Sorry about the sudden absence and lack of blogs lately but life has a way of distracting me sometimes x Well hanging out with friends and drinking lots of wine and cups of tea anyway……heehee x
Anyway, I’m back 🙂 And I have a cracker of a recipe for you, that is our local delicacy Edinburgh rock! Seemingly, Edinburgh rock came about like a lot of culinary discoveries do, quite by accident. The legend has it the some boiled sweets were left exposed to the air overnight and went soft and powdery!! However it happened they are here to stay and this is my recipe for them x Enjoy x
Ingredients:
- Groundnut oil, for greasing
- 450g granulated sugar
- 15ml/1 tbsp Glucose syrup or golden syrup
- 2.5ml/½ tsp cream of tartar
- 200ml water
- 10ml/2 tsp pink food colouring
- 10ml/2 tsp rose water
- icing sugar, for dusting
Method:
- Grease a marble slab or worktop, metal pastry scraper and some kitchen scissors.
- Combine the sugar, glucose syrup or golden syrup, cream of tartar and water in a medium, heavy pan. Heat gently over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Bring to the boil and boil the syrup until it reaches the soft-crack stage (140°C/290°F).
- Stir in the colouring and rose water and immediately place the pan over the ice-water bath to arrest the cooking.
- Pour the syrup on to the oiled marble slab and allow to cool until a skin forms on the surface.
- Using the oiled scraper, begin to fold the edges into the centre of the pool until it is cool enough to handle.
- Dust your hands with icing sugar. Take hold of the ends of the syrup strand and pull them up towards you to form a U shape again. Do not twist the strands. Continue for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes opaque.
- Pull it into a long strip, then cut it into small pieces with the oiled scissors .
- Leave the rock out at room temperature for about 24 hours until it becomes soft and powdery. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Making this rock also gave me the excuse to take some of it for a trip in to the city centre to do a mini photoshoot with Edinburgh’s most famous landmark, Edinburgh castle, which sits on a very own piece of Edinburgh rock!! See what I did there? Edinburgh rock?? haha x
What have you all been up to lately?
Made anything exciting in the kitchen?
Tell me about it x
A small insight 
beautiful pics!!!
Thanks, I had fun taking them 🙂 x
I agree! Simply gorgeous photos!!! Your candy looks divine as well!! Soft and powdery? Sounds wonderful!!! xoxo
Thanks Samantha, You’ll have to try it for yourself so you can experience the soft and powdery texture and see how awesome it is!! 🙂 x
Lovely pictures! The candies look amazing too!!! Edinburgh castle! wow that sounds like such fun place to go visit! 🙂
Thanks, the castle is a great place to visit, I would highly recommend it if you ever get the chance to visit Edinburgh x
Sounds fabulous! I shall put it in my “Bucket List” of places to visit! 🙂
ARGH! I *need* to visit Edinburgh, I’ve never been but every pic I see makes it look gorgeous. I already had a huge, burning desire to visit and these pics have just enhanced it! 😀
You’ve never been to Scotland’s capital? That’s disgraceful!! ;p You shall have to remedy that ASAP!!! heehee x
Well, I went when I was just a wee bairn, but apparently I screamed the entire time I was there. I’m probably still banned 😉
The closest I’ve come is watching it in movies like Skyfall and The Illusionist (which is an animation so doesn’t really count).
Have got to try this but need to get a sugar thermometer first 🙂 Gorgeous photos btw
Let me know how it goes for you and a thermometer is crucial to getting it right xx Good luck x
Love the pictures!
Thanks, it was a fun set to take, I wished I hadn’t worn such a short dress that day, when I needed to bend over lot’s to get the right angles in the photos…….heehee x
🙂
Really, you can actually make sweets like that at home?! I am blown away!
You will have to try, it’s really not that hard, promise xx
Oh lord….I love the photos of the castle … it is lovely.
As for the candy…I have never seen it look so charming. (I have had them before…normally just little cyliners of a sweet….though you let it on your tongue and wait for it to melt!)
I’m happy with how they turned out, not good for the teeth or the waistline, but the rosewater flavour is amazing 🙂 x
I tell myself, dentists and gym trainers need to make a living too *giggles*
Funnily enough my dentist is a very pretty Irish Red head, is this a conspiracy? ;p
Brilliant to see pics of Edin on here and they look fab! As Edinburgh is my home town, it’s funny that it never occurred to me to make this before – poss because it’s in all the shops on the Royal Mile but it would be a fun thing to do some time so thanks for the recipe 🙂
Please do let me know if you do ever try it, I love to get feedback on how others find my recipes xx Do you ever get back to Edinburgh? It is a lovely place and has been my home for about 15 years now x
Oh that reminds me of my childhood! Raised near Edinburgh till I was 7. Can remember that every time dad went ‘home’ after we moved that he brought back a case of rock for the kids 🙂
Edinburgh rock seems to do that, everyone seems to have memories of it as a child xx When was the last time you had it? It had been 25 years for me, before trying this recipe x
LOVE the photography! The candy looks mighty pretty as well – I don’t think I have the skill-set for making it but your pix make me want to try!
You totally should give it a try!! It’s great fun to make and isn’t very hard xx I’ve only been baking and making a few months and I managed xx
Groundnut oil….peanut oil maybe? This sounds good and photos are 100% beautiful !
Yes….Peanut oil x Groundnut oil is what they call it here in the UK, but they are exactly the same thing x
I’ll have to research the groundnut oil, as I’ve never used it before. I love your blog and look forward to exploring it more when I have time.
Thanks for popping by xx You may be more familiar with it being called Peanut oil?! Groundnut is the UK name x
Oh yes, of course I know peanut oil. Thanks for the clarification!
Love your pictures.This castle brings back good memories for me. In 1998 I went to the military tattoo with my relitives. They live in a town called Bonnygrigg, Midlothian. Such a beautiful site.
Yes Bonnyrigg, I know it well xx 1997 was the year I moved to Edinburgh, I fell in love instantly xx
Fantastic pictures – as an Edinburgh foodie I have no idea why I have never thought to make this before!!!
Thank you………….Let me know if you decide to give it a go?! 🙂 x Always good to meet another Edinburgh Foodie xx I’m Lucy, what’s your name? x
Hi Lucy – I’m Rach. It’s great to stumble across other Edinburgh food blogs….hope you’re enjoying the rare Edinburgh sunshine today!
Thanks Rach, It was lovely today, alas I didn’t get the chance to enjoy it as much as I would have liked, but managed a wee walk through the meadows to get to my favourite little teashop for a cuppa, so not all bad x I hope you enjoyed it more? x
Oh, those pictures are so beautiful! And really bring me back to when I visited Edinburgh years ago. Besides the castle, one of my favorite places were all the gorgeous sweet shops! Thanks for a delicious looking recipe.
-Dana
Thanks Dana, there are lot’s of lovely sweet shops on the Royal mile!! x I’m glad if I’ve brought back some good memories for you!! :o) x
Lovely pictures! I know another version of this candy made with coconut milk instead of rose water. This must be fab too!
Awww thank you xx Ooooh ……Coconut milk sounds like good flavour for Edinburgh rock x
Edinburgh rock and a view of the castle. It’s a bit like strawberries and cream, perfect together.
Haha…….That’s one way to put it, I suppose!! x But you’re right they do go together well x
How exciting! I’m seriously thinking of making this to bring to my show in Edinburgh at the Fringe in August… Edinburgh rock to Edinburgh (via London!) It looks perfect – but is it terribly difficult – looks quite challenging? Do I need a thermometer? I’m a bit old-fashioned and tend to do things by look and feel. Do you think that would work?
If you think you can judge when it reaches 140ºC then you won’t need a thermometer, but I don’t think I could xx But apart from that it is a very straight forward recipe, well worth a try xx 🙂 Let me know if you do? x
P.S Where can I find you during the Edinburgh festival? x
I’ll be at Venue 53. Surgeons Hall. From 12-17 Aug. Please come and please let me know if you do!
I shall certainly try xx 🙂
These look awesome! I need to buy myself a damn thermometer so I can make some candy!
Thanks Julia, you really should get a Thermometer, they are not expensive, probably around $10 x But you will use it so much once you have one 🙂 xx
My goal is to remember to get one by the weekend! Thanks for motivating me to try my hand at candy making!
Great, let me know how you get on with it (after the weekend) ?! 😉 x
Love your pics. Just gorgeous. And the Rock recipe takes me back to years we used to travel to Aberdeen (always stopping off for a night in Edinburgh on the way) to visit Granny. Its been too long!
Thanks, Everyone seems to have fond memories of Edinburgh (and Scotland for that matter) 🙂 x I’m glad you took the time to pop by my little blog xx
That’s the most interesting photo shoot of candy/lollies that I’ve ever seen – great contrast of the colour with the castle in the background – something very fairytale about it. Thanks for swinging by on my blog btw.
Thanks for taking a peek at mine too!! x
I love when Americans call sweets, candy!! xx It’s so cute…..heehee x
Can I ask, most recipes I’ve seen ask for the sugar to be boiled to 126C but you suggets 140C. The last few times I’ve tried to make Edinburgh Rock it has not held it’s shape, been to soft and formed back in to a massive blob. Is this a result of the sugar not being boiled enough?
Such a cute idea to take the pictures at Edinburgh Castle!!
Thanks, I’ll have to try and be so creative with some other recipes soon!! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe – I have been trying every online recipe with no success, it would always stay soft and sticky and only fit for the bin – until i found your recipe – It’s PERFECT, worked first time! I’m from New Zealand and it is such a pleasure to make this treat in my own kitchen. THANK YOU!!!!!!