Candy Girl - Candymaking
The most important thing to remember about candymaking, says veteran pastry chef Stacy Stapleton, is that 300-degree molten sugar will eat through your skin. “This is how the government learned how to make napalm—by watching how burning-hot sugar acts,” she explains. “I kid you not. You can’t make this stuff up. So be very, very careful.”
That warning aside, homemade candy is a most pleasant endeavor, and Stapleton suggests starting with peanut brittle, a classic favorite. Here's her recipe for peanut brittle.
Note: You will need some special equipment, including a heavy-bottomed pan (not non-stick), candy thermometer, non-stick pan spray, Silpat (a non-stick, silicone baking mat), offset spatula, high temperature silicone spatula, latex gloves.
Ingredients:
+ 3/4 C sugar
+ 3/4 C corn syrup
+ 1 oz. water
+ 1 t salt
+ 2 oz. butter
+ 1/2 t baking soda
+ 1 t water
+ 1 t vanilla
+ 4 oz. nuts, chopped (While you can make brittle with any roasted, salted nut, the chef says she found out by accident that Planters dry-roasted peanuts make things extra tasty—imparting a flavor much like salted caramel)
+ Chocolate for coating (coating chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa butter and is much smoother as a result. Stapleton prefers Choco Vic chocolates
Directions:
1. Combine baking soda, water and vanilla in a small bowl. Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in saucepan and cook to 300 degrees. Add butter and bring temp back up to 300. Once it reaches 300 the second time, turn off the heat and add the baking soda mixture. (Be certain there is nothing adhering to the sides of the pan above the mixture, or you will create an early caramelization, which will alter the color and the flavor. Push any renegade sugar crystals down with a wet pastry brush or a wet corner of a dishtowel.)
2. Add nuts and turn mixture out onto sprayed Silpat. Using the offset spatula, level out brittle and push from the inside out, thinning and evening it out.
3. Allow mixture to cool slightly. Using latex gloves that have been sprayed, pull brittle until thin as possible. Allow to cool completely (about 20 minutes).
4. Break into shards and coat with chocolate if desired. Store at room temperature. (Do not refrigerate after breaking, either.)
Notes from the chef:
+ “The thinner it gets the better it tastes,” says Stapleton. “Bonus: You won’t break a tooth.” Do not put into the refrigerator, as the brittle will absorb odor and moisture.
+ "[Candies] like lollipops require a lot of specialty equipment and colorings and things. This recipe is far less twee, and there are 1,001 ways to use peanut brittle: Break into small bits and sprinkle over ice cream; throw into a food processor and pulse until finely ground, then roll chocolate truffles in the powder for instant yum; or sprinkle pulverized brittle over coffee cake before baking for a crunchy topping. And, of course just eat it as-is. You won’t be able to keep people out of it. Really.”
+ “The only way to clean the pot and the spatula is to boil the shit out of it,” says Stapleton. “If you’re going to try and use soap and a sponge, good luck. You’re going to be there for awhile.”