Recipe: Cinnamon Candied Crab Apples and Spun Sugar Nests

I found this recipe. Perhaps you could use this as a starting point. Good luck and please share your results with us.

Cinnamon Candied Crab Apples in a Nest of Spun Sugar served with Marscapone Fried Wontons drizzled with Warmed Chestnut Honey
Source: MasterChef USA / Submitted by Western - A Regional Contestant, Heather Rizzoli

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups corn syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon flavoring (to taste)
2 tsp. natural red food coloring
4 washed crab apples (or other miniature firm fruits such as Lady apples, Fiorelli pears, or Fuju persimmons)

Wontons

Oil, for frying
4 tbs. sugar
2 tbs. five-spice seasoning
2-4 wonton squares
Miniature butterfly cookie cutter
Oil for frying (32 oz.)
1/2 of a 16 oz. package of wonton wrappers
8 oz. container marscapone cheese
Small bowl of water
1/2 cup warmed chestnut honey (or other flavor), for garnish
Toasted pecans, for garnish

To start the Spun Sugar Nests, set up the work area. Cover the countertop and your floor with paper to protect and make clean-up easier. Oil 2 wooden rolling pins and suspend them 12 inches apart by using a homemade apparatus or suspending them from the counter top with strong tape so they extend over the floor. You can also tape the rolling pins to two chairs back to back. Make sure the rolling pins are parallel to one another and that they point towards you. Make sure the rolling pins are well oiled.

For the Candied Crab Apples, in a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Stir constantly and keep boiling until a candy thermometer reaches 310-359 F. Remove from the heat and add the flavoring and food color. Mix well. Dip four crab apples into the syrup and drain them over a rack.

For the Spun Sugar Nests, use a sugar spinning whisk or a whisk that has been cut at the top (through all of the wires) and dip it into the hot sugar mix. Wave the wand back and forth over the rolling pins. Do this quickly. The sugar will form fine threads. If the mixture gets too thick, you can reheat it until it is softened and melts again. Gather the strands into a circle forming a "nest" and set aside or keep in a sealed container to keep it from softening due to humidity. Make individual servings or one large nest.

For the Wontons, heat oil 3-4 inches deep in a wok. Mix the sugar and the five-spice seasoning in a small bowl. Cut out a couple of butterfly shapes using 2-4 wonton wrappers and the miniature butterfly cookie cutter. Fry the shapes in the hot oil. Drain on towels and sprinkle with a mixture of the five-spice and sugar mix. Fill 12 wonton wrappers with approximately 1/2 tablespoon of the marscapone cheese in each of the centers. Moisten the edges of the wonton using the small bowl of water and fold the sides together. Press the sides together well, creating a pocket and making sure they are sealed. Fry them in hot oil until light golden brown.

To serve, set a spun sugar nest on a plate and place a candied crab apple in the center. Place 3 wontons on each plate and drizzle with the warmed chestnut honey. Garnish with the wonton butterflies and toasted pecans. Serve immediately.