Saturday 26 January 2008

Beetroot Candy

Yesterday we made beetroot candy; quite a fun experiment. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing (as usual), just started out with an idea that seemed like a good one.
Littletree was hassling for some 'sukariyot' (sweeties), and I wasn't super keen on the amounts of food colouring and flavourings and whatnots.

So! I took one beetroot, and chopped it up.
43 beet candy
cooked it in water for a whiles
44 beet candy
Then strained out the beet chunks and put in about a cup of unrefined organic sugar
45 beet candy
I cooked it a while, and added some lemon juice. I'm not really sure why the lemon, but there was half a lemon left over from lunch, and it just seemed to make sense. anyway, it made the flavour a bit tangy and cut the sweetness.
47 beet candy
Then I just stirred and simmered it for ages
48 beet candy
Eventually it got all bubbly and thick. It was fun to play with, and the colour was spectacular.
49 beet candy
Then it started to thicken, like a witches brew :)
50 beet candy
I think I cooked it for about 30 seconds too long; it started to caramelise so fast, and Littletree managed to burn her finger right at that moment. Anyway, it didn't quite burn, but it got a bit brown. still tasty though. I poured it into star-shaped moulds, and paper patty cake cups to set. It got really stretchy, and Littletree spent ages pulling strings and eating the floss.
51 beet candy
Here you have the finished product:
52 beet candy
A successful experiment :D

6 comments:

  1. Beets have the best coloring! If you have some apple cider vinegar and olive oil, toss it on the beet chunks and serve with goat cheese and toasted pecans. Deelish!!

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  2. Wow...I love trying new thigns, but am hopeless at inventing them for myself. How very cool :0)

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Thanks for your lovely words, witty banter and entertaining discussion :)