How To Make Your Own Parisian Essence

Christmas (or Christmas in July) is the perfect time to pull out the old family fruit cake recipe. There is just one small problem - most of these tasty recipes include Parisian Essence, which is a difficult thing to find these days! If you can't seem to get your hands on Parisian Essence this festive season, why not make your own?

Parisian Essence is traditionally used as a browning agent for soups, broths, gravy, puddings and fruit cake to add the deep, dark brown colour we all know and love. Most of the traditional fruit cake recipes call for a drop or two of this highly sought after liquid gold. It used to be easy to grab while doing your groceries at Coles and Woolworths, but unfortunately it seems to have all but vanished from the shelves! 

If you can't get your hands on Parisian Essence this festive season, why not make your own?

PARISIAN ESSENCE 

Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Source: Australia's Best Recipes

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup hot water

METHOD

1. Melt 1 cup of sugar in a medium-heavy saucepan, over a low heat. 
2. Stir consistently until sugar is burnt black and smoky. Use of an exhaust fan is highly recommended. 
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little. 
4. Add 1 cup of hot water, a drop at a time. 
5. Be sure to add the hot water very slowly, to prevent spurting. 
6. Continue adding the water until the syrup is smooth. 
7. After all the water is added, stir again over low heat until the burnt sugar becomes a thin dark liquid. 
8. When cool, pour into a bottle. 

Parisian essence will keep for years, and the intense heat under which it is cooked destroys all sweetness. 

If you aren't too fussed on using the real stuff, why not use a brown gel food colour like this one to achieve the beautiful brown colour that Nana always had!