Chinese toffee apples are not the glazed red apples on
sticks that Westerners associate with the name. They are thick slices of
apple fried in batter, then dropped into a sugar glaze with black sesame
seeds, hardended quickly in a bowl of iced water and eaten with
chopsticks. Great fun to do - guests can join in and take a turn at
toffee-ing their own apples.
Ingredients : Serves
24
3
1
2/3 cup
1
cup
Glaze:
1
1/2 cups
1/2 cup
2
teaspoons
Medium-size cooking apples
Egg
Cold water
Plain flour
Peanut oil for deep frying
Sugar
Cold water
Black sesame seeds
Method :
Quarter the apples, peel and core the
pieces, then cut each quarter into 2 thick slices, 3 if the apples are
large. Set aside.
Beat the egg in a medium size bowl, add
the water and beat again until combined, then tip in all the flour at
once and beat vigorously with rotary beater until batter is smooth.
Do not overbeat.
Let batter stand while preparing glaze.
As sugar cooks, start to heat oil for deep
frying.
Try to have oil for frying and sugar glaze
ready at the same time.
If oil is not put over too high a heat,
this should not be difficult.
When a haze begins to rise from the
surface of the oil, drop pieces of apple into the batter, turn to coat
them completely, then take one piece at a time with chopsticks, a fondue
fork, or fingers and drop into the oil.
Do not cook too many at one time.
Deep fry until the batter is golden, then
lift out with a slotted spoon and put straight into the saucepan
containing the glaze.
Turn pieces of apple in the glaze to coat
the entire surface, then lift out and drop into a bowl containing cold
water and ice cubes.
The glaze will harden and become brittle
almost at once.
Lift them out quickly.
If left to stand too long the glaze will
melt and the batter become leathery.
Glaze:
Put sugar and water into a small saucepan
and place over medium high heat.
Do not stir at all. This is important. If
you do, the sugar will crystallize and the glaze will not be clear.
Let sugar mixture bubble until it starts
to turn faintly golden around the edges of the pan. Stir in sesame seeds
and turn heat as low as it will go.
Or remove pan from heat, replacing it from
time to time if sugar begins to harden before all the apples have been
dipped.