My entry for this month's Sugar High Friday comes from my addiction to Violet Crumble.
Ok, ok. I am overstating things a bit. It's not an addiction because, frankly, it has always been difficult to get the stuff in the States. Fortunately for me, it is becoming much more common in stores and markets.
Violet Crumble is Australia's most famous candy bar. It is a delicate, crisp honeycomb enrobed in creamy milk chocolate. It was first sold in the 1920s by Abel Hoadley of Hoadley's Chocolates, later acquired by Nestle Australia. Hoadley originally wanted to call his unique candy "Crumble" after the way that it breaks apart, but this was an unprotectable name. His wife, an avid gardener, inspired the addition of Violet to the name, after both her favorite flowers and the color of the wrapper.
This starts with a syrup of sugar, corn syrup and honey. After it is cooked, baking soda is added to create bubbles. My recipe came from the Gourmet Cookbook and I have to say that I am not entirely satisfied. I wanted it to be lighter and less dense, though the flavor is great. I'll be trying this again and probably adding more baking soda in an attempt to get closer to the commercially made version.