Extract flavored hard candy (1,530 views)
jayh
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Post by jayh on Dec 7, 2018 2:25:46 GMT -5
I kind of stumbled into making a cinnamon extract and from there into using it to make hard candy. Having started one extract, and having a bunch of spearmint in the garden at the end of the season, I made spearmint extract. Then it started multiplying. I now have lemon, blackberry, cherry, cassia, true cinnamon, and almond extracts underway, and I have plans for lime, orange, grapefruit, and probably whatever other citrus I can lay my hands on.
While I think I've met with at least some success at this -- the first batch of cinnamon extract was excellent and the spearmint was good, if maybe a tad weak -- I still have questions about technique, proportions, optimal steep time, etc. Most of what I've read online seems to be written more based on what was read elsewhere rather than personal experience, and certainly not anything like mastery. Some of the online guidance runs completely counter to what little authoritative information I can find. For instance, a couple well-meaning sites recommended using an Instant Pot under high pressure to speed up the steeping of vanilla about 50-fold, claiming it to be ready for use within a day. But one book about commercial production of extracts clearly states that vanilla should never be treated with heat because the heat will decompose the highly flavored aldehydes and reduce the flavor of the final product. If one wants to go to the trouble of making their own vanilla extract, it is assumed better quality, rather than lesser quality, would be the goal, so use of the Instant Pot would seem counterproductive.
I tried using the Instant Pot on a couple batches of cinnamon extract and can't say I'm happy with the results. With the first batch I lost almost half the alcohol solvent to evaporation and the final product, even after a week of continued steeping, was muddy and very weak compared with my first batch of naturally aged extract. If the flavor had been there I'd have been willing to live with the less than aesthetically pleasing appearance. I adjusted the technique a bit on the second try, filling the Instant Pot with water to about the level of the alcohol in the canning jar. The original instructions said to use just one cup of water, just enough to make sufficient steam to reach pressure. I theorized this left too much volume to be pressurized and allowed a lot of the vodka solvent to evaporate. By adding a lot more water the volume to be pressurized was reduced. It seemed to work as I lost just a couple ounces of vodka that time. Since I haven't actually needed it yet, I've let that one continue to steep in the vacuum sealed jar, giving it a shake a couple times a day.
Shaking is another of the aspects of technique on which I have questions. Most of the online instructions say to give the jar a gentle shake every day or two. The time varies from guide to guide, but none have suggested shaking more than once a day. The commercial approach seems a bit more straightforward about forcing solvent into the flavor source material so it can bring the desired flavors into solution. Repeatedly forcing the solvent through the material is the basis for the commercial methods I've read about. This would suggest strenuously shaking the jar for as long as feasible, as often as feasible.
If anyone has experience with this I'd appreciate whatever guidance could be offered. Pointers to external references would also be welcome.
As far as using the extracts, all I've done is to make hard candy. This turned out to be a lot easier than I imagined. My first batch was not a great success, but it still tasted quite good. Since then I've gotten better at it and have produced reasonably respectable hard candies. The one thing I still haven't figured out is how to get the molten candy into the silicone molds without a lot of it connecting the pieces together. When I tried spooning it in, the candy cooled and hardened long before I got it all in the molds. The best approach I've found so far is the put a silicone glove on one hand so I can grip the handle very close to the pot, giving me better control and easing the strain on my wrist, and pouring as carefully as I can straight from the pan into the molds. This has given me very uneven fills and left me with a lot of pieces that have wings connecting them to neighboring pieces once the candy has hardened. I've searched many times for ideas on how to deal with this but have so far come up empty. It seems making hard candy at home is not a popular activity.
So if anyone has an interest, let's talk extracts and/or making candy.
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Post by mcgee on Dec 8, 2018 11:41:15 GMT -5
I’ve never made extracts or hard candy but hope others chime in. Could be an interesting discussion and might encourage me to try making my own extracts.
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jayh
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Post by jayh on Dec 8, 2018 15:21:07 GMT -5
The most important ingredient in virtually every extract seems to be patience. One of the open questions is just how much patience is really needed. The basic procedure for everything I've tried is to take some amount of the source ingredient (optimal amount open to question), put it in a clean, tightly sealable jar (canning jar works fine), and fill with some kind of alcohol, in proportion to the source ingredient, leaving enough headroom to agitate the contents by shaking. Put the jar in a cool, dark place and leave it there for some amount of time (varies from two weeks to six months in what I've read online), shaking it periodically (from once a day to a couple times a week depending on who you believe).
My first extract was made following no instructions and using materials on hand. I put four tablespoons of ground cinnamon in a pint canning jar, filled to half an inch from the top with Kirkland American vodka, and let steep for about six weeks. I gave it a good shake whenever I thought of it, sometimes three times a day, sometimes every second or third day. I then ran it through a paper coffee filter, which took almost as much patience as making it in the first place. The results were excellent. The candy I made with it had a depth of flavor I've not noted in any commercially made cinnamon candy I've had. There was a touch of heat to it, but just a touch. That's usually the strongest note with commercial candies. It also left a clean taste in your mouth for half an hour or more after the candy was gone.
All of the extract recipes I've seen online say to use whole (or broken) cinnamon sticks, not ground cinnamon. Several have specifically said to avoid using ground. I suspect it's because of the need to filter it at the end to avoid a lot of grit in the extract. That said, my results using ground cinnamon were to my taste exceptional and if you're anxious to get started and only have ground cinnamon on hand, go for it.
The hard candy part is actually much easier than I imagined, though I would most strongly recommend using a pot with excellent heat distribution and a candy thermometer. Mix sugar and corn syrup with enough water to keep it from burning until the sugar dissolves. I've been using 1/3 cup corn syrup to each cup of sugar and just eyeballing the water. (It's mostly going to boil off anyway so if you use more than needed it will simply extend the cook time a bit.) Heat on med-high, stirring constantly until sugar has fully dissolved. When mixture first comes to a boil it may foam up. Stir gently if needed to deflate the foam. Do not stir beyond this. When foam dissipates, cover pot for five minutes. This will wash down the sides of the pan and dissolve any lingering sugar crystals. Remove lid. If sugar is visible on sides of pan, wash down with wet pastry brush. Insert candy thermometer and continue boiling on med-high until 280F. Reduce heat to medium. (I've found the temperature starts rising quickly above 280F and hot pockets develop, making it difficult to get an accurate reading. By lowering the heat you slow things down a tad and reduce the likelihood of starting to turn the sugar brown.) All the instructions I've seen online say to remove the pot from the heat promptly at 300F. I get better results waiting until 305F. Don't go beyond 310F. Mixture will continue to bubble off heat for several minutes. All the online instructions say not to stir at this point, but I've found the candy will cool irregularly, with the center top cooling much faster than the areas closer to the pot. It can actually start to set up while the edges are still liquid. I stir gently, just moving the spoon circularly around the pot to keep it from developing cool spots. The bubbling will stop as it cools to about 290F. At this point you can add the flavoring and food coloring, if desired. I've been using about 1/2 tablespoon extract per cup of sugar, varying according to the strength of the extract. The mixture will bubble violently as the alcohol in the extract boils off. Be sure to keep it away from open flame. Stir to thoroughly combine. Pour into molds or a prepared pan. My first batch I just poured down the middle of a silicone pad in a baking sheet and broke it into pieces once cooled.
One of the issues I've not resolved is neatly getting the candy into the molds before it sets to the point it won't pour. Spooning it in takes too long. I've just been pouring and living with the strand (or puddle) of candy between cavities in the mold. However you deal with it, you need to work quickly at this point so be sure to have everything set up beforehand.
Amazon has a lot of high heat silicone molds that can be used to make interesting shapes. Just be sure whatever you get will withstand at least 350F. If you simply pour it in a pan, be sure the pan is properly prepared. I tried making an aluminum foil sling in a 8"x8" pan for my last batch. It didn't go quite as planned. The candy flowed around all the creases and seams in the foil and I ended up with foil set up inside the candy. I had to shave away candy to get it all out. I've not tried parchment paper so I don't know if that would work any better.
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Post by emma on Dec 12, 2018 18:35:30 GMT -5
Besides Vanilla, I once made Lemon Extract (just to "see if I could"). My method was what is now the first step of making Limoncello - "Zest the lemons, place zest in a glass bottle. pour in vodka to cover. cap loosely, infuse 1 week at room temperature.") I let mine steep somewhere between 6 weeks and 3 months, but it probably didn't need to be that long. The method worked very well! I'm jealous - it never occurred to me to make hard candy.
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jayh
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Post by jayh on Dec 13, 2018 13:06:40 GMT -5
I found an interesting idea online about speeding up the extract process. Unfortunately, it requires some rather expensive kit -- an iSi whip for about $85 plus nitrous oxide cartridges. The iSi whip is one of those commercial whipped cream bottles. Apparently bartenders have been using them to infuse herbal and citrus flavors in alcohol for use in drinks. You put in your extract material, add some alcohol, and charge the container with one N2O cartridge. Swirl a bit, then charge with a second cartridge. Swirl again and let sit for several minutes. The gaseous N2O is forced into solution with the alcohol and the increased pressure forces the alcohol into the cells of the extract material. After a bit of waiting you release the pressure, open the bottle, and let it sit undisturbed until the liquid is no longer bubbling like crazy. When the N2O has left the alcohol you have flavor-infused booze.
The same technique can be used to make flavored oils.
Not having another use for a $85 iSi whip, I've not tried this approach. My suspicion is it produces a flavored alcohol but not exactly what you'd be looking for in an extract. Perhaps if you used a lot of extract material and ran it through several cycles of pressure and release it would infuse a ton of flavor, but I don't think the economics of that work out. It works behind the bar because you can charge a lot of money for a tasty drink.
I've heard you can use a similar method with a commercial vacuum sealer. You run through several vacuum/release cycles with the extract material in the solvent in an open container in the sealer chamber. When you release the vacuum the increased pressure forces solvent into the extract material. The next vacuum cycle pulls it back out and the release forces more in. I may try a modified approach to this. I have a handheld vacuum sealer. With a Pump-N-Seal tab check I can pull a vacuum on a canning jar. Only $14 for a roll of tab checks and if it doesn't work for extracts I can at least still use them to vacuum pack stuff.
The candy is rather fun, though the definite downside is having very good hard candy around the house all the time. It's hard to resist. Today I'm planning to add lemon candy to the collection.
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