{excerpted from Irish Country Living}

If you walked into our kitchen on Saturday afternoon you may have mistaken it for a confectionery. There were all the inner workings: steaming stainless steel pots of bubbling sugary concoctions on the stove, candied apples drying on waxed paper, tiny bottles of food colouring lining the countertop, finely chopped nuts of every sort in bowls ready to be dipped. It looked and smelled like some sort of candy heaven, which, of course, is always a good thing.

Building this kitchen confectionery actually began days earlier when my father-in-law said he had spotted a crab apple tree bursting with fruit in a hedge while checking cattle one afternoon.

So, when a sunny window of opportunity welcomed us, Geoffrey and I met Grandad at the gate of the pasture; ladder and empty rucksack in hand.  We swiftly walked as a trio toward the tree, acknowledging that the weather could change and blow us and our dear apples hither and tither at any moment. Time was most certainly of the essence.

The tree was situated on the edge of a shallow stream running through the paddock so Michael had no choice but to plant the ladder into the water and climb on up.  As he quickly plucked the abundance of fruit, Geoffrey and I stayed below to catch any falling apples. This turned out to be quite laughable because each time an apple dropped into the water, the current would hastily whisk it away before we could grasp it in our hands. We came away soaked, but with smiles and an overflowing sack of dainty apples.

I perused Pinterest in search of crab apple concoctions and came across several delicious looking images of tiny candied apples which are a popular treat in other parts of the world. Descriptions revealed that sweet candy coating plays perfectly with the tart apple taste creating a tantalising balance of flavours.

It was decided. As well as preserving a few jars, I would pick out the smallest fruits with the longest stems and try my hand at bringing this world-class candied treat to our Irish country kitchen.  And, let’s just say: there were no regrets.

Candied Wild Crab Apples

adapted from mattbites.com

Ingredients

10-15 small ripe crab apples
 with stems intact
675g/3 cups granulated sugar
180g/1/2 cup golden syrup (or light corn in USA) syrup
250ml/1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of red food colouring

Method

1. Clean and dry the apples and set aside.
2. Heat and stir sugar, golden syrup and water in a saucepan until sugar has
dissolved.
3. Boil until the syrup reaches 150c/310f degrees on a candy thermometer.
4. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring.
5. Allow to cool slightly and wait for bubbles to disappear
6. Dip one apple completely in the syrup and swirl it so that it becomes fully coated. Hold the apple above the saucepan to drain off excess.
7. Place apple onto a baking sheet that’s greased or lined with waxed paper or silpat.
8. Repeat the process with the remaining apples. If your syrup thickens or cools too
much, simply reheat briefly before proceeding.
9. Let the apples cool completely before serving.
10. Chomp away!

Recipe Notes:
Do not allow candy temp to go over 150c/310f degrees or it will burn.
Be very careful, this mixture is extremely hot. Not a project for the children.

The winner of Pat’s Irish Beef Book is: PAULA LYDON. Congratulations!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos + Styling by Imen McDonnell 2013. Excerpted from my Country Living column 7.11.13  

Tags: candied apples, country life, crab apples, farm, farmer, farmette, Farming, food, foodie, foodies, I Married An Irish Farmer, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Irish, Irish country living, irish farmer, irish food, Irish food photography, irish foodies, love, Married an Irish Farmer, married an irishman, toffee apples