FRUIT CANDIES
SOME of the most delicious home-made candies are made with the addition
of fruits to the other ingredients. All kinds of candied fruits, also
many kinds of dried fruits, such as dates, figs, raisins and prunes may
be used in candy-making. Many may not know that just as delicious
candies can be made with our home-preserved fruits.
Candied fruits are in most cases expensive, but they can be made at
home, and therefore the expense cut down. Cherries can be candied in the
following manner: Select nice, large, and not over-ripe cherries for
this purpose. Stone them carefully. Weigh the cherries, and to each
pound of the fruit add two pounds of sugar, using only the best
granulated for this purpose. Put the sugar in a kettle with one-half
cupful of water, and boil to a thick syrup, removing all scum as it
arises. Place a few of the cherries in at a time, and let simmer slowly
until the fruit is transparent. Remove the fruit with a strainer, and
add more of them until all have been cooked in this manner. Then place
them back in syrup and let them stand over night in it. In the morning
remove and place them out in the sun. It is a good idea to place them in
a sieve, spreading them over it, and then cover the sieve with netting.
They can be dried in the oven if desired, but one must be careful that
they do not burn. When dried place in boxes between layers of paraffine
paper, sprinkling each layer with powdered sugar. Place in a dry place
until ready to use them in making candies. Pears, quinces, pineapples,
peaches and plums may all be candied. Select firm-textured fruit and
boil until tender in water before placing in the syrup; then proceed as
in candying the cherries. Orange and lemon rind may also be candied.
Remove the skin from the oranges or lemons in quarters and simmer in
water until soft; then drain and remove all the white portion by
scraping with a silver knife or spoon. Cut the oranges or lemons into
small strips with the scissors, cook in the thick syrup, and roll in
granulated sugar.
QUINCE CONFECTIONS
Melt some fondant in a bowl, flavor with orange or lemon. Put some
preserved quinces into the oven until dry. Dip each quarter into melted
fondant. Place on oiled paper to dry. Preserved pineapple can be used in
the same way.
MARASCHINO DROPS
Take maraschino cherries. Dip into melted white or pink fondant that has
been flavored with almond extract; then when hardened dip into melted
chocolate fondant, or melted chocolate.
STRAWBERRY DIVINITY FUDGE
Place in a saucepan two cupfuls of granulated sugar, half a cupful of
water and a fourth teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Boil to the hard ball
stage. Add one glassful of whole preserved strawberries and boil up
again. Pour the mixture over the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs and
beat up until light and foamy. When the mixture begins to harden pour
into buttered pans and when cool cut into squares. Any thick preserved
fruits can be used in the same way. Preserved strawberries and preserved
pineapple are good combined, half and half of each being used. If pear
preserves are used a little chopped ginger will be an improvement.
TUTTI-FRUTTI CREAM
Melt one pound of fondant in a double-boiler, add one teaspoonful of
vanilla or orange flavor; then add one tablespoonful of strawberry
preserves (using only the berries), one tablespoonful of preserved
cherries, two tablespoonfuls of preserved or candied pineapple, and one
tablespoonful each of peach and pear preserves. The addition also of a
teaspoonful each of candied orange and lemon peel will improve the
mixture. When partly cool pour into a mold for slicing or form into
bonbon shapes. If not quite stiff enough add powdered sugar to make of
the right consistency to mold nicely. These can be rolled in powdered
sugar or dipped in colored melted fondant or coated with chocolate.
PEAR CARAMELS
Place in a saucepan two cupfuls of light brown sugar, one cupful of corn
syrup, half a cupful of good milk and one tablespoonful of butter. Boil
for a few minutes, then add one cupful of preserved pears, half a cupful
of chopped candied ginger and a fourth cupful of candied lemon peel.
Boil to the hard ball stage, add one teaspoonful of orange flavor and
pour into pans. When cold cut into squares. Peach caramels are made in
the same manner, only instead of the candied ginger a cupful of chopped
almonds is added, the orange or lemon peel is omitted and almond extract
used.
MARZIPAN FRUIT CANDIES
Delicious fruit candies can be made by using marzipan paste. To make
this paste take one cup of blanched almonds and run them through a food
chopper; then pound to a fine flour. Place in a bowl and add to this
flour the same amount of powdered sugar. Use enough water, rose water,
orange juice or grape juice to make stiff paste--about three ounces will
be enough. Beat an egg up stiff and work it into the paste. Roll out the
marzipan an inch thick and cut into rounds or squares. Place a bit of
preserved fruit on each one and mold the paste up around it. Place in
the oven until the candies are dry. Another way to make the paste is to
boil the ingredients. Use about three ounces of rose water or other
liquid to the amount of almonds and sugar given above. Stir over a slow
fire until when touched with the finger the syrup will cling. When cool
knead into a paste.
SURPRISE DATES
Select some nice large dates and remove the stones. Fill some of the
cavities with chopped raisins, figs, nuts and so forth, and some with
chopped candied cherries; try to have the varieties of fillings as great
as possible. Fondant with several different flavorings may also be
used. Dip some of these stuffed dates in chocolate fondant, some in
different colored fondants and some in plain white. Every date eaten
then will prove to be a surprise and delight.
MARSHMALLOW FRUIT FUDGE
Tear out a piece from the center of each marshmallow, being careful not
to make a hole quite through it. Fill the cavities thus formed with any
good preserved fruit. Make a chocolate fudge and pour it over the
marshmallows, which should have been placed on greased paper in a pan.
Be sure that the fruit is entirely covered. When cold cut out in cakes;
they can be dipped in chocolate or left as they are. These are delicious
and will prove an agreeable surprise to those who have never eaten them
before.
FROSTED FRUIT FUDGE
Make a good chocolate fudge, beating it until creamy, and pour it into a
greased pan to about an inch in depth. When this is almost hard cover
with any thick preserved fruit desired. Then place in a kettle one cup
of granulated sugar, a fourth cupful of water and a pinch of cream of
tartar. When the mixture has boiled to the hard ball stage pour it over
the stiffly beaten white of one egg, add a teaspoonful of vanilla, or
the kind of flavoring that will combine best with the fruit used, and
beat up until light and foamy. Pour this over the fruit in the pan. When
cold cut into squares, and you will have a delicious candy. Nut meats
can be mixed in with the fruit. Almonds are also very good combined with
peach preserves.
CHERRY FOAM
Place in a saucepan two cupfuls of granulated sugar, half a cupful of
water and a fourth teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Boil until it forms a
hard ball. Just before taking the syrup from the fire stir in a cupful
of preserved cherries--the clear, transparent kinds are best. Pour the
mixture over the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs and beat until light
and foamy. Lay whole candied cherries two inches apart on waxed or
greased paper and drop the foam by spoonfuls on these, pressing candied
cherries on top of each. This candy is not only delicious but pretty to
the eye as well.
FIG FAVORITES
Select the best quality of figs and steam until soft, then make an
incision in each lengthwise and stuff with chopped nut meats. Close and
place on a buttered pan. Boil together two cupfuls of sugar, one-half
cupful of water, and one-fourth teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Boil
until it will make a hard ball when dropped into cold water, flavor with
a little vanilla, and then pour over the stuffed figs. When nearly cold
mark off into squares, then dip in melted chocolate.
PINEAPPLE MARSHMALLOWS
Soak four ounces of gum arabic in one cupful of pineapple juice until
dissolved; then strain through cheese-cloth. Put into a saucepan with
one-half pound of best powdered sugar and place saucepan in a pan of
hot water on the stove. Stir the mixture until it becomes thick and
white. Drop a little into cold water, and if it becomes a firm ball,
remove from the fire and whip into it the stiffly beaten whites of three
eggs. Flavor with a teaspoonful of vanilla. Dust a square pan with
corn-starch and pour in the mixture until an inch thick. Let it stand in
a cool place for twelve hours, then cut it into inch squares and roll in
a mixture of powdered sugar and corn-starch.
FRUIT CHOCOLATE BALLS
Take one cupful each of dates, seeded raisins and English walnut meats.
Pass through a food chopper. Form into balls, and dip into melted
chocolate fondant.
WATERMELON DAINTY
Take two cupfuls of sugar, one-fourth cupful of water, one tablespoonful
of white corn syrup, and a pinch of cream of tartar and boil until it
spins a thread or to 230 degrees. Pour over the stiffly beaten whites of
two eggs, and beat up until light and foamy. Add one teaspoonful of
vanilla, one cupful of chopped preserved watermelon rind, and one-half
cupful of chopped nut meats. Color pink with a little red fruit or
vegetable coloring. Pour into a buttered pan or mold to cool and cut
into squares.
DATE DELIGHT
Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, one cupful of milk, and one
tablespoonful of butter. Boil to the soft ball stage. Add a teaspoonful
of vanilla, and one cupful of chopped dates. Beat up until creamy. Pour
into buttered pan or mold, and cut into squares when cold.
STUFFED PRUNES
Remove the stones from the prunes. Crack the stones and chop up the
pits. Add the chopped pits to chopped dates, and fill the cavities of
the prunes with the mixture. Dip the prunes in melted fondant. Another
way to stuff the prunes is to stone some dates, fit a cherry inside of
each date, then fit the date into the prune, and dip in the fondant.
The prunes should be soaked in water for several hours before stuffing,
and should be drained and wiped dry. Prunes filled with fondant or
fondant and nuts mixed are also delicious.
FRUIT ROLL
Cook two cupfuls of brown sugar, one-half cupful of golden corn syrup
and one-fourth cupful of water until it spins a thread. Remove from the
fire and add the grated rind of one lemon and one orange, and a
teaspoonful of the juice of each, one cupful of seeded raisins, one
cupful of English currants, one-half cupful of cocoanut, one-half cupful
of dates, and one-fourth cupful of figs; these fruits should all be run
through a food chopper. Stir all until it forms a mass. Roll out into a
thin sheet, and then roll up like a jelly roll, and cut into thin
slices.
JELLY CAKE CANDY
Melt some fondant and pour into a square or round mold. Candy boxes
lined with waxed paper will do. When cool place over this a thin layer
of some thick jelly, such as currant, red raspberry, or orange; then
pour over this another layer of fondant, and when this has cooled spread
with another thin layer of jelly and pour over the top some more
fondant. The layers of fondant may be colored differently if desired,
and flavored to suit the jelly used. When cold turn out of mold, and cut
into thin slices.