Cinder Toffee
It's coming up to Halloween and Bonfire Night so the web is full of appropriate recipes – many trying to make culinary delights out of pumpkin!
I'm not that fond of pumpkin although it makes a great vehicle for other things – as in Cinderella or in Pumpkin Pie.
The recent craze of 'Trick or Treat?' allows for some creative recipes, particularly the 'Trick' element – Brenda, who lives in the village, made chocolate covered Brussels sprouts a couple of years ago! Must ask her whether she boiled them first!
Jules, at the Domestic Goddess in Training Blog, posted a recipe for Cinder Toffee (Honeycomb) and it reminded me that Pauline, my wife, loves the stuff. I'll make Jules's recipe another day. Mine adds butter and vinegar to her ingredients, but is otherwise very similar.
Ingredients
8oz Sugar
4oz Golden Syrup
1½oz Butter
1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
About ½ tsp Vinegar
1. Melt the first 4 ingredients over a gentle heat stirring.
2. Boil hard without stirring to the hard ball stage (a tsp of the mixture will form a hard ball when dropped into cold water). About 137°C if you've got a sugar thermometer.
3. Take pan off heat and stir in the bicarb and vinegar. Pour into a well greased tin – even better if you line the tin with greased baking parchment.
4. Break up when cool.
Don't get called away or else you'll overcook it like I did!
I’ll have to try your recipe next time. I’m glad you mention the temperature the sugar should reach as I have a sugar thermometer, but am yet to christen it!