Sweet Essentials!

Homemade sweets make attractive presents and they are fun to make. The sweets on my page range from simple uncooked peppermint creams which can be made by children with a little supervision, to more complicated fudges and toffees which require undivided attention and patience, as well as a certain amount of special equipment.

Essential equipment:

Sugar boiling thermometer is the only really accurate way of measuring the temperature of the liquid when making cookerd sweets and can mean the difference between success and failure. Accurate measurement is imperative with some sweets to get the right consistency. Buy one which is easy to read and graduates from 16 C (60F) to 182 C (360F) or 232 C (450F). These thermometers are usually mounted on brass with a brass or wooden handle. Some have a sliding clip so that they can be fixed to the edge of the pan.
A new thermometer should be seasoned by placing in cold water, bringing the pan to the boil and leaving it in the water to cool. Check the reading when the water is boiling to see if it is accurate: it should be 100C (212F).
Shake a thermometer well before use, and be sure that the bulb is completely immersed in the mixture. Always read a thermometer at eye level.
It is important to warm a sugar themometer before dipping it in the hot liquid; if you put it straight in, the tube could burst. While you are not using the thermometer, stand it in a mug of hot water. Once you have finished measuring, clean the thermometer very thoroughly as any sugar crystals left on it could spoil the next batch of sweets.

Saucepans
Use a strong, heavy based one to prevent burning and sticking. Make sure it is large enough to allow room for the boiling sugar to rise in the pan. Non-stick pans are not suitable as the high temperatures reached may damage the lining.

Wooden Spatula
is used for working fondant mixtures and beating fudges. Avoid using the wooden spatula to stir melted sugar as you will find that the sugar crystals end up cooling on your wooden spatula and can be a nightmare to clean off.

Palette Knife
Your palette knife should have a flexible stainless steel blade. It is used for lifting and shaping sweets. A good palette knife will allow you to create a variety of finishes including smoothing finishes.

Cutters
There are so many shapes and sized cutters that it can be hard to know where to start. If you purchase a basic shape cutter set then this would be a good starting point and then add some more fun shaped cutters as you go/ Little shaped cutters make it easy to cut fondants, marzipans and other soft mixtures

Working surface
The ideal surface to work sweet mixtures is marble but there are some alternatives too if you find purchasing a marble slab unrealistic. If you really want the marble work surface without the cost then it is worth seeing if you can purchase a marble off cut from a stone mason or source via local antique reclamation yards as they do provide some alternatives. I have actually used a marble plinth from an old marble fireplace that I found at a reclamation yard. A good alternative is to use an enamelled surface or you can use a heavy wooden chopping board as long as it is dampened or well greased before use to prevent sticking. One point regarding the wooden chopping board - do make sure that if it does start to warp or split that you replace your chopping board. A worn or split board can harbour bacteria over time and it really is not worth taking the risk!

COCONUT ICE

Sir Francis Drake introduced the coconut to England. The tropical palm on which it grows is called 'kalpa vriksha' in sanskrit, meaning 'tree that gives all that is necessary for life'. Mrs Beeton described its many uses in her Household Management 1861 while giving a recipe for a cocoa-nut soup. Since Drakes time the white rine has been a popular addition to many spice and sweet recipes. A slab of coconut ice is something few people can resist, and it is quick and easy to make.

Preparation time : 30 minutes

Setting time : 2 hours

Makes : 1.1kg (2 1/2 lb)

INGREDIENTS

150 ml (1/4pt) water and 150 ml (1/4pt) milk

OR

300ml (1/2pt) milk

900g (2lbs) granulated sugar

25g (1oz) butter

225g (8oz) desiccated coconut

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

a few drops of red colouring or cochineal

METHOD

1. Pour the water and milk or the 300ml (1/2pt) milk, into a saucepan with the sugar and butter

and heat it slowly until the sugar dissolves.

2. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it reaches a temperature of

120c (248f).

3. Meanwhile oil a 20cm (8in) square shallow tin.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the coconut and vanilla essence. Beat the

mixture briskly with a wooden spoon until it is fairly thick and creamy. Then pour half the

mixture into the oiled tin.

5. Add the colouring quickly to the remaining other half as the texture will soon change, making

it difficult for the colour to spread easily.

6. Pour the pink mixture on top of the white and spread it evenly over the top.

7. Leave the coconut ice in a cool place until it is firm, and then cut it into narrow bars about 4cm

(1 1/2 in) long.

8. Store in an airtight tin.

Sugar Boiling

Sugar boiling is the basis of nearly all sweet making. Getting the various types of sugar boiling correct takes a bit of practice but once the basics are learnt then this skill we stand you in good stead for making great sweets. Have a few key utensils ready for when you start this process. Finding you have the wrong type of saucepans and thermometers can mean it isn't easy to create and gauge when your sugar boiling is ready. Use a good heavy based saucepan for boiling and most cookery shops serve jam making or sugar making thermometers. These are the heavy duty metal ones that are specifically designed to work for cooks and chefs. Never ever use a thermometer that has not been designed for cooking as shattering is highly likely and contents of these are dangerous if consumed.

The sugar is first dissolved in the liquid, then brought to the boil, 100C (212F). The temperature continues to rise as the water evaporates and the syrup thickens and becomes darker.
The following are the most important stages; they are best checked with a sugar thermometer but simple tests are described for those who don't have a sugar thermometer to hand.

Thread 102C-104C (215-220F) Used for crystallising purposes. The mixture looks syrupy. To test, dip your fingers in water and then very quickly in the syrup. The thumb will slide smoothly over the fingers but sugar will cling to them

Soft Ball. 116-118C (240-245F)
Used for fondants and fudges. Test by dropping a little of the syrup into very cold water. It should form a soft ball. At 116C (240F) the soft ball will flatten when you take it out of the water; the higher the temperature the firmer the ball.

Firm or hard ball (120-130C (250-265F)
Used for caramels. When dropping into cold water the syrup forms a ball which is hard enough to hold its shape, although still piable

Soft crack 132-143C (270-290F) Used for toffees, When dropped into cold water the syrup separates into hard and brittle threads.

Caramel 1600162C (320-325F) Used for pralines and caramels. The syrup turns golden brown when it reaches this temperature

Avoiding Crysallisation
Sugar must be dissolved and boiled with great care, as syrup has a tendency to re-crystallise if incorrectly handled. The main causes of crystallisation are agitation of the mixture by stirring or beating whilst the sugar is dissolving and the presence of solid particles during boiling.