Text 11810, 106 rader
Skriven 2007-02-15 04:19:42 av Ian Hoare
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE SACERDOTE
Ärende: Re: Candy question
==========================
Salut/Hi DAVE SACERDOTE, 

 le/on Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:12:46 -0500, tu disais/you said:-


>JM> I am not picking on you personally, but wanted  to raise the question, if
the
>JM> sugar is to be dissolved and melted, why does it need to be powdered sugar
in
>JM> the first place? 

It doesn't of course, and unless I'm much mistaken the only reason for using
icing sugar (assuming your powdered sugar is my icing sugar) is that it may
have some additives (as I believe) to keep the sugar dry and unlumpy. Plus
of course the fact that it weighs less.

>Ah, I see I'm not the only one who looks at recipes and
>says, "Something isn't right here."

And in an entirely appropriately nitpicking spirit...

>Even were you to weigh the 3 cups of powdered sugar and use
>the equivalent granulated, I doubt if this recipe would work.
>3 cups of powdered sugar weigh approximately nothing.  I'm 
>wagering that this is a misprint.

...I thought I would carry out an experiment. As it happens I have an USAian
cup measure. So I sifted (- twice, to make it as light as reasonably
possible) my icing sugar and, using my electronic balance, accurate to about
a gram, weighed a cup of it. It weighed exactly 120 gms (that's
approximately 4.2329 ounces). I then took my castor sugar (I think that's
what you call superfine) and weighed a cup of that. It weighed spot on 220
gms - 7.760 ounces. So while I'd be the first to agree that powdered sugar
doesn't weigh as much as castor, I'd be delighted to receive one third of
"approximately nothing" of - say - saffron from you any time you like!
(GD&R) 

And now you see why I far prefer weighing. Because - additives aside, 360
gms of icing sugar will sweeten as much as 360 gms of castor sugar. 

I was in fact wondering if at some stage the recipe hadn't called for icing
sugar to make use of its particularities - to make a kind of mint frosting,
and that the recipe was subsequently modified to make syrup. 

By the way..... I've got a tiny problemette. 

Using your recipe for Boston Baked Beans, last night I started some (soaked
8 hours) navy beans up in a bean pot last night at 10 pm in an oven at 120C
for a couple of hours (to bring them to a boil) before turning down to 110C.
As of this moment of writing (10.19 am) they are still as firm as they were
when they went into the pot. I'd really like to eat them tonight. As many
other recipes call for them to be par boiled before being mixed with salt
pork, (salt hardens beans) and the remaining flavourings, what would you
suggest I do now? 

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Boston Baked Beans

starters, american, casseroles, pork, beans

500 gm haricots
1 large spanish onion
250 gm streaky salt pork
15 gm ground ginger
15 gm mustard powder
1 pinch cayenne
75 ml black treacle or molasses
300 ml maple syrup

Start with the haricots - the smallest ones you can find. In the US, we'd
call them "Small white beans" or Navy beans (which are a bit bigger but will
do.) Soak them overnight, or use the faster method of boiling them rapidly
for one minute and soaking them for an hour.

Meanwhile: Coarsely chop the onion into the bottom of the beanpot or crock.
Top it with a chunk of salt pork (we use a fatty sort of salt pork that is
much more similar to streaky bacon than you might use, but lots of lean is
just fine). Then add powdered ginger, good English mustard powder, and
cayenne.

Drain the beans and add them to the crock without stirring. Pour in black
treacle or molasses and maple syrup. Then pour in just enough water to bring
the level of liquid a centimetre or so above the beans.

Cover the crock and bake in a very slow (perhaps 100 - 110 C) oven for at
least eight hours, and as long as 12 or more hours. Here is where the design
of a beanpot has it over the crock: A beanpot has a narrow mouth and wide
shoulders, and restricts the evaporation of liquid from the inside. If
you're using a crock, you may have to check the beans every hour or two and
add water to keep them from drying out. With the beanpot, I only have to
check the liquid once or twice.

From : Dave Sacerdote

Yield: 5 servings

** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.77 **

-- 
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website
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