah Citrin of two-Michelin star Mélisse (Los Angeles, CA) served Veal Loin (with celtuce, sea vegetables, and sorrel) alongside Coleman Farms and Soliste Winery. The greens were a good match with the juicy slices of veal every plate had.


Chef Chris Crary (Santa Monica, CA) from Top Chef Season 9 presented translucent boats of Uni & Almond Panna Cotta (with caviar, peas, pickled beets, and crispy potatoes) next to Weiser Farms and Paraduxx Winery. These gorgeous and appropriately spring-colored treats were creative, light, and nearly playful with the mixture of textures as one spooned it up. There was also Chef Lizzie Binder from Top Chef Season 10 and formally with Bar Bambino (San Francisco, CA) plated morsels of Braised Duck (with roasted strawberry and dandelion greens) next to Gloria Farms and Buccella Wines. The roasted strawberry nearly melted with the softness of the duck.


Chef Alan Wong of Alan Wong’s Restaurant (Honolulu, HI) had a large set-up with Steamed Opakapaka (pork hash and ginger) by him and spicy shooters from Polito Farms (Alysian Wines were pouring aplenty next-table). The steamed fish had a wonderful aroma and tasted even better with the gingery spiciness. While all of the chefs had their stations outside, inside was the playroom of Chef Lee Smith, Executive Pastry Chef of Studio at Montage Laguna Beach (Laguna Beach, CA), who gave the sweets lovers a run for their money. Strawberry versatility was shown via Strawberry Risotto (white chocolate & citrus olive oil), Strawberry Black Pepper Macarons, Strawbery Pot de Creme, a Sgroppino drink (local organic lemon sorbet, strawberries, and prosecco), Frozen Strawberry Creme Fraiche Push Up Pops, and English Scones (with Devonshire cream and jam). However you like your desserts, he had a style ready, and we were very pleased with the beauty of his macarons which contained a warm jam inside. How is that even feasible? No matter - it was perfect.


As guests mingled with each other, the wine was generously flowing into Taste of the Nation wine glasses and the Kalama Brothers wooed our ears with their covers and original songs. Silent auction items sat inside, presented with tags of their donors and item contents. I found the event's use of bidding technology fascinating as they were utilizing Bidpal, a mobile smartphone-like device that could be passed around from guest to guest for bids to be made. For fun, there were also two large prizes to win outside of wine and whisky whose winners were to be determined by the purchase of the correct key.


It didn't take long for the winner of the whiskey and cigar selection to be determined. In an eruption of cheers, the winner collected the prize for his two friends quickly. For the wine cellar prize, however, a key-lock malfunction turned the tables over to random draw through which Ed Lee of Wahoo's Tacos won the fine selection (congratulations Ed!). With a live auction in addition to the key prizes and silent auction items, Taste of the Nation managed to raise $57,000+ from bids that contributed to the overall total for the evening. Think of what can be done with that to help end childhood hunger. After such winnings, the evening was over for those who had come in on General Admission. The rest headed over to another section of the Montage for the VIP reception.


What foodie event would ever have a shortage of food? Finger foods such as tomato soup shooters with grilled cheese, ahi tuna rolls, and lamb sliders were tray-passed by the courteous wait staff of Montage. Guests enjoyed each other's company and meeting with the celebrity chefs in a casual, cocktail environment. A complimentary cigar lounge hung in the back corner of the space to allow for guests to share in smoking with one another, and bartending stations provided beers and house wines. If you are interested in attending next year's event, the anticipated date will be June 1, 2014. Tickets for this year's Taste of the Nation Montage Laguna Beach were $150 General Admission and $250 VIP.


My hats off to the chefs and their staff for all of their hard work and donated time to this event. For most of them, this was not the first event they have done for Share Our Strength. It is that dedication to food and its power on people, hungry or not, that I think drives them to keep at their passionate craft. How inspiring to see so much support from the culinary community and from Orange County to ensuring that No Kid Hungry becomes a reality for all. If you are interested in this cause, you must visit them and show your support as well. I have been giving to Share Our Strength since December 2012 and don't plan on stopping any time soon (or ever?). Take the pledge today.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos (171 total) are available for viewing by clicking here and on Facebook.

Slap a sustainable summer in your face! The series has started already and is well on its way of six weeks of sustainable seafood specials (yes, I really am going to S up this post). June 3rd was the start of Slapfish's superstar campaign based on seafood sustainability, a campaign featuring separate seafood specials per week of the six weeks, complete with facts and significant information about the seafood choices. The beloved business that just celebrated their first anniversary has always very strongly and publicly supported the values of seafood sustainability, and it has been extremely obvious how welcoming the community has been to this outlook. This Summer of Sustainability campaign is just another fish in their large sea of ideas on getting you to eat better for yourself and for the environment but hey, it sure is a tasty one (as always). We got a tasting of the splendid specials so here's the dish on them!

(June 3-9) Wild Pacific Albacore Tuna Melt - $9.50

Rustic sourdough | spinach, cucumber, tomato, flaked albacore | awesome sauce
"MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified, locally sourced and managed, the quality of this tuna can’t be beat. Troll-caught and pole-caught tuna, where the fish are caught by individual hooks targeted at them, preserves the quality of the fish, since they don't spend any time scrambling in nets or then "drowning" once brought on board waiting their turn for processing. These fishing methods also create almost no bycatch (fish and other sea animals caught while trying to caught a specific species, which are often killed and wasted in the process)."

We had our dishes in chronological order according to release date and were graced by Chef Andrew Gruel's presence and short seminars. Every dish got a detailed explanation about the seafood itself, the source, and its seasonality. The pole-caught tuna in the first item, the tuna melt, is especially important in the role of assuring sustainability as its personalized catching style circumvents the typical fisherman's issues of bycatch (other creatures caught & "wasted" because they aren't the targeted species). A feel-good sandwich, this melt had the perfect crunch in the sourdough and an impressive tuna to cheese ratio. Get it while it's hot, literally!

(June 10-16) BBQ Yellowtail Banh Mi - $9.50

Fresh baked baguette | packed with pickled radish, cucumber, carrots, jalapeno, and spiced yellowtail | grill sauce
"California yellowtail is most commonly found along the Pacific Coast between Southern California and Baja, California. California yellowtail begins to reproduce at a young age and produces large numbers of young, traits that help it withstand fishing pressure. The stocks are well managed in U.S. waters."

It seemed like Duc took it upon himself to be the "banh mi" expert when trying out this sandwich (his supposed legitimacy in this matter = his being Vietnamese). No complaints here apparently as this sandwich was stellar. As with the previously explained fish choice, the Yellowtail in this one is also handled environmentally consciously from start to finish. There was quite a spicy zip to the banh mi that came from the slivers of jalapeno combined with the pickled carrots and jicama. In true banh mi style, these were piled high with cilantro as well but nothing could hide the intense quality and beautiful natural flavors of the yellowtail. I believe we're coming back in again for this when it is available.

(June 17-23) Alaskan Halibut Po Boy - $11

Fried halibut in a toasted roll | packed with lettuce, tomato and pickled peppers | Tabasco aioli
"Pacific halibut is a bottom-dwelling groundfish that nestles into the sandy seafloor, often seen with only its eyes and mouth uncovered. Primarily found in the coastal North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, it migrates hundreds of miles from shallow coastal waters to the deep, open ocean to spawn in winter. Most return, year after year, to the same coastal feeding grounds. Most Pacific halibut are caught in Alaska where fishing for Pacific halibut is strictly limited to the bottom-long lining method, which causes little habitat damage or bycatch. Pacific halibut is also caught using troll lines and bottom trawl nets.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) manages Pacific halibut in Alaska. Each year, the IPHC conducts a population assessment and reviews independent assessments to set annual catch limits. These limits are allocated among licensed fishing vessels, giving each boat a prescribed percentage of the total. This process has resulted in longer fishing seasons, while keeping the population healthy and abundant."

One of the focuses of this series, according to Chef Gruel, is to have the dishes get a little messy. Items would be hand-held and slappy. A po boy is certainly a sandwich you cannot be prim and proper about, especially Slapfish's version. Gently fried halibut (which is just starting to come into season now) crunched perfectly between our teeth and yielded to flaky, white flesh. The pickled peppers and Tabasco aioli created a regional heat worthy of its inspiration's area; after all, what is a po boy outside of New Orleans other than a sandwich? Throwing in some Tabasco should help nudge any rendition closer to its roots. Having the spot-on OC Baking Company's bread doesn't hurt either (they provide all the breads for the dishes).

Smiles (usually) free of charge.

(June 24-30) Crispy White Seabass Taco - $7

Fried corn shell | pickled red onion and cabbage | rooster dressing
"Prized for its large size and good flavor, white seabass is found off California and both coasts of Baja California, Mexico. Fished commercially and for sport since the early 1900s, white seabass populations were in decline from the 1960s through the 1980s. New management efforts, including supplementing the wild population with hatchery-raised fish, have helped California's population recover.

Slapfish also uses FishWatch, a program maintained by NOAA Fisheries, the leading science authority for managing the nation’s marine fisheries. FishWatch provides easy-to-understand science-based facts and updated information on popular seafood harvested in the U.S., to help consumers make smart sustainable seafood choices. Programs such as these keep the environment healthy, populations of fish thriving, and our seafood industry on the job."

After such swallowing of bread-heavy specials, we tasters were in luck for the crispy taco. Historically fished to near extinction, the white seabass steadily made its way back into the seafood population after some farming and careful studying. It was a lovely light fish, softly seasoned and seared before being placed atop a smidgen of guacamole in a crispy shell and buried under pickled red onion and cabbage. The rooster sauce continued our exposure to spiciness that sitting as did the subtle chili pepper threads. Chives added sweet bursts of color as well.

(July 1-7) Copper River Salmon Hand Pie - Market $

Gently fried | stuffed with avocado and chiles | served with tomatillo sauce
"Prince William Sound salmon runs are all carefully managed for long-term sustainability by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. ADF&G conducts weekly aerial surveys and monitors weirs at several points throughout the Prince William Sound estimating abundance to ensure an adequate number of fish migrate to spawning grounds to reproduce each year."

The salmon hand pie became a welcome sight for its distinctly different form of presentation from the rest. Instead of being nestled between buns, this fish found itself stuffed with plenty of avocado inside a roll of chive-brushed phyllo dough. The salmon was strong and flavorful, perfect in its flaky shell that paired soundly with the tomatillo sauce. Get this if you are looking for a hearty but small punch of seafood goodness.

(July 8-14) Baked Carlsbad Luna Oysters - Market $

Wild mushroom and bacon stuffing | herb crust
"Carlsbad Aquafarm Sustainably Farmed Shellfish. Unlike some farmed fish, oysters minimally impact marine resources as they don't rely on wild-caught fish - in the form of fishmeal or fish oil - for food. And, thanks to the oyster's filter-feeding action, oyster farms can actually benefit the surrounding coastal waters."

By far my favorite of the options (which happens to last be available on my birthday!) were the oysters. Chef Gruel expanded on the history of the oyster's beneficial role in the ocean's ecosystem, including how the oyster (nearly) solely helped bring the Chesapeake Bay back to a better state than it was in years before. An underrated but extremely important protein source of the ocean, the oyster is definitely not to be trifled with. Normally served shucked and raw, oysters take a bit of getting used to without any toppings. Slapfish's version for the summer is slightly different. Piled high with a wild mushroom and bacon stuffing, the oyster was divine. On equal footing via the shell itself, land  "brine" and sea brine met; it was bacon vs. oyster. Both lost to one slurp and swallow which married the two in their complementary ways. Each oyster must be had in one go as you have them. Order a plate or more of these; I bet you'll love them.



While the aforementioned specials may be sectioned off to specific weeks, the already-fantastic regular menu is not (save for the fact that they're seasonal). As we waited for the main dishes to saunter their way over to our soiree, we dipped magnificent chips in hearty lobster dip, cupped our hands under our mouths to catch falling seafood as we crunched on lobster toast, and tittered at the charming baby fry-basket holding sweet potato tots before devouring those in their spicy saucy goodness. You must get at these as well, and often enough, they'll release "secret" deals on their social media channels on how you can snag a side for free (go follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!).


If you're planning on gorging yourself silly on these slap-alicious dishes, don't forget to take pictures and post them up on whichever social media sites you decide to use. Make sure that you use #SlapfishSustainability and #SustainableTastesBetter too to show your support of seafood sustainability. So yes, drop on by Slapfish at 19696 Beach Blvd Huntington Beach, CA 92648 and get some fresh all up in your face.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook.

Now, I know I usually get a little crazy when it comes to what I end up doing with my Test Kitchen ingredients but this time around, I toned it down a bit. I went simple on this one because hey, we all have those days when we just wanted to get something done fast and still feel good at the end of it. Since I was working with fine ground bulgur (basically a quick-cook version of whole wheat), I just wanted to use it as a base grain to whatever dish was put together. Therefore, this recipe uses few ingredients and little time from start to plate. Enjoy!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 4-6 servings)

• 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if wanting to go vegetarian)
• 1 cup fine ground bulgur
• 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
• 1 tbsp garlic salt, divided
• 1 tsp pepper
• sunflower oil (or oil of choice)
• 4 medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
• parsley, optional

Step 2: Prepping the ingredients
Start a medium saucepan with chicken broth on medium heat. Slice ends off zucchini to toss and then thinly slice lengthwise. Start a medium skillet with a little bit of oil. In saucepan, add in bulgur once the broth barely starts to boil. Stir often to prevent burning. If you want to add some extra fresh parsley, chop up a few leaves to add to the bulgur.

Step 3: Finishing
In skillet, add zucchini, half the garlic salt, and pepper. Stir gently until zucchini are just about translucent. Take off heat. In saucepan with bulgur, add remaining salt and the garbanzo beans. Stir together & remove from heat. Serve with zucchini. I used the slices as a wall to my plate. Quick and easy!


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: harissa extra virgin olive oil
It seems like even though the chili sauce itself isn't a newly discovered food item, harissa has become the hot newest thing to use in cooking. I know that a recipe I had been wanting to try a long time ago required harissa in it so I didn't bother as I didn't want to go searching for it. It seems to be more ubiquitous now though. Curious about what it is? It's "a Tunisian hot chili sauce whose main ingredients are piri piri (type of chili pepper), serrano peppers and other hot chili peppers and spices and herbs such as garlic paste, coriander, red chili powder, caraway as well as some vegetable or olive oil." [Wikipedia]

As for the olive oil itself, I bought a few bottles from 41 Olive, a wondrous place in Irvine that has so many different olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I'm so eager to keep going back to them for more of their stuff! Let me know what your thoughts are on what I should do with it. Comment on its picture on Facebook please!


Photography by Minerva Thai.

I don't find myself often standing in front of a chip display at the grocery store very often. I suppose it's just not normally something I think about as I'm not a salty-foods snacker (but certainly am a snacker!). In fact, if I do end up having chips somewhere in my pantry, they're bound to be tortilla chips. However, when I do decide to purchase a bag of the potato-ey goodness that are chips, I often reach for kettle chips.

I was approached a little bit ago with information about Classic Foods' new line of chips, the Risi Papas Caseras series. It's an homage to Mexican cuisine and contains four flavors all with indigenous chiles from Mexico. "Papas Caseras" translates to kettle chips (yes, the title of this post is a little redundant...), the crunchy slow-cooked style of making flavorful and awesome chips, and all of the flavors highlight a different chile which leads to sweet, tangy, zesty, and fiery choices for any buyer. I had a chance to give them each a try AND snag a box to give away to one of you readers, so read on about them! Bonus: the packaging is in both Spanish and English.

"Habanero – The Habanero is one of the hottest chili peppers one can find. True to their name, these chips offer a fiery and zesty flavor that is sure to test the taste buds of even the most seasoned lovers of spicy foods."

We tried this one first. You'll find it in an orange bag that's bordering on red in color. When you first open the bag, you'll notice the bright orange color of the chips as they are seasoned with the habanero. The smell is distinctly of that pepper but the heat is not unbearable. Coming from me who is a wuss with spicy stuff, that's saying something. Sure, the more you eat though, the bigger the heat. It definitely gives a fiery kick once you have enough of them but the first few hardly hurt. [1 oz. serving of ~17 chips = 140 calories]

"Serrano – The spicy and tangy Mexican chili flavor creates a mouth-watering sensation that will make the tongue curl and ask for more."

This was actually our favorite for its tanginess. You almost wouldn't expect it coming from chips or the Serrano pepper but it's present and pleasant. We had first recognized the smell when we opened the bag of the green pepper that is usually on the sweeter side of chiles. The heat was still there but not nearly as much as the habanero; there was definitely a more vegetal taste to this which we really liked! I'm sure this would be a great chip to also dip with a fresh salsa. [1 oz. serving of ~17 chips = 140 calories]

"Adobadas – Adobadas chips are flavored with Mexico's famous red chili marinade. It satisfies the hunger cravings with its zesty and sweet taste."

I have to say that my first impression when seeing the chips as I opened the bag was that they looked heavily seasoned. First impressions do count because I coughed when I put the first chip in my mouth from all of the powder. It's not necessarily a bad thing but may take you by surprise. A sweet chip, the Adobadas' tomato component is strong and very bold. Try this one if you like that sweet tanginess that's associated with the vegetable. [1 oz. serving of ~17 chips = 140 calories]

"Con Salsa - These lightly salted chips contain a packet of spicy and savory La Guacamaya® hot sauce giving you the option to spice things up with one of Mexico's tastiest sauce."

This one was an oddball among the others because of its packaging. Instead of there being some kind of chile pepper powder/flavoring added to the chips, there was a packet of hot sauce inside the bag. Personally, I find that strange and difficult for a casual eater to handle; who normally takes out sauces from a bag of chips and spends the time to open it, pour it on the other chips, and finish them? However, I know that some past products from other companies used to have chip bags like that so perhaps it's in their likeness that this was made thus. The chips themselves were very plain without using the sauce, including not being salted. These are good more for a potato fix than a chip fix. [1 oz. serving of ~15 chips with salsa = 130 calories]


So, we had fun styling the chips as we took pictures of each. They all had a great crunch to them that you know and love from kettle chips. If you're interested in purchasing these 5 oz bags which retail for $2.49, you can pick them up from Hispanic grocery chains Vallartas, Cardenas, and Superior. If you don't want to purchase them right now but want to give them a try for free, you can enter my giveaway to try and win a chance to. Classic Foods will send one 5 oz bag of each flavor right to the winner's door! Why wouldn't you enter? “They are totally iRISIstible!”

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: I received one or more of these items for this review. All opinions stated are 100% mine. I am not in contract nor do I work for any of these companies. I am not responsible for the shipment of the prize as the sponsor ships the prize; thus, I am not responsible for prize fulfillment. This giveaway is U.S. only. Thank you for entering!

This adventure into saltwater taffy and making candy in general came as a what I found to be a challenge! As you know, I run a weekly Test Kitchen category where I work with an ingredient I haven't used before, based on your suggestions through Facebook. Well, when black lava sea salt was featured as one of the series' ingredients, my friend Austin put out the creative idea of using the salt crystals as the "seeds" in watermelon-looking saltwater taffy. My immediate response was, "What am I? A magician?" to which he responded, "Maybe you are and you don't know it yet." Keen observation there Austin because I did give it a try. Once you planted the thought in my mind, I couldn't resist. The first batch was ultimately a success, according to all the guinea pigs I dumped candy on in the following days. These were made to look like watermelons with the crunchy salt as the seeds but I flavored them vanilla since I dislike artificial watermelon-flavored things.

I did a lot of internet sleuthing about to figure out how to even tackle this feat. I mean, I don't even make candy but reading a lot helps I guess. I was very anxious to say the least because there were so many things that could go wrong. Because taffy is created using both glucose and fructose, which have different chemical structures, one tiny crystal of sugar that isn't mixed properly and falls back into a dissolved mixture could turn the taffy into granules (sucrose). Yikes! So scary really. In the end, I used the recipe and notes mainly from this link because it was the most informative. Maybe you want to give it a try yourself now after seeing that this newbie here could do it?

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 60-75 pieces)

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tbsps cornstarch
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tbsps butter + more for buttering hands & paper
• 2 tbsps white vinegar
• vanilla extract
• red food coloring
• green food coloring
• black lava sea salt

Step 2: Prepping
Mix together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a stainless steel saucepan of about 3-4 quarts' volume (I made the mistake of using too small a saucepan so my candy overflowed the first time and made a huge mess), add water, corn syrup, butter, and vinegar. Next, add in your sugar; the recipe poster had said that this makes it easier for you not to stir as much later by adding dry on top of wet. You can attach your candy thermometer now and turn the heat to medium. The temperature you are looking for is 255°F.


Step 3: Bringing to boil & handling
Be careful when you stir because of the possibility of the sugars recrystalizing. Stir the sugar mixture into the wet gently until it is all dissolved. Then you won't have to stir anymore - the heat will do the rest! Though you're looking for 255°F, you can take the saucepan off the heat a little before then as the temperature will continue to rise in the candy. Pour into a buttered large baking sheet and let cool (15-20 minutes). I sliced one-third of the whole thing once it had cooled to use for the red part of the watermelon. By making wells with my thumb into the taffy sections, I was able to add flavor and coloring (about 3 drops of red, 6 drops of green, and 8 drops of vanilla extract). Before handling, butter your hands well.


Step 4: Forming red taffy portion
I hope you buttered your baking sheet well because that will make it easy for you to pull the taffy off of it. Forgive the look of the dirty baking sheet by the way - that's definitely NOT discoloration on the candy itself but just the stains on my sheet. Anyhow, hopefully you won't burn your hands removing the red section of the taffy. I found that when I had wrapped up the taffy into a mound I could work with, it looked like a beating heart with veins (see picture); nice. It will be a dark red first but after much pulling, it will get lighter and lighter with the aeration and distribution of color. Twist in your hands and pull outward from you. You can't over-pull but you can certainly under-pull so keep doing until the taffy is nice and pliant but still firm enough to handle. Then add in the black lava sea salt and pull a few more times to incorporate these "seeds." I didn't say to do it earlier in case the crystals started dissolving.


Step 5: Forming green taffy portion
Some of the places I looked up had said it would take 15-20 minutes to pull. It took me less time but I think that's just because I've got some biceps and forearms working out well for me. I especially liked working with the green part because it looked so jewel-like in the beginning. It was gorgeous, unlike the reminiscent beating heart of the red section. Remember as you pull to twist in before pulling apart and folding it onto itself for repeated motions. Constantly re-butter your hand to prevent the taffy from sticking. Again, the color will become lighter and more pastel-like as you work with the candy.


Step 6: Forming watermelon shapes
We actually found that buttering some wax paper worked out well for a workstation that we could throw away without having to deal with washing butter off. While I worked on shaping the taffy, Duc cut wax paper squares to wrap the pieces in later. Before laying down the red piece, sprinkle some black lava sea salt onto the work area for more "seeds" to add. Because of my small workspace, I ended up dividing my amounts into thirds and doing the candy in three runs. Anyhow, roll out the red into a thin rope on top of the sea salt. Flatten some of the green section you were working with (remember Airheads? like those!) and lay careful on top of the red. Butter scissors and cut into the sizes you want.


Step 7: Finishing
As each piece is cut, you should wrap it up nicely soon after to ensure that your room's temperature doesn't cause the candy to flop over and go melty on you. However you are deciding to wrap them, I suggest that the watermelon side is placed flat on a portion of the wax paper so that it is very visible. Enjoy sharing with your friends!


Photography by Minerva Thai and Duc Duong.