Burnt Almonds

Put a pound and a half of sugar and half of a vanilla bean in a pan, dissolve it with a little water and stand it on the fire to cook to thirty-four degrees (syrup gauge), then add one pound of fine almonds; mix all together with a wooden spoon and continue to cook until the sugar reaches "crack" (No. 171), stirring the almonds steadily till the sugar granulates. Take the pan from the fire and pour both sugar and almonds into a coarse sieve to separate the almonds from the granulated sugar, return the almonds to the pan, stand it on the fire and stir constantly until the sugar covering the almonds melts away, adding from time to time a small handful of the granulated sugar. As soon as all the sugar is added and that surrounding the almonds is well dissolved, pour it immediately on to a slab, separating them from each other, and leave to cool. Put a heaping tablespoonful of dissolved gum arabic in a basin, dilute it with a little water and let it come to a boil; then add the burnt almonds and toss until entirely covered; pour at once on to a sieve and place in the heater to dry.