What have you been doing with your new presents?

I got a microplaner and a candy thermometer and I've been busy in my kitchen since Christmas!
First up I made these:

(Image courtesy of The District Domestic)

(My own slightly less professional quality photo)

These are DELICIOUS. Chewy, buttery, sweet, salty, everything a caramel should be. I followed this recipe verbatim, and it was pretty easy. But, it's VERY important to follow the recipe meticulously.

A couple pointers (that I may or may not have learned the hard way):
1. Leave the caramel on the parchment paper while cutting it into small squares. This caramel is sticky. (I turned mine out onto a cutting board, and it promptly began melding itself right onto the plastic. Not fun.)
2. Cut one row of caramel at a time, and wrap immediately. Again - because the caramel is sticky, I noticed that if I left a couple pieces sitting to close together for more than a couple seconds, they started to merge back into each other.

My next culinary experiment: Meyer Lemon Curd

(Image courtesy of put up or shut up>

This might be better than the caramels. I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with the Meyer Lemon these days.

I gambled a bit more on this recipe and made some modifications, but I wasn't about to take any chances with the instructions. So of course, I consulted the most trustworthy source I know for all things culinary/scientific: Alton Brown.

Meyer Lemon Curd

1 C Splenda
4 whole eggs
1 C Meyer Lemon juice (4-5 medium lemons)
1/2 C Meyer Lemon zest
6 T butter, cut into squares

Then just follow Alton's step-by-step instructions. I was hoping that substituting Splenda for sugar wouldn't affect the consistency, and so far it seems fine.

I also had to whisk mine a bit longer than 8 minutes (I'd read somewhere that it should reach about 160 degrees) for it to thicken.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year!