Tanghulu Candied Hawthorn Skewers with a Crisp Sugar Shell

What you need

• 20 hawthorn berries, or small firm strawberries or seedless grapes
• 1 tbsp salt, for the soaking water
• 200 g (1 cup) sugar for the syrup, granulated, or rock sugar
• 100 ml (scant 1/2 cup) water
• 5 bamboo skewers
• 1 tsp neutral oil, for greasing the tray

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Dissolve the salt in a bowl of cold water, add the berries and soak for 15 min.

2. 2

   Rinse the berries, then pat them completely dry. Water on the skin makes the syrup slide off.

3. 3

   Pinch off the stems and dried tips. Thread 4 berries onto each skewer.

4. 4

   Line a tray with parchment and rub it with the oil.

5. 5

   Put the sugar and water in a small, wide pan. Swirl to wet the sugar, then set over medium heat without stirring.

6. 6

   Cook, swirling the pan now and then, until the syrup turns thick, bubbly and very pale amber, 8-10 min. The temperature should read 150 °C (300 °F).

7. 7

   Test a drop of syrup in a glass of cold water. It should harden at once and snap cleanly. If it bends or sticks to your teeth, cook 1 min more.

8. 8

   Turn the heat to low. Tilt the pan, and roll each skewer through the syrup so the berries pick up a thin, even coat. Do not push them under the surface.

9. 9

   Lift the skewer, twirl it for a moment so the excess drips off, and lay it on the tray.

10. 10

    Leave 5-10 min until the shell is glassy and hard. If the syrup thickens before you finish, warm it for 20 seconds on low heat.

11. 11

    Eat within a few hours, since humidity turns the shell sticky. Keep children clear of the hot syrup.

Imported from cookcoda.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.