450g (1lb) granulated sugar
150ml (¼ pint) water
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp liquid glucose
2 tsp citric acid
1 vanilla pod
3–5 drops of red food colouring
Caster sugar, for dusting Preheat the oven to 120C/fan 100C/gas mark 1/2 or set up a heat lamp over one end of a silicone mat. Put the granulated sugar, water, cream of tartar and liquid glucose in a saucepan over a medium heat and heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring gently.
When the mixture comes to the boil, remove the sugar crystals that are stuck to the inside of the pan above the bubbling solution. Keep the mixture bubbling vigorously, without stirring, until it reaches 143.C (290.F) – the soft-crack stage. Thentake the pan off the heat and stir in the citric acid.
To make the ‘custard’, scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod on to your silicone mat, then pour half the syrup over them. Set the saucepan over a low heat to keep the remaining mixture syrupy.
Pull the sugar for about 10 minutes until the candy has a glossy, creamy texture. Work quickly, as the sugar will cool quite fast, so there is a short window during which to pull the sugar before it becomes too stiff. When the candy has the desired texture, put it into the oven or under the heat lamp until you have worked the ‘rhubarb’.
To make the ‘rhubarb’, pour the remaining sugar syrup on to the silicone mat. Leave to cool for 10–15 minutes until it is cool enough to pick up. Add the food colouring to the sugar and repeat step 4.
Take the ‘custard’ from the oven or from under the heat lamp and roll both colours into cylinders roughly the same diameter and length. Place one on top of the other and roll them into a single cylinder.
Now it’s time to make your sweets! Stretch out the candy cylinder until it reaches the desired thickness. Now cut it into 2.5cm (1in) lengths using strong kitchen scissors. Shape the sweets as desired, then roll them in caster sugar while still warm. Allow to set for 1–2 hours. Store in an airtight container.