Candied Pumpkin with Chocolate

Ingredients

• 400 g pumpkin flesh (firm, fresh, peeled)
• 350 g cane sugar
• 50 g dextrose
• 2 tbsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (ground)
• 1 tsp allspice (ground)
• 1 tsp cloves (ground)
• 1 tsp nutmeg (ground)
• 150 g dark chocolate couverture

Instructions

1. 1.

   Cut the pumpkin flesh into sticks about 4 cm long and 1 cm wide. Bring 250 ml water to a boil and blanch the pumpkin sticks for 7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Mix the remaining liquid with cane sugar and dextrose. Sprinkle the pumpkin sticks with the spices. Let the liquid and the sticks separate, uncovered at room temperature, for 12 hours. Reduce the liquid into a thick syrup and pour it hot over the pumpkin sticks.

2. 2.

   Let the sticks soak in the syrup for 24 hours. Drain the syrup, reduce it again to a thicker consistency, pour it over the sticks once more, and let them soak for another 24 hours. Then lay the sticks on a cooling rack and allow them to dry for about 24 hours.

3. 3.

   Cut the chocolate into pieces and melt it in a double boiler. Dip the sticks halfway into the melted chocolate, let excess drip off, and place them on parchment paper to set.