There is a candy called "smoke sugar", that was made by a character in a story – it was a bubble of blown sugar, with a breath of hickory smoke in the center. The ingredients as listed were powdered sugar, grape acid (equivalent to citric or tartaric acid), and hickory wood for the smoke, and probably water as an unlisted ingredient.
I was wondering how realistic this candy is, especially to be made by a home cook. I did some research into making sugar-glass, which is made by heating sugar and water, and a small amount of acid to make a candy with. I also saw that blown sugar bubbles are sometimes used decoratively. I'm less sure if sugar-blowing requires special equipment to keep the molten sugar at the right temperature, or tools work with it without burning anything – or how dangerous it might be, with a possibility of inhaling the molten sugar. Perhaps the blown sugar globes I saw pictures of are made by commercial kitchens, or at least high-skill enthusiasts, who might have the necessary equipment and skill to make it safely.
I am also uncertain about the feasibility of adding the hickory smoke to the center. It seems to me that keeping the sugar-glass at workable temperatures for blowing globes with would be tricky enough without also trying to produce, and catch, hickory smoke to enclose in the bubble. I'm picturing using a mouthful of smoke to blow the breath that expands the globe (drawn into the mouth similarly to cigarette smoke, perhaps?), since the globe would have to be sealed off while still hot. But perhaps there's a better way?
Of course, the story character had pyromancy to keep the sugar at the right temperature, and control the smoking of the hickory wood, and tolerance to very high temperatures to keep from burning himself. But is this kind of candy possible for someone lacking these advantages?
I will likely cheat a bit to make something similar but easier by adding a drop of liquid smoke to regular sugar-glass for the flavor profile, to satisfy my curiosity. But I was wondering about the feasibility of the recipe technique as described in the story.
Best Answer
Almost exactly what you describe can be done, it’s shown in this video.
The sugar isn’t hot blown, it’s isomalt, a lower-calorie sugar substitute used in lower calorie candies and by foodies because it is formable into interesting shapes, like your sphere. It's a sugar alcohol, derived from sugar, and is considered "natural" (see What does "natural" actually mean?).
In order to make your spheres by this method, you would need isomalt, wood chips, a smoking gun, a way to pump air, protective gloves, a heat source, scissors, a small cutting form and a fan. It will also probably require boatloads of practice. The video links to a kit with most of what you would need.
Don the gloves, warm the isomalt, and then knead the isomalt by stretching and folding, taking care to get it all to the same temperature. After it’s well kneaded, form it into a ball just bigger than a golf ball.
Poke the ball with a finger, creating a deep hole to wrap around the nozzle of your blower gizmo. Warm the hole and fit it over the nozzle of the blower gizmo. Now it’s a little like filling a balloon, but he shows a lot more finesse.
Once you’ve got the sphere blown, cool it with a fan.
Warm the scissors and cut the sphere from the blower.
He cuts a larger hole for filling the sphere with smoke, but I don’t see that that step is really necessary, if you’re smart with the scissors step. But, what do I know?
Fill the ball with smoke using the smoking gun.
Turn it hole side down onto a plate and serve immediately.
I'm sure with practice you could plug the hole for an even cooler presentation, but you'd still have to serve it pretty quickly.
You can flavor isomalt, and you can add interesting color designs. It seems like it could be a pretty fun project.