Buffalo Cuisine

Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:55 pm

On the topic of candy... chewy molasses pops covered in chocolate.
I have not seen those sold in Rochester. Olivers has tiny overpriced ones in Batavia, but as I get closer to Buffalo, they get bigger and heavier. Damn, they are good!
I wonder if it's a Buffalo thing or do they go further west.

Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:26 am

We always got them in our Easter baskets as kids. I hated them and threw them away when no one was looking.

BuffaloKittehz · Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:57 am

Sorry for the somewhat late response, but I'm very intrigued by this talk of sponge candy. I just moved from Trenton, NJ to Buffalo and I'm looking for the best things to do and the best food to eat. I looked up "Sponge Candy" (in google) but I'm still not entirely sure what it is! Not sure if what I'm looking at online is the same thing you folks are talking about. Can someone perhaps clarify? How the heck is it made? What sort of appliances are used to make it?

Anyway, it's fun to hear all about what's popular around here. Feel free to drop me a PM. I'd love to hear a little bit from you all about all the delicious cuisine and events in the area.

Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:10 am

Well, welcome to New YorK.....and to NYFalls!

You've probably found the thing we're talking about by Googling!

It looks like this.

The outside is chocolate (milk or dark - your choice) and the inside is a golden, sugary, crispy, honeycomb type of confection that melts in your mouth. Usually and irregular square or rectangle

Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:19 pm

They make sponge candy using molten sugar, just like used for an unflavored lollipop, and they add baking powder, which makes it froth. It's then poured onto a cold baking sheet and allowed to harden. Since the "sponge" part is mostly air with a lattice of sugar, it just melts in your mouth, and is not hard like hard candy. It also has a slight acidic quality because of the baking powder that was added. The sponge is cut into squares and coated in chocolate. Head on over to Watsons for what I consider to be an excellent variety of sponge. http://watsonschocolates.com/

Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:18 pm

you meant baking soda - not baking powder.

and I only know because it's also used in making peanut brittle - same reaction.

Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:17 am

Shhhhh. Don't give away the secret ingredient or Buffalo's economy will tank.

[spoiler]You can use baking soda and vinegar, or skip the vinegar taste and use the powder wich has a flavorless acid already in the mix.[/spoiler]

Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:37 pm

Well crap. Sometimes I wonder if there's anything you don't know.

[spoiler]And that flavorless acid might be - cream of tartar? I have a big thing of it in my cupboard - and only use it rarely - when I make a lemon pie. Now I know I can whip up my own little batch of baking powder!

Also, the only acid really in peanut brittle is the nuts - but the baking soda still makes it bubbly......not quite sure here - so are the nuts acidic enough to cause the reaction or is there more to it.....I can find no candy recipe calling for baking powder. Where does your secret knowledge come from?

[/spoiler]