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Berlingots de Carpentras (striped Provençal hard candies)
Pillow-pyramid hard candies with satin-white stripes, flavoured with mint
Carpentras, the market town below Mont Ventoux, has made berlingots since the nineteenth century, using the fruit syrups left over from its candied-fruit trade. The little four-sided pyramids are clear and glassy with fine white stripes, and they are sold year round at the Friday market and in paper cones for the Christmas sweet table. They crunch cleanly and dissolve slowly, here with a cool mint flavour; a fruit syrup can take its place. Offer them after a meal with coffee or herbal tea. Hard candy is naturally egg-free: the sugar, cooked to the hard-crack stage, sets glass-hard by itself, and glucose syrup keeps it clear instead of grainy. You will need heatproof gloves, oiled scissors and a warm place to keep the sugar soft while you shape it. Chef's tip: make these on a dry day; the common mistake is cooking sugar in a steamy kitchen, which leaves the berlingots sticky within hours.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 15
Ingredients
- 14 oz white sugar
- 3 ½ oz liquid glucose
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp neutral oilfor the slab, scraper and scissors
- ½ tsp peppermint extractor 2 tbsp thick fruit syrup
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Brush a marble slab or silicone mat, a metal scraper and a pair of strong scissors with 1 tbsp neutral oil. Heat the oven to 176°F (140°F fan) and line a tray with a silicone mat to keep the sugar warm.
Step 2: Put 14 oz white sugar, 3 ½ oz liquid glucose and ½ cup water in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and brush the sides with a wet pastry brush.
5 minStep 3: Boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 300°F (hard-crack stage), about 15 minutes. A drop in cold water should snap cleanly.
15 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat, let the bubbles settle for 30 seconds, then pour the syrup onto the oiled slab. Drip over ½ tsp peppermint extract.
Step 5: As the edges cool, fold them into the centre with the scraper for 2-3 minutes, until the mass is thick enough to lift.
3 minStep 6: Cut off a quarter of the sugar. Wearing heatproof gloves, pull and fold this piece 20-30 times, until it turns opaque, satiny white and holds its shape. Keep it on the warm tray in the oven with the door ajar.
Step 7: Knead 4 drops natural green or red food colouring into the larger piece, fold it over itself a few times, and shape it into a thick log about 15 cm long.
Step 8: Roll the white sugar into thin ropes and press them along the log in evenly spaced lines.
Step 9: Working near the warm oven, pull out one end of the log into a rope about 1.5 cm thick.
Step 10: Cut the rope with the oiled scissors, giving it a quarter turn between each cut, so each piece forms a four-sided pyramid. Work fast and return the log to the warm oven when it stiffens.
Step 11: Spread the berlingots on a cool oiled tray and leave for 15 minutes, until hard. Store in an airtight jar in a dry place for up to 1 month.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 115 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 29 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does berlingots de Carpentras (striped Provençal hard candies) take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 15 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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