Divinity help/suggestions

[3goodeggs]

I plan on trying to make divinity tomorrow. I never had any success when I was a child. My aunt could whip it up and have a conversation on the phone and write out Christmas cards at the same time.

THIS year I have my own chickens. I imagine THAT alone, not to mention thirty plus years of maturity, might help.
However, failures from decades past still cause me to worry about making a real big mess tomorrow.( mom was never happy about all that waste.)

What do I need to be sure I do that the cook book might not tell me? How hard should the egg whites be beaten? do I drizzle in the sugar like I do the oil when I make mayonnaise?

and lastly, my cook book calls it 'sea foam', Is that the same thing as 'divinity?'
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites/1 tsp vanilla
1 cup walnut meats
boil water, sugar, syrup to 265degrees F-hard ball stage,
pour onto egg whites beating constantly, when thick and creamy add vanilla and nuts.

That is all of the instruction it has given me.

Also, The oldest eggs I have are only four days old. I will set some out tonight, maybe they will whip up tomorrow.


And if this is really hard, and you think it is beyond my, or my kitchen aide's skills, tell me. I can always make marshmallows, or pecan kisses. ...or take the day off. (It's those eggs!I love having eggs.)
Thank you!

 

[DawnSuiter]

I have never eaten this, but have been eyeballing the recipe in my book because it's one of the few that has photos of it and it looks fascinating. I don't know if it would be more helpful or confusing, but I'll post the recipe I have to see if it helps you. It's a couple decades or so old from my classic Betty Crocker cookbook.

Divinity
2 2/3 C Sugar
2/3 C Light corn syrup
1/2 C Water (1 tbs less on humid days)
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C broken nuts

Heat sugar, syrup & water in 2 quart saucepan over low heat stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.
Cook without stirring to 260 degrees (hard ball stage - when a small amount dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball)
Remove from heat

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, continue beating while pouring hot syrup in a THIN stream into egg whites.
Add vanilla, beat until mixture holds it's shape and becomes slightly dull (may become too stiff for mixer).
Fold in nuts.
Drop mixture from tip of buttered spoon onto waxed paper.

 

[purelypoultry]

MMMMMMM divinity. I like it but it doesn't always work out for me. Eggs are so amazing that they do that!

 

[3goodeggs]

Thank you for the added instruction! I wasn't sure how to add the sugar. I can visualize it now. My Settlement cook book assumes I already know how to do these things and gives scant instructions. I hope it works and I do not have flash backs from my teenage years of...mess.
The sugar to water ratios are different than mine. I wonder if yours would just cook up faster?

Yes. egg white is really amazing in what can come from it. I still get a real kick every time the mayonnaise works. No one else at my house really appreciates the miracle that is mayo.

Thanks!

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Biggest bit of advice I have is, If it's rainy, damp weather, don't even attempt it. It just does not turn out right.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
LOL, I was just going to say Mom made fabulous Divinity- and it was divine- but never when the humidity was above 50%. And even that was iffy.

Good luck, it is wonderful!

 

[3goodeggs]

Well, humph. Today seems to be a 'no go' with divinity then. Overcast and a front moving in. At least I had good warning and won't end up with a mess on my hands. Thanks.
Is fudge a humidity sensitive process too?

I am almost fifty! I should know these things! Oh well thank you all for your help!

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

3goodeggs, I am from the same general area that you are in, spent 30+ years there, if there is any moisture in the air or house..don't attempt the divinity!! Make sure it is cooked to hard ball stage when you do. My mother made it every year..but weather was different then. I have never had a problem with the humidity and the fudge..but I think I self concientously(sp?) didn't make when humid.