Tire

I know, I know. Having blogged but a handful of times all year, I'm posting yet another recipe. I probably should start a separate blog for this. After all, this blog is about me, not food. But what can I say? My life largely revolves around food these days. I actually have nightmare dreams about slicing and dicing and veggies...

In any case. The following is a recipe for Tire (pronounced "teeerrrr" -roll those r's), a French-Canadian candy sent by Gitche Manitou himself. I'm not kidding, it really was. There is a legend about Nanabojo (the trickster) who was sent by Gitche Manitou amongst the people. It used to be that you could tap a maple and get quality syrup straight from the tree, but when Nanabojo saw the people getting fat off the syrup and doing nothing to prepare for winter he watered down the sap and made it hard work to make maple syrup. Good on you Nanabojo, that'll teach those layabouts. Oh wait, that's my ancestors I'm talking about... In any case. Tire is a pulled candy, so if you've never made pulled candy here's a link to a vid to show you how: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8qFtx3ydvA . I've never actually watched the whole thing (it's four minutes long and I don't have that kind of attention span...), but I'm sure it'll give you some idea. The only vaguely specialized piece of equipment you will need to make this recipe is a candy thermometer, which shouldn't set you back more than a few bucks. So without further ado, here's the ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of corn syrup
• 1 1/4 cups of sugar
• 6 tbsp of water (you already know how I feel about chlorine...)
• pinch of salt
• pinch of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 2 tbsp butter cut into bits, unsalted. Or you can skip adding the pinch of salt and used salted butter, your call...

And here's the method:

1. You will need a large heatproof surface to work the candy on. The countertop will do if you clean it well first (wash off those chemicals though, unless you want them in your candy) and don't mind getting it all oily and/or sticky. Or you can use a marble slab if you have one. Either way, oil or butter (I use butter) the surface really well.
2. You will also need a well buttered heat-proof spatula or bench knife to work the candy and a pair of well buttered scissors to cut the candy once it's done.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Butter it and set it aside.
4. Reduce the half cup of maple syrup to 1/4 cup in a 3-4 quart pot, over low heat. This should take about 10 minutes. I never re-measure to make sure it's a 1/4 cup on account of my laziness, I just time it. And look, cause you can see it getting thicker...
5. Once it is reduced, add the corn syrup, sugar, water, salt and soda. Increase heat to medium and stir until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook without stirring until the mixture reads 235°F on a candy thermometer.
6. Add the butter and cream, stirring once or twice to evenly distribute it, then continue to cook without stirring until the thermometer reaches 255°F. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and pour onto your oiled worksurface.
7. Let the candy sit for a couple of minutes, then using your oiled bench knife, flip the edges in towards the middle. Keep doing this until it is cool enough to work with your hands.
8. Butter your hands well, and keep more butter close at hand as the candy is still very hot and you really don't want it sticking to you. Grab the candy with both hands, pull it apart into a rope-like blob, then fold it back on itself, putting the two ends together. Keep doing this, it will gradually harden and turn lighter shade of golden brown.
9. When it begins to harden, roll it into a log about 20" long on your oiled surface. Cut into four pieces of equal size. Working quickly (as it is now starting to set) stretch and /or roll each piece until it is about 1/4" thick.
10. Using a pair of well buttered scissors cut the candy into bite size pieces. Put the candy pieces on the baking sheet and let them harden. Wrap the candy in bits of wax paper (I usually let it sit a few hours before I do this to let it really harden) or put it into an airtight container between layers of parchment paper. Enjoy, but do be careful of any fillings you might have and try not to eat it all at once, you'll go into diabetic shock.

So there you have it, homemade candy the Canadian way... I know the thought of home made candy is a bit overwhelming, but trust me it's so way better than anything you can buy. This recipe is easier than most because you don't even have to stir. It's candy-making for the lazy-assed.