How to Make Candied Lillypillies

This recipe takes the patience and perseverance of a saint I might add!

Ingredients:

½ kg ripe red lillypillies
4 ½ cups white sugar

½ cup of corn syrup

I find the ripe fruit of the lillypillies from Syzygium leuhmanii are the best ones to use as they have the richest flavour and colour. You will find some are almost seedless. Just taste them straight from the tree. If they have no leathery pip these are the ones I am talking about.

Wash and dry the lillypillies. Place the fruit in a heavy based saucepan and just cover with water. Simmer very gently till they start to look transparent.
Drain, keeping back 1 cup of liquid. Put the lillypillies into a baking dish in a single layer.
Add the liquid to the saucepan again with ½ cup of the sugar and all the corn syrup.
Turn up heat and bring to the boil. Boil gently for 1 minute. Pour over the lillypillies on the baking dish and leave in the fridge overnight.

The next day, pour the syrup back into a saucepan and add a further half-cup of the sugar. Heat it once again to dissolve the sugar heat to dissolve, bring to the boil, then pour over the fruit and leave overnight. Repeat daily using ½ cup of the sugar each day until there is no sugar left and the syrup is really thick and syrupy.
On the last day, put the lillypillies into sterilised jars and pour the syrup over. Seal and leave in your pantry for at least 3 weeks before using.

(It can be dried in a really cool oven or dehydrator instead of putting into jars at this stage, but I prefer the thick runny mix for cheese boards and using in ice creams and cassatas.)