Sarah Cawood

Inside Sarahs Notebook

Honeycomb

Tuesday Dec 20, 2011

Ingredients:

300g caster sugar

150g golden syrup

pinch of cream of tartar

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda

150g of milk or dark chocolate, whichever you prefer.

Method:

Line a 20cm square baking tin with lightly oiled foil. Fill the sink with about an inch or 2 of cold water and have a whisk and your bicarbonate of soda close by ready.

Tip the sugar, golden syrup, cream of tartar and vinegar into a medium sized, solid based pan. add 5 tablespoons of water and set the pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved (this should take a few minutes, maybe 4 or 5 at most). Then bring the mixture to the boil. Using your sugar thermometer, continue to cook until the mixture turns amber coloured and reaches 'hard crack' stage (154 degrees C or 300 degrees F.) This will take a little longer so be patient. Probably about 10 minutes or so.

As soon as the caramel reaches the right temperature, remove the pan from the heat and plunge it into the sink of cold water.(I left it a bit too long the first time and burnt my caramel slightly) chuck in the bicarb and quickly whisk the mixture in. The mixture will foam up like a mini volcano! Pour into the prepared tin in an even layer and leave to cool. The whole process should take about 5-10 seconds and the mixture will be foamy and opaque.

Now melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water and stir until smooth. Break up the cooled honeycomb and dip the chunks into the chocolate then place the chocolately chunks on a piece of baking parchment until the chocolate has set. I hurried mine along by putting it in the fridge.

Stored in an airtight container it will keep for 2-3 days.