CRYSTALLIZED OR CANDIED SUGAR.--Provide a round mold, smaller at the
bottom than the top, of any size you may think proper, made either of
tin or copper, with holes pierced round the sides about three inches
asunder, so as to fasten strings across in regular rows from the top
to the bottom, leaving sufficient room for the sugar to crystallize on
each string without touching, or it will form a complete mass; paste
paper round the outside to prevent the syrup from running through
the holes. Have the mold prepared, and let it be clean and dry; take
sufficient clarified syrup to fill the mold, and boil it to the degree
of crystallization or the feather, and add a little spirit of wine;
remove it from the fire, and let it rest until a thin skin is formed
on the surface, which you must carefully remove with a skimmer; then
pour it into the mold, and place it in the hot closet, where you let it
remain _undisturbed_ for eight or nine days, at 90 degrees of heat, or
half that time at 100; then make a hole, and drain off the superfluous
sugar into a pan placed below to receive it; let it drain quite dry,
which will take about twelve hours; then wash off the paper from the
mold with warm water, place it near the fire, and keep turning it to
warm it equally all round; then turn it up and strike the mold rather
hard upon the table, when the sugar will relieve itself and come
out; put it on a stand or sieve in the closet, raise the heat to 120
degrees, and let it remain until perfectly dry.
Particular attention should be paid to the heat of the closet, which
must be kept regular and constant, and this can easily be accomplished
at a small expense with many of the patent stoves which are now in
general use, and also without causing any dust. A Fahrenheit's or
Reaumur's thermometer should be so placed that the heat may at all
times be ascertained.
This may be colored with prepared cochineal, or other liquid color, or
by grinding any particular color with the spirits of wine, and adding
it to the syrup before it comes to the feather.
CRYSTALLIZED CHOCOLATE.--Prepare some sugar, as in the preceding
articles, and pour it into the box. When a thin crust is formed on the
top, make a hole on one side, and put the articles previously shaped
with chocolate, as for drops, gently under, with your finger; put them
in the stove to crystallize, as other articles. After the syrup is
drained off, and the articles dried, they must remain until quite cold
before being turned out, as the chocolate continues soft for some time.
FRUITS, TO CRYSTALLIZE.--Have a square or round tin box, smaller at the
bottom than at the top, with wire gratings made to fit at convenient
distances, and having a hole with a tube or pipe to admit a cork, and
drain off the syrup. Take any preserved fruits wet, drain them from
the syrup, and dip them in lukewarm water to take off any syrup which
may adhere to them; dry them in the closet; when dried, place them in
layers on the gratings, side by side, so as not to touch each other;
continue in this manner with any sort of fruit until the box is full;
then fix the whole with a weight to keep it steady. Boil a sufficiency
of clarified sugar to fill the box to the degree of crystallization or
the blow, add a little spirit of wine, and remove it from the fire.
When a thin skin has formed on the top, remove it carefully with a
skimmer, and pour the sugar into the mold; place it in the closet at
90 degrees of heat, and let it remain for twelve hours, then drain off
the syrup into a pan from the tube at bottom, and let it remain in the
closet until quite dry; then turn them out by striking the box hard
upon the table, separate them carefully, and put them in boxes with
paper between each layer. When different fruits, paste, knots, etc.,
are mixed together indiscriminately, it is termed mile-fruit candy. Any
sort of fruit or gum pastes, when thoroughly dried, may be crystallized
in the same manner. When the syrup is drained off, if you find the
size of the crystals is not large enough, another lot of syrup maybe
prepared and poured over it; let it remain in the closet for seven or
eight hours, then drain and finish as before.
If small pieces of stick are pushed down at each corner, or in any
other vacancy, when you fill the mold, one of these may be withdrawn at
any time you may wish to ascertain the size of the crystals, which will
save the trouble of giving a second charge of sugar.
LIQUEUR RINGS, DROPS AND OTHER DEVICES.--These are all made after the
same manner. A square box is necessary, which you fill with very dry
starch powder. Sugar, powdered very fine and dried, will answer the
same purpose. The depth of the box should be suited to the articles
intended to be made. Shake the box, or pass a knife repeatedly through
the powder, that it may be solid; smooth the surface with a straight
piece of wood; have a thin piece of flat board, on which is fastened a
number of little devices, about an inch asunder, and to suit the width
of the box; these may be made either of lead, plaster, or wood, in the
form of rings, diamonds, stars, bottles, scissors, harps, shoes, or any
other form your fancy may suggest; make the impression in the powder
in regular rows, until the box is full; then prepare some sugar as for
the preceding articles, boiling it to the blow, and flavoring it with
any sort of spirit or liqueur, such as brandy, rum, noyau, maraschino,
cinnamon, rosolis, etc., coloring the syrup accordingly. It should be
prepared in a pan with a lip to it.
When a thin skin has formed on the top, place a cork in the lip of the
pan, but not to close it, allowing a space for the sugar to run out,
the cork being merely to keep back the skin; then fill the impressions
you made in the powder, and place them in the stove at 90 degrees; let
them remain a day, then take them out, and their surfaces will be found
quite hard and solid; brush the powder from them with a light brush,
when they may either be painted, crystallized, or piped. Many of these
bonbons are beautifully piped and colored to represent dogs, horses,
costumer, and theatrical characters; the fur on the robes is imitated
with white or colored sugar in coarse grains, and lace work is done by
means of a pin.
Liqueur drops are made with the impression of half a ball to any
required size, or other forms. If the flat parts of two are moistened,
put together, and dried in the stove, they will form drops perfectly
round.
TO FORM A CHAIN WITH LIQUEUR RINGS.--Have some molds to form the
impressions in powder, as in the preceding, in the shape of the links
of a chain; fill them with syrup at the blow, as before, and put them
in the stove for a day; when they are hard and fit to be taken out,
place them on their ends in the powder; have another mold of a link
in two halves, and with this form the impression between each of the
others so as to make it complete; then fill them, and finish as before.