Honeycomb Candy

Last month, while I was searching for a recipe to use for the Is My Blog Burning? ~Tartine Edition I came across a recipe in Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book by Nancy Silverton with Teri Gelber that really caught my eye, a recipe for Blum's Sandwich Cake. It's an angel food and whipped cream dessert that Silverton stacks by alternating layers of cake, whipped cream, hot fudge sauce, and honeycomb, then tops the whole thing off with crème fraîche, more hot fudge and honeycomb. The picture that’s in the book is pretty intense and everything about it will make you want to rip the page out and chew on the paper with reckless abandon make the sandwich for yourself at home. The honeycomb recipe caught my eye because many years ago, while on my first trip to England, I discovered English Cadbury products, particularly a little candy bar called Crunchie. I was so hooked on the crunchy layers of sweet but slightly burnt sugar covered in chocolate that it was on my list of "must bring me backs" whenever any of my friends from England or Ireland went home for holiday. So, of course, seeing the honeycomb recipe in Silverton's book meant that at some point I knew I'd be trying to make it at home.

There's a new Is My Blog Burning? event and this time its being hosted by the very lovely and charming Renee. I wont be making Blum's Sandwich Cake for this event, but I may use the honeycomb for another cake if I can tweak the recipe just a little bit more.

While following the recipe I was surprised by two things, 1. how easy and fast it was to make 2. that there is absolutely no honey in Silverton's recipe! I was pleased with the results, but not so pleased that I wouldn’t be willing to try something new, so I did a little searching around on the internet trying to find other recipes that actually did use honey. I found Gale Gand's Recipe and this interesting take on the honeycomb recipe that calls for vinegar and chocolate chips, so its back to the drawing board for me. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Silverton's recipe AT ALL, its just that I'm basically looking for something that isn't so sweet, that has more of a honey taste and less of a burnt sugar taste and if at all possible is a bit less brittle.

The "locusts" loved the first "test" batch, and it was devoured within minutes, plain and without aplomb, despite my protestations to take it home and either dip it in chocolate or crumble it and sprinkle it over ice cream. for you Dear Reader, I say to hell with it, just dip it in chocolate AND sprinkle it over ice cream!

Adapted from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book by Nancy Silverton with Teri Gelber

Honeycomb

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda, sifted

In a medium-sized deep heavy-duty saucepan, stir the water, sugar and corn syrup together. Clip a candy thermometer onto the inside of the pan. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil without stirring. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down the sides of the pan to remove any un-dissolved sugar granules. Continue cooking until the sugar reaches 300 degrees on the candy thermometer (hard crack stage), then remove from the heat. The mixture should be a very pale straw color.

Working quickly, add the baking soda all at once to the sugar mixture, and whisk for a few seconds, until the baking soda is incorporated. The liquid will bubble up and become foamy. In one smooth movement, pour it onto a non-stick baking mat or a parchment lined baking sheet. It will spread out, puff up slightly, and have a slightly porous shiny surface. Allow it to harden for about 20 minutes, without touching or moving it. Cut the honeycomb into uneven 1/2 inch pieces. If you're not using the honeycomb that day, store it in an airtight container at room temperature. The honeycomb will last 1-2 days before it begins to lose its crunch.

Written by Deb on April 7, 2004 03:30 AM