Divinity
Multiple versions, from the Food Network.
Mama’s Divinity
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
4 cups sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
3/4 cup cold water
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
2 cups chopped pecans
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Stir only until sugar has dissolved. Do not stir after this point. Cook syrup mixture until it reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, bringing it to a hard ball stage.
While the syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once the sugar mixture reaches 250 degrees F, carefully pour a slow steady stream of syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until mixture holds its shape, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in pecans.
Using 2 spoons, drop the divinity onto waxed paper, using 1 spoon to push the candy off the other. This may take a little practice because the technique is to twirl the pushing spoon, making the candy look like the top of a soft serve ice cream. If the candy becomes too stiff, add a few drops of hot water. You will need to work fast when making this type of candy. After you spoon the cooked sugar and nuts onto the waxed paper, you’re done. Cool the candies on racks completely. You can store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
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Divine Divinity Fudge
Recipe from Every Day’s a Party, by Emeril Lagasse, with Marcelle Bienvenu and Felicia Willett, published by William Morrow, 1999
This recipe is available for a limited time only. Why?
2 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans
Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Put the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, bring to a boil and cook until the temperature reaches 260 degrees F on a candy thermometer, or the hard-ball stage, when a bit of the mixture dropped into cold water holds its shape, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour in a thin steady stream into the beaten egg whites and beat with an electric mixer on high for about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla, and continue beating on high just until the candy starts to lose its gloss, 5 to 6 minutes. When the beaters are lifted, the mixture should fall in a ribbon that mounds on itself.
**TIP: If the mixture flattens out, beat again for 1 minute more. If the mixture is too thick to drop, beat in a few drops of hot water until the candy is a softer consistency. Add the pecans, stir to mix, and quickly drop the mixture by tablespoons onto the prepared sheet. Place the candies on a serving candy dish and pass. **(If the candy is poured into a pan and cut into squares, you should have about 48 pieces.)
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Divine Divinity
Recipe courtesy The Cookworks, 2003
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional
Special equipment: a candy thermometer and a heat-safe pastry brush
In a small heavy-bottomed pot dissolve the sugar in the corn syrup and water. Bring to a boil. Boil to thread stage (the candy thermometer should read between 223 to 234 degrees F). Brush down the inner wall of the pot with a heat-proof pastry brush and a small amount of water to prevent crystal formation.
In the meantime beat egg whites with mixer and whisk attachment until they hold stiff but not dry peaks. Pour 2/3 of the boiled syrup mixture in a thin stream over the beaten egg whites, whisking all the time on high speed. Put the remaining mixture back on the heat and cook to soft ball stage (the candy thermometer should read between 234 to 240 degrees F). Whisk into the egg white mixture with the mixer on high speed. Add extract. Continue whisking until mixture forms stiff peaks.
Pour into a buttered 9 by 13-inch pan. Let cool and cut. Store in an airtight container for chewier divinity or leave uncovered for a crispier texture.