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Before you begin this recipe, please take a class from a professional on working with sugar.
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This is a skill that professional pastry chefs develop after years of experience.
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Working with sugar will burn your fingers so know before you start that your fingers will develop burn blisters.
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Place the sugar, vinegar and water in a saucepan over high heat.
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Insert a candy thermometer and cook until the sugar reaches 320 degrees F. Use a pastry brush to keep the inside of the saucepan clean as the sugar cooks or the sugar may recrystallize.
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To do this, dip a clean brush in cold water and brush the inside of the pan clean.
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Pour the cooked sugar onto 3 or 4 silicone baking mats.
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If you want to color and/or flavor the sugar with food colors and/or flavored oils, this is the time to do so.
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Add a few drops of color to the sugar.
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Mix with a wooden skewer.
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To get started, push the sugar from the sides toward the center.
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This process takes a little while.
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Try to keep the sugar divided by color.
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Use the mat to push the firm sugar around the edges toward the center.
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Use a folding motion to accomplish that task.
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The next step is to pick up the sugar with your hands.
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Place each color under the heat of the sugar lamp.
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Pull the sugar until it becomes glossy and the color is evenly distributed.
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You will need to pull the colors simultaneously.
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Keep them under the sugar lamp but keep an eye on them.
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The lamp can melt the sugar so it is important keep rotating it and folding it onto itself.
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Start with 2 colors.
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I used green (mint) and yellow (lemon).
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Place the sugar pieces side- to-side.
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Pull and lengthen.
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Cut in half.
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Place them side-to-side again.
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Pull to lengthen.
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Cut in half and place them side-to-side.
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Now you have a flat piece of sugar that you are pulling long.
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Cut off the ends, (they are bulky), when the sugar starts to harden.
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Make some waves to create the ribbon.
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Join the 2 edges to make a circular ribbon.
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Voila!
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Beautiful for the holidays.
