coconut ice v.2

[rm]

Not quite Darrell Lea, but i got the texture, taste and consistency much closer this time. Secrets seem to be using caster sugar (which is very hard to find here), more boiling, a tiny bit of vanilla extract and a hell of a lot more than a "pinch" of cream of tartar.

I was going to do coconut bread tonight too, as that is breakfast for a week, but I need more flour and sugar and I am not sure if I am that motivated, having already braved the grocery store once today.


2 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
6 oz Dessicated coconut
1/2 tsp Cream of tartar
1/4 tspn vanilla extract
1 drop red food coloring

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Some recipes call for cream of tartar, some don't. What's the difference in that made with and that made without?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Without the candy is much more fragile, and you have to handle it very carefully or it just crumbles. The more cream of tartar I use the chewier it seems to get, which makes it closer to the commercial versions I've had.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

What's the difference between caster sugar and confectioner's sugar?

TK

[rm.livejournal.com]

Caster sugar is a super-fine granulated sugar. Confectioner's is powdered -- Caster sugar (which domino's sells here as "superfine") is an intermediary step between regular sugar and powdered.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Ok. Here confectioners sugar is powdered, and I have recipes which call for it when caster sugar is called for.

Shall I talk to friends in England (now abed) who might be willing to send you caster sugar?

TK

[rm.livejournal.com]

Hrmmm, that's interesting, and I wonder which substitution is the correct one -- I was told the superfine by my Regency dance teacher because it comes up all the time in recipes she makes for the balls we have. I'm tempted to try the powdered sugar in the coconut ice recipe now and see what happens.

Thank you for the offer, but it certainly it seems as if we do have caster sugar here, it's just a matter of figuring out what the hell it is.

[(Anonymous)]

Superfine is as close as you're going to get here, unless you go to a UK or AU specialty store. Powdered sugar does not equal caster sugar. However, if you are melting the sugar in the recipe, it shouldn't matter if you use granulated or caster (superfine) except for how long it takes it to melt.