You may use fillings of any kind you are particularly fond of, but we
will mention a few, so as to give you an idea of the different kinds,
and will tell you how to use them later on. One of the finest fillings
is composed of candied cherries and candied citron ground up together,
or chopped very fine. If you should have a food grinder in the house,
use that for this purpose; but if you have none, a chopping knife and
bowl will answer the purpose. About two parts cherries and one part
citron makes a fine combination, but you may use any proportion you
wish. A small amount of candied orange peel ground with them, gives a
peculiar flavor, which is liked by many Any kind of candied fruit,
such as pears, plums, limes, or pineapple, ground very fine, make a
nice filling. Figs, after removing the hard part around the stem, then
ground up alone or with a little orange peel added to them, make a very
fine filling. In fact, most any fruit of this order, such as raisins or
dates, will do, but they are not so nice as the French candied fruits.
It is best to prepare quite an amount of these different fillings while
you are at it, as they will keep indefinitely without drying out, if
put in a small jar of some kind with a tight cover on it. By doing this
you will save a great deal of time and trouble, as your fillings are
always prepared for you, and any time you wish to make a few bon-bons
it will not be necessary to stop and grind your fillings.
Almond paste, which may be purchased at any bakery where they make
macaroons, makes a very fine filling. It is all prepared when you buy
it, and is to be worked in with the bon-bon cream the same as the
chopped fruit. It is not expensive, and will also keep for a long time
in a closed jar.
Ground pecans, English walnuts, hickory nuts, and Brazil nuts
(sometimes called nigger toes), are about the best nuts to use for
centers. It is also best to grind as many of these at a time as
possible, as they will not spoil in cold weather. Fresh grated cocoanut
may also be used, by working it in your bon-bon cream, for centers of
cocoanut bon-bons; but we will tell you a much nicer way to make a
cocoanut filling later on. Any bon-bon with the ground fruit center in
it will keep fresh much longer than one in which you use only nuts. You
will find that, if you put enough ground fruit in the centers, after
your bon-bons are a week or ten days old, they are very soft and sticky
inside, which is caused by the fruit sweating, and are delicious. Some
people will wonder how you were ever able to get a center so soft.
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