Who Knew Candy Making was Hard?

Maybe, just maybe it was the humidity and not the cook that screwed up the pecan turtles! It was Elaine's turn to host bookclub and one of the duties of the hostess is to provide the desserts and coffee. Elaine had told me over a month ago that the ladies were converging on the house to discuss the November book selection: The Sea by John Banville. I am not in bookclub as my literary tastes are shared by adolescents and fans of fantasy. So, I thought a great deal about what dessert would dazzle the ladies. I thought about torts, tiramisu, chocolate mousse and pies, pies, pies. But what I settled on was a delicious pecan turtle. 5 fresh, flavorful pecans joined in a puddle of rich, milky caramel, topped with a dollop of milk chocolate. Of course I had never made pecan turtles, but never doubted my ability to succeed until my caramel never reached its required thickness or rich golden color. The recipe said it should boil for fifteen minutes and reach 243 degrees. Mine boiled for 40 minutes and although it did get gold-ish and a little thicker, it was not caramel! So, horrified and disappointed at 6:44 I jumped in the car, raced to Whole Foods and picked up a chocolate mousse cake. I woke up this morning, and there, on cookie sheets were 45 turtles, stuck in a pool of slightly tacky, but loose and not chewy stuff pretending to be caramel. I want another chance!