sweet fantasy

I now have the most romantic notions of sugar on snow. Well, the name is enough to conjure up a fantasy of being in a warm kitchen on a cold, wintery night, boiling maple syrup and then writing messages with sticky, amber ink on a white sheet of snow. Alternatively, I wouldn't mind running outside with a pan and flinging the syrup from a wooden spoon in wild patterns and squiggles and swirls in a grand Jackson Pollock manner.

You see what you've started? All those wonderful stories, descriptions, memories and links are making me long for a sugar snow; thank you so much for the lovely escapism as well as the useful facts.

I would love to have a go at making the candy, but we get snow so rarely here that it's not something I can plan. But I'm going to keep some extra maple syrup in, just in case. Because you never know, this could be the winter of English sugar on snow and a whole new artistic medium.

Instead, we have frost and a cold wind. But we also have some lovely long, golden rays of sunshine in the afternoon which make fresh rock buns look quite sublime. I made these in a break from work as a subsitute for all the candy I've been reading about.

I'm still working on a poetic and romantic name for autumn rock buns...

Comments

[Melissa A.]

Hmm. I guess you could always use shaved ice for the snow? ;) I must have just skimmed the last entry, but I wanted to add that near where I grew there is a historical village. In school we'd take field trips there during the maple rush, so we got to have maple syrup on snow the old fashioned way, straight out of the tree!

[Carol]

So Lumps on a Plate doesn't work, romantically speaking? They certainly look lovely.

[Kelly]

There's always Keats: mellow fruitfullnes....

[Gemma]

I made rock buns at the weekend for my Mum. Deffo bulb planting food. More of which I shall be doing this weekend.

I keep maple syrup in the cupboard for sugar on snow too just in case. Last time I tried it I think I was out in the front garden at 8 am. I got some terribly odd looks.

[Cathy]

Harvest Sunshine?

They look delicious.

[Bee]

I read all the comments about Daddy Long Legs the other day and felt I just must read the book..and it arrived today, the Penguin edition which includes Dear Enemy.
Love the wintry sunlight on the rock buns!

[Karbee]

Sitting here munching on an autumn afternoon scone. How about "Dapples" for your rock buns?

[Jo]

Oh my word! I think I've gained ten pounds just looking at those sweet pictures... I really like your blog by the way!
Cheers!
- Jo
http://followtheroadlesstraveled.blogspot.com

[Kristina]

winter cooking how I love thee!

[Judi]

After you fling the hot maple syrup/candy in the snow and it is good and cold. Carefully lift it and dip it into melted chocolate!!

[patty]

the light in the photo makes them look like Jewel Buns to me - as when you are in some magic cave and see the glowing gems through the rocks, or seeing the pretty colors of autumn leaves among the brown branches.

[Ella]

My thought was Fruit Jewels and then I read the comments and saw that Patty had beaten me to it!
Must make some rock buns YUM :)

[catherine]

rock buns never looked so beautiful!

[Tish]

Melissa beat me to it, but we sometimes fill a 13x9x2' pan with shaved ice and pour the syrup over it. You can stick the whole pan in the freezer to help it chill faster (and duplicate the outside in the snow temps?). When the candy is done you can scoop the shaved ice into paper cones and pour juice or fruit syrup over it for snowcones, or mix in a little cream and sugar for "snow ice cream".

[Zelia]

looks absolutly delicious!

[Sarah]

how about 'rock falls' slightly american with the fall/ autumn thing but there you go. the advertising copywriter in me loves a cheesy pun! and a cheesy bun! how about cheese rock cakes? mmm....

[Emily]

A quick addition to the snow syrup idea. I live in Ottawa, Canada where maple syrup taffy on a stick is a prime tourist treat and when they make it for people skating on the canal here, they always pack the snow tightly into a box before pouring the syrup. I think that allows it to harden more evenly and then the snow won't melt away (as it did for my brothers and I when we tried it as kids with little success :o)

[SusanG]

Sigh...I live in Florida so I've never been able to try maple syrup on snow, but it has stayed with me as something I definitely MUST try someday - it always sounded SO delicious!

Funny about food and books - one of the other things that always sounded wonderful (and I have remembered it for over 40 years!) is the bread and cheese toasted over a fire that Heidi ate in her book. :)

I love reading your blog - it is truly inspirational.

Susan