November 20, 2024
Holiday Candy with Chef Parsons
Traditional English Toffee
Chef Jason Parsons, Peller Estates
Ingredients
300mL condensed milk
2 cups white sugar
½ pound butter
¾ cup golden syrup (I like Lyle brand)
1 tsp lemon Juice
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pot. Start over medium heat, but once everything is melted increase to high. At this point you need to continuously whisk slowly; this is to avoid anything sticking and burning on the bottom of the pot. Add a candy thermometer and continue cooking until it reaches 275°F. Remove immediately and pour into a parchment lined baking tray and allow to cool. Once cooled, you can smash the toffee into desired serving pieces.
Sponge Toffee
Chef Jason Parsons, Peller Estates
Ingredients
1 ½ tbsp honey
5 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
3 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups corn syrup
3 cups milk chocolate
Directions
Combine the ingredients (except for the baking soda) in a large pot over medium heat. Be sure to use a big enough pot that will allow for a least triple the amount of the mixture. Do not stir, simply allow everything to melt. Once everything is a liquid, you can increase the temperature to high and continue to allow the mixture to boil. Using a candy thermometer, raise the temperature of the mixture to 300°F. As soon as the sugar reaches temperature, remove from the heat, and vigorously whisk in the baking soda. Be careful not to burn yourself as the mixture will expand a lot. Immediately pour the mixture into a parchment lined pan and allow to cool. Once cold use the tip of a knife to break portion size pieces of the sponge toffee.
Melt the chocolate on low in the microwave. When completely melted, dip half of the sponge toffee pieces into the chocolate and then allow to cool on parchment. This should leave half of the sponge toffee exposed and half covered in chocolate. When the chocolate is set, it’s ready to serve.
