Nibble on a skewer of sweet rock candy
Whether you believe food is an art or a science, this unique recipe is a little bit of both. Paying homage to the science experiments of your youth, London-based chef Yasmin Othman shows you how to grow edible crystals in a beautiful array of colours. You’ll find this recipe for rock candy snuggled up next to other childhood favourites like liquorice allsorts, peppermint creams and marshmallows in Yasmin’s gorgeous new cookbook, Atelier: Confectionery.
INGREDIENTS
480 ml water
850 g granulated sugar
tiny amount of food colouring paste (pink, blue, green, etc)
TO MAKE
Heat the water and 800 g of the sugar in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved and come to the boil, then gently boil for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave the syrup until completely cool.
Dip the skewers into the syrup for a few minutes until coated in the syrup, then remove and roll in the remaining sugar. Let them dry out on baking paper overnight, or for up to 2 days in a dry place. Meanwhile, if desired, divide the syrup into different bowls and colour the syrup with food colouring of choice, mixing well.
Place the coloured syrup into glasses and, once the skewers have dried, insert the skewers into the syrup suspended by securing with a clothes peg that rests over the glass tops. Leave for at least 7 days for crystals to grow onto the skewers. Keep an eye on the growth of the crystals daily to make sure that the bottom does not touch the glass.
Once you are happy with the growth of crystals on the skewers, remove from the glass and leave to dry on baking paper. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
Recipe and images from Atelier: Confectionery by Yasmin Othman. Published by Hardie Grant Books.
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