The Candy Cookbook (9 page)

Put ingredients in a smooth saucepan, stir, place on range, and heat to boiling point. Wash off sugar which adheres to sides of saucepan with a butter brush dipped in cold water, and boil without stirring to 310°F (154.4°C), or until syrup begins to discolor. Remove saucepan at once from fire, and place in a larger pan of cold water to instantly stop the boiling. Remove from cold water, and place in a saucepan of hot water. Take nuts separately on long pins or steel skewers, or with a small pair of tweezers, dip in syrup to cover, remove from syrup, and place on a tin sheet.

For Glacé Fruits, white grapes, strawberries, sections of oranges or mandarins, kumquats, candied cherries and other candied fruits, dates, and figs may be used.

Separate grapes from the clusters, leaving a short piece of stem on each grape.

Strawberries must be carefully dried, and the hulls left on.

Oranges and mandarins should have the skin carefully pulled off, not cut off, and should be separated into sections without breaking the membrane. Seeds may be removed through a tiny opening made on the inside edge of each piece of fruit.

Cherries are used whole. Candied pineapple and other candied fruits should be cut in pieces.

Prepare syrup as for Glacé Nuts, and dip fruit, one piece at a time, using a small pair of tweezers or a candy dipper, cover each piece completely with syrup, and then lay on a bright tin pan. Glacé Fruits keep but a day, and should be attempted only in cold clear weather.

They are attractive when served in individual paper cases.

Brush marshmallows, and dip one at a time in syrup prepared as for Glacé Nuts.

Cut or shape pieces of almond paste, prepared as for Almond Fruits (page
186
), and dip pieces one at a time in syrup prepared as for Glacé Nuts.

Cut in cubes Mint Jelly (see page
138
), Apple Paste (see page
136
) colored red and flavored with oil of clove, or Orange Pastilles (see page
138
). Dip in syrup prepared as for Glacé Nuts.

Wipe and remove cores from apples, stone dates, chop both dates and nuts, mix, and use to fill cavities in apples. Cook sugar and water until brittle when tried in cold water. Put a skewer in each apple, dip apple in syrup; when covered, remove and cool.

Put sugar and water in saucepan, add color paste as desired – a small bit of red on the end of a toothpick will be sufficient to make pink roses – cover, and boil 3 minutes. With a clean butter brush dipped in water wash all grains of sugar from sides of saucepan to avoid every tendency of the syrup to become granular. Add cream of tartar, put in thermometer if one is to be used, and boil without stirring to 300°F (148.9°C), or until syrup will instantly crack and become like glass when a little is dropped from tip of spoon into cold water. Another way to tell when syrup is done is to boil it until it begins to change color on one side of saucepan. Pour syrup on to a slightly oiled pan or white agate tray, and place tray on top of saucepan of boiling water, on the stove or in front of a gas oven. As soon as candy can be handled it should be pulled until glossy, keeping it always near the heat of a stove. Return candy to tray, allow it to become softened, detach a small portion, and shape into a closely curled rose petal. Place on a marble slab or tin sheet, away from the heat. Shape a second petal, and fold it around the first petal to form center of rose.

Shape eight rose petals, adding them to the rose center one at
a time as they are made, holding them in place at the base with a drop of melted candy. If a petal breaks it may be returned to the tray, softened, and molded again, though the gloss of worked-over candy is not so high. After the desired number of roses are made, the remainder of the candy may be colored dark green, and leaves and calyxes made.

These roses are very effective when placed in a bed of white or green spun sugar and used as a garnish for ices. A variety of shapes, colors, and flowers may be made as the artist becomes accustomed to working with the candy, and learns to keep it just warm and soft enough to handle comfortably.

Put sugar and water in saucepan, stir until dissolved, add coloring if desired, cover, and boil 3 minutes. Remove cover, add cream of tartar, and boil to 300°F (148.9°C), or until it cracks in cold water. Reduce heat if necessary to keep syrup from burning. Pour on to a buttered pan, and keep in a warm place, either in front of a warm gas-stove oven, or on the back of a range.

Take up a small portion, being careful not to burn the fingers, and pull a moment until glossy, make into a flat, even lozenge, pull out evenly until thin as glass, and shape over a small cup or bowl. Keep in a cool place until wanted for use. Candy must be kept warm while handling, and work must be done rapidly. If candy gets brittle too soon, melt it by setting saucepan over the fire on a very heatproof mat, and use again. Shape handles of strips of pulled candy, and fasten to basket with a drop of melted candy.

Fill candy cups with sherbet or bonbons, and decorate with a spray of candy flowers.

Put ingredients in a smooth saucepan. Bring to the boiling point and let boil without stirring until syrup reaches a temperature of 290°F (143.3°C), or until candy cracks when tried in cold water.

Wash off sugar which adheres to sides of saucepan with a butter brush dipped in cold water. Set saucepan in larger saucepan containing cold water to instantly stop cooking; then set in a saucepan of boiling water, that syrup may not cool too rapidly.

Brush over a timbale iron with olive oil and wipe with soft paper. Dip into syrup, taking care that syrup covers iron to only two thirds its depth. Remove from syrup, invert iron, and swing in front of an open window. As soon as cup is formed, take from iron. Cool iron and repeat.

It is well to have two irons, so that one may cool while the other is being used. If a color scheme is to be carried out, the syrup may be colored as desired before boiling.

Arrange cups on a bed of spun sugar, and fill with candies.

Put sugar, water, and cream of tartar in saucepan, add color paste if desired, and boil without stirring to 310°F (154.4°C), or until syrup spins a very long thread. Place saucepan immediately into a dish of cold water to stop the boiling, and then set it in hot water. Have ready two parallel, horizontal bars about three feet apart, with paper beneath to protect floor from sugar. Dip sugar spinner, or a bunch of wires in syrup, and wave swiftly back and forth between the bars. Syrup will spin long threads; these should be gathered up from time
to time and placed on a cool platter. If syrup gets sugary, place it for a moment on the fire to melt. Spun sugar is used as a garnish around molds of ice cream or glacé fruits and nuts. Spun sugar is easily made in cool weather, but softens very quickly in hot weather. It keeps best if put in a tightly covered box or pail in the refrigerator.

Wipe fresh mint leaves, remove from stems, and brush each leaf with white of egg, beaten until stiff. Dip in one third cup granulated sugar flavored with five drops oil of spearmint. Place closely together on a cake rack covered with wax paper, and let stand in a slow oven until dry. If the leaves are not thoroughly coated, the process may be repeated.

Take Seckel or Bartlett pears which have not begun to ripen, and pare them, leaving the stems on. Prick in several places, cover with cold water, and add a crystal of burnt Alum for each two pears. Bring to boiling point, and cook gently until they are tender, being careful that they do not go to pieces. Put pears in cold water, changing it several times until pears look clear.

Make syrup by boiling two cups sugar and one cup water for 5 minutes, then cool.

Drain pears, cover with cold syrup, and leave for 24 hours. Drain syrup from pears, add one cup sugar, bring to boiling point, cool, and pour over pears. Again let stand for 24 hours, drain syrup, add one cup sugar, bring to boiling point, and pour over the pears while hot.

Again let stand for 24 hours, drain off syrup, and cook until it spins a long thread. Add pears, let them boil for 1 minute, and return both fruit and syrup to the crock for another 24 hours. Drain syrup, cook to 228°F (108.9°C), add pears, let them boil once, remove from syrup, let fruit dry, and it is ready for use.

Select firm, red cranberries, wash, dry, and prick two or three times with needle. Boil sugar and water until it spins a thread, put in cranberries, and cook gently until syrup will jelly when tested from tip of spoon. Remove berries, one at a time, to wax paper, and let stand in the air until well dried. Roll in granulated sugar, and use like candied cherries.

Wash and wipe three thick skinned grapefruit, and remove the peel in six sections lengthwise of fruit. Soak overnight in one quart of cold water to which is added one tablespoon salt. Drain, put in saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to boiling point; repeat this process three times, cooking in the last water until peel is soft and tender. Drain, and cut with scissors into thin narrow strips. Weigh the peel. Put an equal weight of sugar into a saucepan, add half a cup of water, bring syrup to boiling point, add the peel, and cook until it is clear. Remove each piece separately, drain, and place on a plate to cool, then roll each piece in confectioners’ sugar and spread out to dry. When well dried, store in glass jars.

Remove the peel in lengthwise sections from four oranges, cover with cold water, bring to the boiling point, and cook slowly until soft and tender. Drain, remove the fibrous inside portion, and with the scissors cut peel in thin narrow strips. In a saucepan put one cup of sugar and half a cup of water, and boil until syrup will spin a thread when allowed to drip from the tip of a spoon. Put strips of orange peel into the syrup, and cook until clear. Remove to plate, let stand until cool, and roll in granulated sugar.

Rub the entire surface of blocks of sugar over the rind of oranges that have been washed and wiped dry. Crush the blocks of orange sugar with a rolling pin, and force through a coarse strainer.

Use lemons, and follow directions for making Orange Sugar.

Cut a half-inch gash on flat side of chestnuts, and put in frying pan with butter. Shake over fire until butter is melted. Put in hot oven and let stand 5 minutes. Remove from oven, and with a small knife take off shells and skins. Cover chestnuts with cold water, add lemon juice, and soak overnight. Drain, cover with boiling water, simmer gently until tender, and drain. Put sugar and water in saucepan, stir until sugar is dissolved, boil five minutes, add vanilla and chestnuts, and keep hot without boiling for two hours. Drain syrup from nuts, boil until it spins a long thread, pour over the nuts, and leave overnight. Repeat. Again drain, add one teaspoon corn syrup, and boil to 238°F (114.4°C), or until syrup spins a thread. Add chestnuts, and allow syrup to boil up once over the nuts. Remove from fire, stir gently until syrup begins to grain, and remove chestnuts quickly to buttered tin. Serve in paper cases.