chocolate-chestnut honey-comb
I have so many things that I could write about this honeycomb.
My semi-despair at the never-depleting vat of chestnut honey from which the honeycomb draws its earth, mellow flavour.
The delighted expressions that adorned our faces when the bicarbonate of soda was added to the mixture and golden bubbles abounded.
The Bean’s cheeky chocolate-covered grin as she stuck the pair of chopsticks I’d given to her for dipping with straight into her mouth instead.
But instead, my mind is full of other words. Spoken and unspoken. Words uttered in amongst a sea of frustration and misunderstanding. Words spoken for the sake of keeping the peace.
Words unspoken for the very same reason.
And then silence.
Silence in place of the words that used to tumble and stutter and fly through the air. Words left unanswered, hanging in the emptiness of a room that once held two. Words accumulating on message bank memories and on the translucent pages of a letter hand-delivered in a downpour to the mailbox of an empty apartment, its door firmly locked, the bell unanswered.
Breathe.
He is comforted by chocolate coated confectionery in the same way that I am mollified by salted fried potato. His favourite flavour is chocolate. Closely followed by sugar. He eats biscuits and cola for dinner and is mildly disgruntled when my menu lacks meat.
He makes ice-cream in the middle of winter.
I can imagine his reaction to the honeycomb – laced with musty, deep flavours and coated in the most bitter chocolate I could lay hands on. Teeth bared for an initial bite. Mouth closed to melt the chocolate. Tasting. Deciding.
“It is bitter.” He might have said. And then with a pause “but the sweetness comes through and the bitterness makes it all the better.”
And I would have agreed.
chocolate-chestnut honey-comb
you will need:
2C white sugar
3/4C chestnut honey
100g salted butter (cubed)
1tbsp bicarbonate soda
400g dark chocolate
how to do it:
1. Put everything except the bicarb soda into a pot that seems three times too big for this exercise. You’ll thank me for suggesting this at step 4.
2. Heat the mixture, stirring, until it becomes viscose and syruppy.
3. Stop stirring, and (using a sugar thermometer) keep heating until the mixture hits 150C.
4. Tip the bicarbonate soda in and stir madly whilst watching it bubble and froth and triple in volume.
5. Pour the mixture into a well greased and lined pan. Wait for it to set and then chop it into shards as best you can.
6. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and use a pair of chopsticks (or your fingers) to coat the honeycomb. Place the chocolate coated honeycomb on greaseproof paper to set, and store at room temperature.
16 bites more on “chocolate-chestnut honey-comb”
Yum great looking honeycomb. The colour is very dark and rich and it looks great. I bet this smashed into some vanilla ice cream would taste great.
Sometimes certain things don’t need to be said. But it is always better to say something if you’re unsure if everyone’s on the same page. If worried about saying something unnecessary, pop a piece of this beautiful honeycomb in your mouth first.
This looks wonderful. Great use of bitter chocolate and sweet honey.
This candy seems like so much fun, it is my families favorite kind of candy, but I have never made it.
Oh Shez this looks so pretty and delicious!
Oh what has caused such silence?
These look lovely Shez! Hope everything’s ok
Oh, sudden sad feeling – hope it passes. Will definitely give honeycomb a go after seeing this, though.
A post with an unexpected melancholy that seems very uncharacteristic of an otherwise sunny persona. I hope all is, or will become, right with your world.
On the upside, didn’t think it’d be so straightforward to make honeycomb at home.
This looks incredibly yummy & relatively simple.
I feel like you need a hug
That looks so good. I’ve never made honeycombed caramel with honey in it before. And now, with retrospect, it seems so silly that I haven’t. Cool recipe!
I sincerely hope that everything comes out alright with the issue you mentioned. Maybe it just needs some time. (HUG)
I’ve never seen a honeycomb recipe before – looks delicious! I hope your efforts are appreciated by the honeycomb’s recipient as much as we appreciate it.
I didn’t know about honeycomb, and I can’t wait to have a try now. Your photos are mouth-watering!
I have to say I am impressed with your blog and I will save its RSS to be alerted whenever you make a new post. Keep up the good work.
thank you!
That may seem very good yet i’m just still less than sure that I favor it. Anyways will look far more into it and choose personally!