Recipe - Lesson: Crackling Candy Apples

8 small Red apples
2 cup Granulated sugar
1 cup Water
One half cup Corn syrup
One fourth teaspoon Red food colouring

1. Remove stem from each small apple; insert wooden stirstick, for
holding, in centre of stem end. Set aside. Grease baking sheet; set aside.

2. In 12cup heavybottomed saucepan, combine sugar, water and corn syrup;
cook, stirring, over mediumlow heat for 8 minutes or until sugar has
dissolved. Increase heat to mediumhigh and bring to boil, brushing down
side of pan occasionally with brush, dipped in hot water to prevent
crystallization.

3. Boil, brushing down side occasionally but not stirring, for 1525
minutes or until softcrack stage of 290F 143C on candy thermometer, or
until One half teaspoon syrup dropped into cold water separates into hard but pliable
threads.

4. Remove syrup from heat; very quickly stir in red food colouring.
Immediately plunge bottom of pan into ice water and hold for about 15
seconds or until sizzling stops.

5. Holding each apple by the wooden stick and tilting the saucepan, swirl
each apple in candy syrup until well coated all over.

6. Lift apple and quickly swirl over pan to allow excess to drip off. Place
on prepared baking sheet; let stand at room temperature for at least 30
minutes or until hardened.

Tip: Choose the reddest small apples available. Macintosh, Spartan and
Courtland apples are excellent.

Watch the boiling sugar mixture carefully, because the temperature rises
quickly near the end of the cooking process and the mixture burns easily;
plunging the pan into ice water stops the cooking and prevents burning.
Wear rubber gloves when swirling the apples to avoid sugar burns.

Store apples, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days at room
temperature.

Source: Canadian Living magazine, Oct 94 Presented in article "Cooking
Lesson" Recipe by Canadian Living Test Kitchen

[=PAM=] PA_Meadows@msn.com

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