Syrup for Crystalizing
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 340°F (170°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the syrup
Dissolve the sugar in water and cook to 340°F (170 °C) for fine crystals or 350°F (175 °C) for coarse crystals.
Add a few drops of acetic acid and remove from heat.
Cover the pan and let it rest undisturbed until cool.
Crystallize and drain
Carefully pour the syrup over the arranged goods in pans until covered.
Allow to stand undisturbed for 10 to 12 hours at room temperature.
Make an opening in the crust formed on the surface.
Tip the pans to drain until dry.
Turn out the goods from the pan when ready for use.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Forms the syrup that recrystallizes into a crystalline coating as it cools and stands.
- Acetic acid
- Helps prevent large sugar crystals from forming, keeping the coating smoother.
The step that matters
Cooking the syrup to the right temperature. The final temperature sets the sugar concentration and therefore crystal size: 340°F (170 °C) gives fine crystals and 350°F (175 °C) gives coarse ones. Going past the target changes the result, so the thermometer reading matters.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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