This month's Recipe Friday is hosted by the Meringue Girls, and for the second installment in the series we'll be making edible flowers lollipops with sexy sherbet!
We’ve opted for pansy lollies, but you can use any edible flowers you can get your hands on – such as violets or roses. This is an incredibly quick and easy recipe that creates a tongue-twisting trip down Memory Lane.
MAKES 18
For the edible flower lollipops:
· 225g granulated sugar
· 100ml glucose syrup
· 60ml water
· a couple of drops of natural passion fruit essence (or any other essence you desire!)
· edible flowers
For the sherbet:
· 300g icing sugar
· 1 tbsp citric acid
· 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
· 3 tbsp freeze-dried fruit pieces (e.g. raspberry or strawberry)
Equipment:
· a pastry brush
· a sugar thermometer
· lollipop sticks
Combine the sugar, glucose syrup and water in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. When it comes to the boil, dab a pastry brush into a cup of tap water and brush down the sides of the pan just above the boil line to remove any sugar crystals that have formed.
Attach a sugar thermometer to the pan and allow the mixture to continue to boil, without stirring, until it reaches 154°C. Immediately remove from the heat. Add a few drops of your chosen flavouring and stir to combine.
You need to work quickly to form your lollies. On a silicone mat or a sheet of baking paper, put a blob of sugar syrup down and use the back of a spoon to smooth it out into a circular shape. Place your lollipop stick, then put an edible flower on top. Finish by covering the flower completely with more sugar syrup.
Allow to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. Wrap the lollipops individually in cellophane, tie with string and store at room temperature for up to a month. They are sticky, so keep them separate from each other.
To make the sherbet, simply whiz all the ingredients in a food processor or mix together in a bowl to form a fine dust.
To serve up a sherbet fountain, fill a small shot glass with sherbet, place a liquorice stick or lollipop in the middle, and get fizzy.
