Note: I’ve only made these once, so this isn’t a thouroughly tested recipe. Hopefully it works for you!
Ingredients:
24g powdered gelatin (3 envelopes of Knox brand)
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons bourbon, divided
neutral oil spray (avocado, grapeseed, or canola work)
200g white sugar
200g dark brown sugar
50g maple syrup
30g corn syrup
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of salt
5 tablespoons butter, browned to a light golden brown and cooled to slightly lukewarm
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the geletain and 1/2 cup of the bourbon. Mix and let it sit to bloom the gelatin.
- Prepare a 8“ square pan by cutting parchement paper into rectangles to cover the bottom and the sides completely and hang over a little. Spray with neutral oil.
- Into a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, place both sugars, both syrups, the water and 1/4 cup of bourbon. Heat on medium high, and bring it to the hard ball stage: 245F/118C. Watch it while it cooks for crystalization, use a silicone brush to brush water along the side of the pan to dissolve any crysalized sugar.
- Once you’ve reached the hard ball stage temperature, turn off heat and let the pan sit for a minute, until the bubbling subsides.
- Start running the mixer at medium/high and slowly pour in the hot syrup. Pour it on to the side of the bowl rather than directly onto the gelatin. Once all the syrup is added, add the vanilla, the remaining 3 tablespoons of bourbon, and the salt. Keep running the mixer for about 3 minutes on high.
- Finally, mix in the melted butter.
- Use a silicone spatula coated in oil to scrape it all out, into your prepared pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Sift a dusting layer of this mixture on the top of your pâte de bourbon.
- Let it sit at room temperature, uncovered overnight (at least 8 hours).
- The next day, use the parchment overhang to pull out the pâte de bourbon out of the pan and onto a cutting board.
- Coat a sharp chef’s knife in oil and cut squares.
- Coat all sides of your pâte de bourbon in the powdered sugar mixuture and store in an airtight container.
- Not sure yet how long these last or the best way to store them, so my advice is to wait too long to eat them :)