Divinity

Especially this time of year, most of us have memories of grandma’s candy bowl. It was made of cut glass in a tone from sparkling clear to faceted amber to deepest garnet. It resided in a place of honor in the parlor, on a table of dark polished wood, perhaps upon a doily hand-edged in red or green for the season. It was made by artisans in the old country or obtained from a downtown store. And if the pickings got a little sparse throughout the slow periods of the year, there were at least three times – Easter, Halloween and Christmas – where grandma’s candy jar was a treasure chest.

It held soft, chewy orange slices or their equivalent in inexplicable mint. Sometimes there were red hot cinnamon disks and sometimes smooth butterscotch ones. There could have been toffees or licorice, peanut butter logs or salt water taffy. At Easter there were cream drops and at Halloween, a free for all of penny candy. And at Christmas, there was a mix of hard candies – “pillows, ribbons and quilts” to my grandmother – in jewel-like holiday tones and extra sweet holiday flavors. The candy was sure to fuse together before time came to raid Christmas morning stockings of oranges, walnuts and chocolate bars, but grandma’s candy jar was just as surely a herald of the season as were the cards appearing strung on ribbon along the mantel.

And, if you were lucky, the holiday season meant that grandma’s kitchen was in full production mode. There were treats of all kinds, but for grandmothers from mine to Mary See, making candy was a special source of pride, and it was on full display during the holidays. These great homekeepers understood that candy is associated with celebrations because it’s special, and with the holidays because it’s a treat. And they understood that no treat was more special than candy made and packaged in the home kitchen.

As noted previously at Urban Home Blog, there was a time when candy-making was a high water mark of a champion home keeper’s repertoire. My grandmother made candy in the autumn, but she saved two specialties for the holiday kitchen: fudge and divinity. As did many at that time, she associated these two candies and the special skill it takes to make them with the specialness of the holidays themselves.

Like most cooking, candy-making is an art that is a science and a science that is an art. Nothing illustrates that better than divinity. Divinity is a confection of sugar, corn syrup, egg whites and attention. As such, it’s related to nougat. Sometimes it is infiltrated by pecans and sometimes it is studied with jarred cherries. If cocoa powder becomes involved, divinity is sometimes known as sea foam, and the answer to why sea foam is called that is as elusive as why divinity is called divinity. Associating divinity with foam makes some sense because it has a light, whipped texture, and that airy quality could also explain the divine nature of divinity’s name. For when it’s done right, divinity isn’t just light and lovely, it’s downright angelic.

Candy making can require effort and expertise, but divinity is a good starter candy for the holiday cook because it is not difficult to make. It does require concentration, for as with many confections, it is necessary to pay attention to the mixture as it goes through the ritual of transforming from a concoction of ingredients into puffs of divinity. But all you really need are the ingredients, a candy thermometer, an electric mixer, and an appreciation of the specialness of Christmas confections.

 

Divinity

We like heavy-bottom steel-clad cookware in our urban home; two favorites are All-Clad and Martha Stewart. It is important that your candy thermometer is easy to read; ask for a demonstration in the store to be sure it is very easy for you to read the mercury as it rises along each temperature and associated stage. That said, you can obtain the candy thermometer we use in our urban kitchen here.

 

3 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

White vinegar

Unsalted butter, softened 

1. Pull two lengths of parchment paper and nestle them into two 13 x 9 rimmed baking sheets. Butter the paper.

2. Place two mixing bowls side by side. Hold an egg separator over one of the bowls. Working one at a time, crack each egg over the egg separator, allowing the white to fall into the bowl and then placing the yolk into the other bowl  Reserve the yolks for another use. Be sure that you have perfectly clean egg whites; if there is any yolk, use a teaspoon to remove all traces of it. Sprinkle the salt and the cream of tartar over the egg whites. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean towel and set aside while you prepare the syrup.

3. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of a large striaght-sided saucepan.

4. Measure 1/2 cup cold water into the saucepan. Pour a bit of white vinegar into the cap of the vinegar bottle and then very carefully add a drop of vinegar to the water.

5. Turn the burner under the saucepan to medium high.

6. Measure the sugar into the saucepan. Use a wire whisk to whisk the sugar-water-vinegar mixture until the mixture is thick and the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, carefully measure the corn syrup into the mixture.

Note: Watch the candy thermometer to ensure that the mixture doesn't heat too quickly; if the temperature of the mixture is rising more than a few degrees every ten seconds, turn the burner down. You want the mixture to reach 242 degrees F (firm ball stage).

7. While the mixture is heating. use a mixer on the high setting to whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

8. Once the syrup reaches 242 degrees F (firm ball stage), turn off the burner and remove the pan from the heat. Working carefully to avoid burns, measure the vanilla into the syrup and use the whisk to incorporate.

9. Once the syrup has cooled to 110 degrees F use one hand to pour the cooled syrup in  a thin stream into the egg whites, while using the whisk to incorporate the syrup into the egg whites. Use a silicon spatula to make sure you get all of the syrup into the egg whites. If you work slowly and whip steadily, the divinity will increase in volume while becoming fluffy and very fragrant.

10. Use a teaspoon to gently scoop a dollop of divinity and  use a second teaspoon to gently scrape the divinity onto the buttered parchment. As you bring the spoon up from each drop, use the spoon to make a curlique with the candy mixture.

11. Allow to dry (time will vary based on altitude and weather) and serve or store in an airtight container.