6 cups granulated sugar
3 cups cold water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Peppermint flavoring oil
Food coloring
Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and salt in a large
heavy pan. Heat and stir until sugar crystals are
dissolved, then stop stirring. Bring to a rolling
boil and wash down the crystals, then add the cream
of tartar. Boil rapidly to the hard crack stage on
a candy thermometer.
Pour two-thirds of the syrup out quickly onto a slab
or greased flat pan. Pour the rest into a buttered
glass pie pan, and do not move until partly set. Turn
the edges in on each portion and add flavoring to
each - about 6 drops of oil to the large portion and
3 to the small. Add food coloring to the small dish.
As soon as possible, start to pull the portion in
the large container until pearly-colored. (It will
be very hot - butter your hands and set it down when
it gets too hot!) Form it into a ball.
Meanwhile gather up the colored portion and form
it into a rope and wrap it around the ball. With one
person on each end, start to stretch and twist the
ball in opposite directions to form a long rope with
the traditional stripe. Cut into lengths as necessary.
When the desired diameter is achieved, cut and form
into canes (roll it on the board to get it smooth).
If it gets too cold to work with, put on a wooden
breadboard in a warm oven to soften.
