Angela Day
Sugar and sweets haven’t enjoyed good press lately, but I say everything in moderation. Who can resist a delectable sweet treat now and again?
There has been a move towards artisanal and home-made products, and sweet making has joined the club.
Simone Balman, owner of the Cape Town-based Cape Cake & Cookie Co, has much experience making sweet treats for corporate companies and shares this in her latest book.
It covers every aspect of sweet making, explaining all the equipment required and giving step-by-step instructions.
I’m considered a good cook but I’ve never quite mastered all the stages of sugar boiling. Balman’s explanation and chart helped me understand things more clearly.
I learned that having a sugar thermometer will definitely simplify this process.
I also found that the information on the formation of dreaded sugar crystals, the downfall of many a batch of candy, very informative.
The recipes cover a wide range of sweets, from simple coconut ice and Rice Krispies treats to more complicated pulled sweets such as Edinburgh rock and salt water taffy.
Every recipe also has tips for packaging which is useful if it is intended for a gift or to be sold.
Chapters in the book cover brittles, caramels, cold candies, dipped fruit, fudge, set candies, hard candies, toffees and truffles.
Try this Turkish delight recipe from the book:
TURKISH DELIGHT
4 cups (575g) white granulated sugar
2 tsps (10ml) lemon juice
4½ cups (1 125ml) water, divided into 1½ cups (375ml) and 3 cups (750ml)
1¼ cups (312.5ml) cornflour
1 tsp (5ml) cream of tartar
1-2 drops red food colouring
1½ tbsps (22.5ml) rose water
¼ cup (62.5ml) icing sugar for dusting
¼ cup (62.5ml) cornflour for dusting
1. Prepare a 23cm x 23cm baking tray by lining it with foil, leaving some overhanging the sides of the tray, and spraying the foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Place the sugar, lemon juice, and 1½ cups of the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, stop stirring and then bring the mixture to the boil. Brush down the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, and insert a sugar thermometer which has been sitting in a container of hot water.
3. Allow the sugar mixture to continue boiling, without stirring, until it reaches 115°C.
4. Place the remaining 3 cups of water in another, slightly larger, saucepan. Add the cornflour and cream of tartar and whisk until the starch dissolves and there are no lumps. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring or whisking continuously. The mixture will become thick and pasty.
5. Once the sugar syrup is at 115°C, remove it from the heat. Slowly and carefully pour it into the cornflour mixture, whisking until it is fully incorporated.
6. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking it every 8-10 minutes, for about an hour, until the candy has turned a light golden-yellow colour and is very thick and gluey.
7. After an hour, remove from the heat and stir in the food colouring and the rose water. Pour the candy into the prepared baking tray and allow it to set, uncovered, overnight.
8. The next day, mix the icing sugar and cornflour together and dust your work surface with this mixture. Remove the set Turkish delight from the baking tray, using the overhanging foil as handles, and flip the candy onto the dusting mixture. Remove the foil from the back and dust the top with more of the icing sugar and cornflour mixture. Use an oiled knife to cut the Turkish delight into small squares. Dust each side of the squares with even more of the powdered sugar-starch mix to prevent stickiness.
9. Turkish delight is best soon after it is made. It doesn’t keep very well, but if you want to try keeping it, store in an airtight container with waxed paper between the layers. Dust the sides with powdered sugar again before serving.
Sunday Tribune