Chinatown Toffeed Figs

This dessert was featured in the February 2006 issue of the Australian 'Family Circle' with a number of recipes classified as Easy Chinese Favourites. I haven't made these yet but they look exquisite in the accompanying photograph. The preparation and cooking times below are my guesstimates. The same recipe can be used with strawberries, apple slices and pineapple. Yellow rock sugar is a combination of white sugar, brown sugar and honey and is available from Asian food stores. If you like the idea of Toffeed Figs or other fruits, you may also be interested in my Toffee Grapes, which uses a completely different method for the making of the toffee, and Toffeed Apples.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Yields: 8 toffeed figs

Ingredients

• 400  g  yellow rock sugar
• 1  teaspoon  chinese rice vinegar
• 8  large figs, stems intact

Directions

1. Crush the sugar using a mortar and pestle, then place it in a small saucepan and add 1 cup of water and the vinegar and cook over a low heat, stirring often until the sugar has completely dissolved.
2. Increase the heat to medium and place a sugar thermometer in the saucepan and bring the mixture to the boil without stirring. Brush the side of the saucepan with a little cold water to stop the toffee burning around the edges. Cook until the temperature reaches 150°-155°C (300°-310°F) or at the "hard-crack" stage. Take care as the toffee darkens quickly once it reaches this point. (If you don't have a sugar thermometer, test the toffee by usinga teaspoon to drop some of the hot syrup into a saucer of cold water - the toffee should form a hard ball that can be stretched and snapped).
3. Remove the toffee from the heat. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, hold a fig by its stem and dip it into the toffee in the pan for a few seconds, rolling it around in the toffee to coat it evenly. Remove each fig after it has been coated in toffee and place it on greaseproof paper. Repeat with the remaining figs. Allow the figs to cool, and serve them within a few hours.