Lollipop Food

OLD-FASHIONED LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• Place lollipop sticks in hard candy molds or arrange sticks 3 in. apart on greased foil-lined baking sheets; set aside., In a heavy saucepan, combine corn syrup and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook for 3 minutes to dissolve sugar crystals. Uncover and cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage). , Remove from the heat; stir in flavoring and food coloring, keeping face away from mixture as odor is very strong. Immediately pour into prepared molds or pour free-form over ends of lollipop sticks on baking sheets. Let cool before removing.

BACON LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• Soak about 28 bamboo skewers in cold water for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
• Combine the sugar, maple syrup and cayenne in a medium bowl; stir in the water.
• Cut the bacon strips across in half. One at a time, dunk the pieces of bacon in the sugar mixture, wipe off the excess with your fingers, and place the pieces flat on the baking sheet. When the bacon has formed one layer on the pan, thread a skewer through each slice, keeping the slices flat and leaving some of the skewer sticking out at the bottom as a handle.
• Top the skewered bacon with a second piece of parchment paper and place an empty baking sheet on top. This keeps the bacon weighted down so it stays nice and flat. (The sheet pan goes directly over the parchment-topped bacon.) Bake until the bacon is cooked through and dark brown around the edges, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking pan to cool.
• Once cooled, you can store the bacon lollipops for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator; place them flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• Arrange the lollipop sticks in the lollipop molds and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar, water, and cream of tartar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to high and, without stirring, cook until the sugar is amber or until a candy thermometer reads between 300 to 310 degrees F (hard-ball stage), about 10 minutes (see Cook's Note*). Promptly remove the saucepan from the heat. Carefully stir in the flavored extract.
• Work quickly, drop 1 teaspoon of the hot mixture into each lollipop mold. Reheat the mixture briefly over low heat if it starts to thicken. Let the lollipops cool for at least 15 minutes. Remove from molds and store in airtight containers or wrap individually.

CHINESE CHICKEN LOLLIPOPS/ DRUMS OF HEAVEN

Steps:

• Cook the lollipops in salted water for 5 minutes.
• Take them out of the water dry them thoroughly.
• Saute in just the worcestershire sauce for another 5 minutes. Till they are completely dry.
• Mix the rest of the ingredients to make a thick batter as for pancakes. Dip each lollipop into this batter and deep fry.
• Variation: The other option is to bake (a low cholestrol option) these after sauteing them in the worcestershire sauce
• Minus the eggs and the flour from the rest of the ingredients so that it forms a sauce rather than batter.
• Bake or grill at 180C till they are cooked and browned.
• Serve with Schezwan sauce.