Sugar-on-Snow Party
Ingredients
For 25 to 40 people
1 gallon pure maple syrup
3 dozen plain, unsweetened doughnuts, preferably raised
1 bushel of clean snow
1 quart sour pickles
Utensils
1 or 2 large deep kettles with syrup only few inches deep in each
1 soup plate, pie plate, deep dish, or suitable plastic-coated paper container and fork (per person),
1 candy thermometer and 1 ladle
Preparing Snow
Gather a quantity beforehand. It will keep frozen for hours in a sealed carton. Pack hard into pie plates, and if it is
cold enough, leave them outside; otherwise make space in the freezer.
Boiling Syrup Down
Fill each kettle a few inches deep with syrup. When syrup begins to boil, it will bubble up and boil over rapidly.
(Greasing the edge of the kettle will help to prevent the boiling over.) Boil rapidly, but as boiling syrup begins to
rise, cut heat down as needed to pre vent boiling over. Never let syrup get down below 1 inch depth.
After syrup has boiled 15 minutes or when thermometer reads 230˚F, begin testing. Drop a teaspoon of syrup in
glass of water and stir. If it dissolves, keep boiling. Test again until it clings to the fork as soft waxy taffy. Or test
doneness by dropping a few drops on packed snow. Until it is the right consistency, it will dissolve in the snow.
When it is done, it will remain on the surface of the snow and may be picked off easily with a fork.
Cool sugar slightly before serving. Now ladle sugar over snow packed in individual dishes. You can serve the sugar
in pitchers or cups and let the guest pour their own.
Remember: If cooled sugar disappears into snow, cook it a big longer.
If it is too tacky or chewy, add a bit of water and reheat lightly.
If any is left over, stir the surplus- keeping container on snow, if possible- and you will produce maple
sugar.
Other Maple Products
Maple cream or butter is made by boiling syrup to about 20˚F above the boiling point of water (230˚F). Then it
is set aside and allowed to cool to room temperature (68˚F). It is then beaten until creamed. When it is quite stiff
but still liquid, it is poured into glass containers and stored until time of use or sale. Maple cream is a spread of
butter like consistency and makes a delicious topping for hot toast and English muffins.
Soft Sugar is made by boiling syrup to about 22 to 24˚F above the boiling point of water (234 to 236˚F). It is then
stirred until it crystallizes. It should be kept in a dry, cool place. The crystals in soft sugar are larger than in maple
cream, but not large enough to produce a sandy effect. Eight pounds of soft sugar candies and be made from 1
gallon of syrup.
Hard sugar is made by boiling syrup to about 28˚F above the boiling point of water (240˚F). It is usually poured
into rubber or plastic molds. It should be kept in a cool dry place.