Friday, November 16, 2007

Half Violet Crumble

So it turns out my camera is fine but the lens is broken. Lucky for me my father's birthday gift to me just arrived today. It's a micro lens and it's taking me a little practice to get the hang of. Here is one shot I took with it of a couple of the price signs I had on my table at Stitch:


This is a shot I forgot to post last week. It's my failed attempt at making honeycomb with chocolate coating for the adult's goody bags at Harlan's birthday party.


I made the honeycomb three times, all according to Nigella's cooking show. She never mentioned a temperature for the confection to reach and thus I never ended up with a successful honeycomb. Lucky for me my friend Kim can steer me in the right direction in time for Christmas.

4 comments:

{kimmymade} said...

Based on Nancy Silverton's recipe & directions...

Honeycomb
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons acacia honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon baking soda, sifted

Directions
In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the water, sugar, corn syrup and honey together.

Clip a candy thermometer onto the inside of the pan. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil without stirring. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down the sides of the pan to remove any undissolved sugar granules.

Continue cooking until the sugar reaches 300 degrees on the candy thermometer (hard crack stage) before removing from the heat.

Working quickly, add the baking soda to the sugar mixture, and whisk until it is well incorporated. This may take a few seconds, and the liquid will bubble up and become foamy.

Still working quickly, pour the mixture onto a silicone-lined baking mat or a parchment-lined baking sheet. The mixture will spread out, puff up slightly, and have a slightly porous shiny surface. Allow it to harden for about 20 minutes, without touching or moving it. Once cooled, break the honeycomb into pieces.

If you're not using the honeycomb that day, store it in an airtight container at room temperature. The honeycomb will last 1-2 days before it begins to lose its crunch.

{kimmymade} said...

I use unbleached natural cane sugar (not Turbinado!), which adds a hint of molasses. This sugar esp rocks in brittle. Feel free to sub the light corn syrup for more honey, or for some Lyle's Golden Syrup, if you want to play with the flavor.

Here's the recipe for chocolate coating, from Lori Longbotham's Luscious Chocolate Desserts:

-3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
-2 teaspoons flavorless vegetable oil

Melt the chocolate and oil in a double burner over 1-2 inches of simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove the the bowl from the heat.

Dip the honeycomb pieces into the sauce, but be sure to shake off any excess. Let the pieces stand for around 30 minutes, to allow the chocolate to set.

{kimmymade} said...

Soooooo glad to hear that your camera isn't broken!!

Daryl said...

Add my glad to Kim's that the camera isnt broken, lenses are expensive but not as much as a new camera.