Halloween Candy - Fear, Sugar, and Salt.

We have the most fabulous holiday in the United States. On the eve of the Day of the Dead (All Saints' Day), children (well, mainly) dress in costumes either scary (it is a scary holiday) or sometimes just fanciful, and they go around the neighborhood showing off their costumes and scaring people and collecting candy (and change for Unicef too, at least we used to). Neighbors make terrifying displays on their porches. It is a strangely empowering holiday, really about mastering fear through confrontation. It is also about candy. Halloween is sort of a combination of the Greek holidays Tsiknopempti (Mardi Gras, except Thursday not Tuesday) and the Callanda (singing Christmas and New Year's Eve Carols for change). The candy is central to the holiday. It must be commercially sealed (safety!). There is a hierarchy- hard candies being the least interesting, chalky pastel things (Smarties, Necco Wafters) next up, chewy things after that (caramels, bit-o-honeys, abba-zabbas), and at the top miniature candy bars with chocolate. Snickers are far and away the favorite of these. I liked butterfingers, a  crisp peanut-butter bar dipped in chocolate that has no European parallel. Armed with hunger and a candy thermometer, they came together quickly.

Candy thermometers intimidate some, but there's really nothing to it- they remove all the guesswork, and you get it right guaranteed the first time (not like testing syrup consistencies in glasses of ice water like I taught myself when my parents were out of the house).

Note- this is a children's holiday, but making these is not a children's activity. The sugar gets very hot!

We will need:

500 g roasted salted peanuts - like you get with a cocktail, deep golden and really salty

200 g/ 1 C sugar

100 g/ 1/2 C golden syrup or corn syrup

1/2 tsp. baking soda

We're starting with peanuts instead of peanut butter to make something grittier and saltier than we can buy in a jar- the sandy texture makes the candy lighter, and the salt gives it balance. Grind the peanuts in the food processor until they are starting to get creamy but still have plenty of texture.

Mix the baking soda into the peanut butter and have it ready. Line a baking sheet with non - stick paper and oil it gently. Put the sugar, corn syrup, and water on to boil. Fill a cup with boiling water and put the candy thermometer in it to give it a head start so it gets a quick reading and doesn't shatter. Keep an eye on the syrup - it takes a while to get to the soft ball stage but from there it can climb to the hard ball stage quickly. As soon as the syrup reaches 144 - 149 C/290 - 300 F, take it off the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Spread it onto the baking sheet as best you can,and when you can just barely touch it, stretch it out a little and fold it in thirds- we are stretching the strands of cooked sugar and trying to get some air into it.

Stretch it out as best you can and score it into pieces:

You could mimic the original and dip them in chocolate but they are fabulous just like this. The extra saltiness is beguiling.