Gourmet apples and pears

My daughter-in-law and I went to a class last night called "Gourmet apples and pears". We learned why caramel wraps are not only easier but work better than unwrapping individual caramels, why to use products called candy melts, and what to do if melting chocolate or peanut butter chips instead of the melts. Some of this I knew, but I wasn't aware of the caramel wraps.

I can't recall the name of one of the all the sources for gourmet apples, but one that I know from QVC features large apples that come with a bow on the stick and are attractively packaged, but at $22.95 per apple (price from the company's website) before shipping ($10.95 to my area, not express delivery), the apples should feed a family and the stick should gold!

 

No offense to this company. I know there are employees to pay, overhead, insurance and so on. The business isn't to blame because someone would pay $33.90 for ONE apple.

 

Apples are expensive this year because the crop was hit hard by odd weather here in Michigan. Even with a variety of toppings and the non-food supplies needed for this class already on hand, and not counting the cost of the class itself, the apples and pears came to around $5 each. 

I've never been good at figuring out what to charge to make a profit versus what I am willing to pay for something. This is why I don't make and sell anything.

 

Enough on that, here are Kim's and my results. She completely covered her fruit in chocolate, I left the upper parts bare, exposing the caramel. That look is a choice, but it was also laziness on my part. There were only 2 microwaves for the whole class to use, and they weren't in the room we used. If I make them again, I will take more time and care at home.

 

 

Here are views of some of the other student's results. Wow!

 

Now that hubby, grandson and I have shared one apple, I will say that even the medium size apple that I bought became too much for one person to eat. I like all the ingredients involved, but it really is too much and the caramel is sticky-chewy. Hubby commented it would not be good for anyone with dental problems.

 

As pretty as these are for presentation, if I were to make fruit with chocolate and caramel for my family as a dessert, I would slice the apples, pat them dry (chocolate won't adhere to water or fruit juice which is why caramel is used before chocolate), arrange them on a serving plate or individual dessert dishes, and then drizzle melted chocolate and caramel sauce (ice cream topping in a jar) over the slices. Bite per bite, the flavors would all be there and it would be easier to eat.