Toffee Blossom Pears
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott/Not Quite Nigella
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup liquid glucose
- Red food colouring gel
- 6 hard Corella or small pears
- 12 bamboo skewers
- Non stick oil spray
- Dusky pink gum paste
- Balling tool
- Cornstarch
- Yellow colouring gel
- Fine paintbrush
Step 1 - First make the fondant blossoms as they will need to dry. Roll out fondant on a clean, flat surface sprinkled with cornstarch. Cut out using a flower or blossom cutter and then using a balling tool, press down gently in the centre so that the petals stand up a little. Allow to dry and set completely hard (gum paste sets quicker than fondant).
Step 2 - Line a baking tray with parchment and spray with non stick oil spray. Heat the sugar, water, glucose and colouring gel in a heavy based saucepan and do not stir. Allow to come to a boil until it reaches the hard crack stage at 150C/302F. Meanwhile stick two bamboo skewers in each pear in the top.
Step 3 - When the toffee has reached the temperature, turn it down to low and dip the pears in the toffee one at a time. Carefully affix two blossoms to the toffee as soon as you dip it-otherwise it sets and they won't stick. Place each pear on the prepared tray. Repeat with the rest of the pears.