Interesting Slave Narrative Locust Bean Confections

This makes about a dozen of these confections, with some supplies left over to make more maple sugar creams, buy a ¼ lb. more chocolate &/or carob for this purpose.

-Solanum Melongena Esculentum Preserve (from the nightshade “eggplant”)
-Maple Sugar Cream
-Chocolate
-Carob (from the locust bean)

Ingredients:

-1 large eggplant
-Maple syrup (24 or more ounces)
-Candy wrappers
-Chocolate ( ½ to ¾ lb.)
-Carob ( ¼ to ½ lb.)
-Butter, margarine or butter substitute
-Half a box of no sugar needed pectin or other gelling agent
-A few pints of heavy whipping cream

-Non-stick cutting boards (or non-stick surfaces) for freezing
-Electric beater
-Electric rice cooker/steamer or a way to steam eggplant that extracts eggplant syrup
-Small melon baller or spoon
-Double boiler

Frozen Solanum Melongena Esculentum Preserve:

Cut 1 large eggplant and steam in an electric steamer, with not more than 1 1/2 inches of water. Steam eggplant sections with just enough water to extract an eggplant syrup; Do not over steam or this syrup will evaporate or “burn on”, check steaming water about 15, 20,30 minutes into steaming and then check every few minutes. You could need to steam more than once because of the quantity of eggplant, so check the syrup often.

Using half a box of powdered pectin bring eggplant syrup to a boil and follow pectin directions. Add some water to eggplant syrup before boiling, if you are concerned it will not make enough preserve.

Refrigerate eggplant until it gels to preserve, a few hours.

Using a melon baller spoon small amounts of eggplant gelatin onto a non-stick surface & freeze.

Cut frozen eggplant preserve to the size of the candy wrappers and return to the freezer for dipping in chocolate.

Frozen Maple Sugar cream:

In a double boiler heat real maple syrup to a low boil. Boil long enough create a thicker syrup. Let cool.

Combine:
Warm double boiled syrup or warm non-boiled syrup with a pint or more of heavy whipping cream. Beat with (preferably a non-hand held) electric beater. Use the whipped cream directions with a stand alone beater, should you have a hand held electric beater try not to completely churn out maple butter. This can take up to an hour.

Using a melon baller spoon maple sugar cream balls onto a freezer safe surface and let harden.

Chocolate for dipping:

Using a double boiler melt a spoonful of margarine with a quarter of the dipping chocolate. Keep this on a low heat. Add a quarter of your dipping chocolate for each item dipped: wrappers, eggplant preserve, and maple sugar cream balls. The last quarter will join the filled parts.

Line about a dozen candy wrappers with chocolate and freeze.

Dip about a dozen of the frozen solanum melongena esculentum preserve and freeze.

Dip about a dozen of the frozen maple sugar cream balls and freeze.

When these have hardened (a few minutes) assemble in each lined wrapper: 1 eggplant & 1 maple cream sugar ball. Fill with enough chocolate to join but, not melt, the filled chocolate parts. Freeze.

Carob for dipping:

Using a double boiler melt the carob with margarine. Use a lower heat than the chocolate, overcooked carob is bitter.

Fill the Interesting Narrative Confections with carob from the locust bean until it covers the frozen filled parts. Freeze until the confections harden.

Remove from the freezer to a cool non-refrigerated place, not directly in the sunlight. Store in an airtight rubber or plastic container.

Do not leave these for over an hour in the heat or sun.

-Karin Smith