Is it that time of year already?

Today my youngest daughter asked me for help, not a thing that has happened all that much these past couple of years. She's seventeen, so of course, she knows everything about everything.I can't remember where the quote comes from but I remember someone saying that they only employed teenagers as they wanted to catch people whilst they still knew everything. But today she did ask me for help. She has lots of friends and this year she want's to be a bit more independant and buy Christmas presents for them out of her own money. Which is wonderful but the trouble is she doesn't have any money. So she asked me what to do.

I won't decribe the look she gave me when I suggested homemade gifts but a baby sucking lemons comes to mind. But after a quick session cooking honeycomb and wrapping the little golden treats in some fancy celophane and tying them up with gold ribbons she was won over. Later I am going to show her how to make some chocolate truffles, I will share that recipe later in the week.

Recipe for honeycomb.
Ingredients.
600g fine caster sugar.
2 pinches of cream of tartar.
4tbsp white wine vinegar.
4 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda.
400g golden syrup.

Take a shallow baking tray and line it with oiled tin foil.Put the sugar, 1/2 pint of cold water,cream of tartar, vinegar and the golden syrup into a heavey based saucepan.Cook over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Swirl the pan from time to time but do not stir. Bring to the boil for ten minutes until the mixture reaches 150c on a sugar thermometer if you have one. If you don't then take a very small amount of the mixture and drop in into a a saucer of very cold water. It will go hard and brittle when it is ready. As soon as it reaches the right temperature remove the pan from the heat and cool it by putting the pan into a sink half filled with cold water. Quickly stir in the bicarbonate of soda, and a dessertspoonful of cold water. Swirl the pan as the mixture foams up but be very careful it is hot! Let it bubble away for about a minute then pour it into the foiled baking tray. Leave it to cool until it has set and then turn it out onto a clean surface and break into chunks.

This will only keep for a few days so if you want to give it as a pressie then make it just before Christmas. It taste wonderful and looks great too, I will post some pictures when my camera is fixed, or better yet replaced. Are you listening Santa?