OT: but need help with cooking something

I love honeycomb. I only discovered it when I lived in Australia. You don't see it much here in the States - at least not where I live!

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one word . . . . . . . . Crunchie!

A local confection of honeycomb bars covered in chocolate. I have found most of my US-based friends rate these right up there with Tim Tam biscuits and Cherry Ripe bars.

Okay - when I was a kid, (many years ago), I think the name of the honeycomb chocolate bar we used to get was a Violet Crumble? Does that sound right? Is that the same a a Crunchie?

Very similar. Don't eat them myself, but have been known to mail a thunkie or two in my time lol

I was given a recipe just before Christmas for a dessert using:

5 broken up Crunchie bars, 1/2pt double (whipping) cream whipped,and two egg whites stiffly whipped. You just fold the egg into the cream, add the smashed up Crunchie and leave in fridge overnight.

I took the ingreds. to DD's 'just in case' but as the sweet wasn't needed ate the Crunchies, and made fruit icecream with the cream and boiled the eggs!!

I don't therefore know how good the dessert is, but the Crunchies were excellent.

My early memories of Crunchie bars is during the War when confectionery was rationed. I had one Crunchie bar (smaller than the current ones, I'm sure), and it was cut into slices (not even chunks!) and I had one a day. By the end of the week the honeycomb bit was all runny! Sometimes we had a Mars bar instead and for Easter I had a Fry's Cream Bar with 5 segments!

I made that dessert to take to a friends for the evening meal on Christmas Day, but it was forgotten in the fridge as there was so much food. I still don't know what it tastes like LOL.

Dee in Oz

Sally Sw> > one word . . . . . . . . Crunchie!

One cup sugar, one tablespoon water which you dissolve slowly over a low heat and then boil to 175 Celsius without stirring (or to light caramel colour). Whisk in one tablespoon Bicarb of Soda and then pour into a non stick pan. Leave for 1/2 hour to set and then crack into pieces. Easy peasy - the volcano effect of the soda was amazing!!!

Or Violet Rumbles!!

I get it Dee. Violet Crumble sounds better to me than the Crunchie. Not that I'll be having either anytime soon VBG

Easy indeed, and so I thought when I first tried making it. I have tried now must be a dozen times. Either it burns before it comes to temperature, or if I try going by just color I get glop.

My candy cookbook calls it fairy crunch.

NightMist decided it is just one of those things

I wonder if it's one of those recipes that varies with the humidity? My MIL used to tell me there were days you could and couldn't make divinity. I think I only tried it once. KJ

KJ,

Your mother was so right, you can't make divinity nor fudge when it is raining outside. I have heard of some people that were able to but mine never turned out and my mother always told me the same thing.

Jacqueline in KY

Meringue for pie weeps really bad in high humidity too. Better saved for a dry day which isn't hard to do here in the desert. Taria

Jacquel> KJ,

You also need a very accurate candy thermometer to make a lot of things. Even 10deg out can make a difference.

LOL - I'll let you in on a secret - my sugar didn't dissolve, so I just gave up and let it rip. When it reached 150 I thought it was too pale so I left it for a minute whilst I did something else. Bad mistake. It was burneded when I got back. Who knew 60 seconds could be crucial? But we had to continue. The volcano was worth it!

You are Southern, aren't you? All us Southerners gotta have gravy with the chicken. Debra in VA See my quilts at

Debra, Yes I am southern or most people consider KY southern and since I am as far south and as far east in KY as you can go I am southern. But we never did have gravy with chicken. Next time I fry it though I think I will make it.

Just got back from the doctor and I still have pneumonia, guess that is why I don't feel good and we are having something out of a box today, for dinner, I ran into the Schwans man in town, and my dad will have heart failure if he sees the box.

Also got my new sewing machine today and don't feel like playing with it.

Jacqueline in KY

My Mama was Southern. I grew up on gravy with everything. Almost every night, sometimes breakfast.

Chicken fried steak? Gravy. Pork chops? Gravy. Fried chicken? Gravy. Ham steak? Gravy (only over bread, not taters - I don't know why).

And I hope you're all happy.

Tomorrow I am destroying my nice clean kitchen and frying chicken for dinner. I know Mama and past generations of Patrick/Shaffer/Calhoun women are smiling down on me.

Cindy