Caramel Sauce

Caramel Sauce (El Franfraniche)

Contributor: Luigi Zanon

 

Introduction of Caramel Sauce

When these delicacies Venetian food recipes Caramel Sauce were ready, children were often the volunteers who happily 'sacrificed' themselves in spinning the hot sugar. Children loved to lick their fingers! In those days, "the gentlemen" called franfraniche, "lollipops" probably not knowing how true that was!

Making franfranches was a rather overworked job. Zanmaria, one of the "franfraniche" Venetian recipe in Santa Margherita, near the "Vecchio" cinema, used to give a generous slice of lard or chestnuts to the children who helped him pull the sugar. He was the grandson of the famous Zanmaria de le fritole (Gianmaria of the doughnuts) and carried on the family tradition.

Ingredients for making Caramel Sauce

5 kg caster sugar
water
5 egg whites
food colours
toothpicks

How to make Caramel Sauce?

Cook the 5 kg of caster sugar in water. In the meantime, beat the 5 egg whites until thick. When the sugar is cooked, add the beaten egg whites and pour the dough onto a marble surface to cool.

Once the dough has warmed up, the dough is rolled into a large cylinder, drawing long coloured stripes on the inside: red, green, yellow. The dough is then stretched. The sugar 'salami' is rolled out by grabbing the two ends and folding it in half on a hook attached to the base of the workbench. The hands are constantly moistened so that they do not stick to the hot sugar and can continue to pull the ends together.

When it is stretched out enough, work the ends into the centre and repeat the operation. When well stretched, with the colours aligned and intertwined, the sugar, now very long and narrow, is again laid on the marble, and cut into pieces of different sizes according to the prices to be applied. A toothpick is applied to each piece and they are all laid on a plate which will then be displayed to the public.

Original Venetian Version Caramel Sauce

Ma anca par far el “franfraniche” la jera ‘na fadiga…
El Zanmaria, quelo del “franfraniche” a S.Margherita, arente al cine vecio, a chi che ghe dava da man a tirar el “franfraniche” el ghe donava ‘na slepa de gardo.
El Zanmaria el jera el nevodo del famoso “Zanmaria de le fritole” de antica memoria, e el portava ancora avanti la tradission.

El toleva 5 chili de zucaro e lo cucinava in te l’aqua apena coverto, col jera coto lo destirava sora la tola de marmo che el se rafredasse, ma prima el ghe meteva dentro 5 ciare de vovo montae a neve. El lo fava suzo come un grosso salame e in mezo el ghe zontava par la so longhessa i colori de anilina che serviva: rosso, verde, zalo.
Dopo el vantava sto salame de zucaro e el scominsiava a tirarlo.

Par tirarlo el lo vantava par le do estremità, lo passava par un grosso ganso che el aveva tacà su la piantana del banchetto, e se dava ‘na spuaciada ne le man acciò che el zucaro no se tacasse, e lo tirava, po’ lo fava suzo come par piegarlo, nantra spuaciada e nantra tirada dei di pinzi sora el ganso.

Noantri putei che gavevimo zà visto come che el fava, se ofrivimo volontari par tiralo fin che el jera beo caldo. E zà ste spuaciae ne le man…

Col jera ben tirà e che tuti i so bravi colori i jera ben alineai, lo destirava da novo sora el marmo, lo tarava a tocheti secondo i pressi (da 5 o da 10 lire), el ghe impirava un steccadente e li meteva sul piato in bea mostra.

Co so deventà grando (se fa par dir…) go savùo che i siori lo ciamava - e i lo ciama ancora - el leca leca!