of corn syrup, one-third of a cupful of strained honey, and one-third of
a cupful of strained cooked tomato; boil the mixture to two hundred and
sixty degrees. Beat three egg whites very stiff, and remove the mixture
from the fire. Until about one-half of a cupful has been so used, dip a
spoonful at a time on the eggs, beating the mass continuously. From this
point on, use an asbestos mat under the pan. Return the remainder to the
stove. This time cook the mass to two hundred and ninety degrees. Pour
it over the eggs, again beating continuously. Thereupon, set the mixture
on the stove once more. The mass should cook slowly until, when tried in
water, a sample of it has the consistency that is desired in the
finished candy. Some people like the vegetable nougatine soft, others
like it "chewy," and still others want it to be hard. Stir in one-half
of a cupful of almonds, blanched and cut into small pieces, and one-half
of a cupful of garden "ginger" also cut into small pieces.
Line a shallow straight-sided pan with wafer paper. Pour in the candy,
and press a sheet of wafer paper onto the top. Let the mixture stand
over night. The next morning remove the candy, paper and all, from the
pan and place it on a marble slab, slightly oiled. With a long, thin
knife, cut it into strips one and one-half inches long, and
three-eighths of an inch thick and deep. Do not attempt to cut directly
through the candy, but use a sawing motion. Immediately wrap the pieces
in parchment paper.
Wafer paper, be it noted, is made from rice. It is easily soluble in
water and may be eaten with impunity.
=Chocolate Nougatines.=--If the nougatines are desired for chocolate
coating, the process is very simple. Instead of pouring the mass into
the pan, lined with wafer paper, it should be poured onto a greased
marble, between greased candy bars, so placed that the mixture will
completely fill the rectangle formed by the bars. As before, cover with
wafer paper. Over the paper place a board, kept in place with a heavy
weight, in order to make the mixture more solid. As before, cut into
small pieces. The process of coating is the ordinary one.
=Nut Burs.=--Cook one-half of a cupful of strained tomato and one cupful
of granulated sugar to two hundred and thirty degrees; add two cupsful
of sugar, one-half of a cupful of water, and two teaspoonsful of butter.
Let this mixture boil up once only; then strain. Place it in a three
quart saucepan, return it to the fire, and cook to two hundred and
forty-two degrees.
Take one-quarter of a cupful each of preserved garden "ginger" and
spiced beet, drain the syrup off and cut very fine; spread upon a wet
marble.
Over beet and "ginger" pour the cooked mixture, and "cut in." Form the
mass into balls, flatten them slightly, roll in confectioner's sugar,
and let dry.
With a sharp knife, cut on a board blanched almonds, pecan, and
pistachio nut meats into small, pointed pieces.
This is the method of using the nuts: Have the nuts spread thinly upon a
plate. Melt coating chocolate, and let it stand until cool. The
principles laid down in Chapter VI, "Chocolate Coating," should be
followed. Into the chocolate dip the dried balls and roll them over the
nuts. Make sure that the nuts adhere to all parts. Dry upon racks.
The brown, green and cream of the almonds, pecans and pistachios against
the dark chocolate background make a very attractive color scheme. The
nuts may be used alone, however, or different combinations may be
substituted. Other nuts may be drafted into effective service. If
peanuts are used, be it noted, they must not be combined with any other
nuts; the peanut flavor is overwhelming.
See the dish at the right of the illustration facing page 118, and No.
21 of the frontispiece.
XVII
CORNLETTES
Green corn has great possibilities for the maker of vegetable candy. If
fresh corn can be obtained, boil the ears in salted water until the
kernels are tender. While they are still hot, with a thin, sharp knife
cut down the center of each row. Press with the back of the knife down
the cob thus freeing the pulp but leaving the skin upon the cob. To make
certain that the pulp is free from skins, and of a uniform consistency,
force it through a coarse sieve. Note that the corn is not to be made
into a paste as was the potato. If canned corn is used, force it through
a sieve.
Boil together, until the mixture is very thick, one-half cupful of corn,
so prepared, one-half cupful of granulated sugar and one-half cupful of
coffee A sugar. The thermometer reading will be about two hundred and
thirty degrees. Add one-half cupful of bon-bon cream. Pour the mixture
into a rubber mold, or, if preferred, drop like cream wafers upon waxed
paper. If the mass is too thick to pour easily, add a few drops of hot
water. The quantities here given will fill a mold of four-dozen
size--the sort illustrated on page 10. After the drops have dried for
five or six hours, dip them singly into a syrup cooked to two hundred
and twenty-five degrees. On the next day they will be ready for packing.
[Illustration: Decorative and Edible]
=Nut Cornlettes.=--Cornlettes are a little richer both in consistency
and in flavor than the many creams to which candy eaters are accustomed.
By the addition of a nut to each piece, however, cornlettes may be made
still richer and still more distinctive candy.
There are three methods of adding nuts. The first method is to push the
nut into each piece soon after it has been poured into the mold. The
great advantage of this method is its ease and quickness. The confection
is ready for the serving dish as soon as it is cool enough to leave the
mold. A clearer and better finished appearance may be obtained by the
use of the second method. By it, the cornlette, when molded, is dipped
into a crystal syrup. A drop of the hot crystal is placed upon the back
of the nut meat to serve as glue, and corn and nut are pressed together.
When cool, the whole is dipped into the crystal. The third process is a
compromise. The drop may be dipped into the crystal as soon as it comes
from the mold, and the nut, either plain or dipped, may then be placed
upon it. When the crystal sets, the union will be firm.
XVIII
ONION COLD TABLETS
By supplying a more wholesome sort of confectionery, vegetable candy--at
least in the eyes of its friends!--has decreased the need of household
remedies for indigestion and similar ailments. On the other hand, the
newly discovered candy-making brings a definite contribution to the
family medicine chest. From onion can be made tablets that have the
virtues assigned to our foremothers' cough syrups and even are good to
eat, according to those who like the flavor of the onion.
Onion cold tablets, then, are offered both as confectionery and as a
household remedy. It should be borne in mind, however, that no household
remedy, however good, or tried, takes the place of the physician. The
family health is too precious a commodity to be entrusted to
unprofessional hands.
To make the tablets, cut into thin slices two ounces of raw
onion--about half of a good sized onion,--work the onion into two
cupsful of sugar and let the mixture stand for two hours. Add two-thirds
of a cupful of cold water, place the mass on the fire, and let it come
just to a boil. Strain the syrup so made into a granite saucepan, and
add one teaspoonful of vinegar and the amount of red pepper that the
point of a knife will hold. Place the mixture on the fire, and when the
mass begins to boil, put a wooden cover over the pan. Continue the
boiling for several minutes; thoroughly "steam down" the side of the
pan. By "steaming down" the side of the pan is meant confining the steam
which rises from cooking so that it will free the sides of the pan from
the accumulation of the mass that is cooking.
Remove the cover, insert a thermometer, and cook the mass to three
hundred and thirty-five degrees. Thereupon stir in one tablespoonful of
butter, remove the mass from the fire, add one teaspoonful of salt, and
baking soda the size of a large pea. Thoroughly mix the mass, and pour
it between candy-bars on a well oiled marble slab. As the confection
sets, mark it off in squares, and be sure to run the knife under the
whole sheet to free it from the marble. Unless the sheet is so freed
from the marble it will be sure to stick so that it can be handled only
with difficulty. When the mass is cooled, it will easily break into the
squares into which it has been marked. For preserving, pack the tablets
in tin boxes.
For those who do not like so much red pepper, the quantity may be
regulated to suit. The amount of onion used may also be increased or
diminished as the taste of the candy-maker dictates.
XIX
ORIENTAL PASTE
This confection is easily made from purely vegetable ingredients, and
has the pleasing consistency and flavor of the Turkish pastes. The
gelatine that is used comes from an aquatic plant--instead of from the
usual source. It can now be obtained in specialty stores and in some of
the grocery stores of the larger cities.
Cut one-half of an ounce of Japanese gelatine into fine pieces, and pour
over it two cupsful of warm water. Ordinary gelatine can not be
substituted. Let it stand for at least two hours. The results will be
much better if the soaking is allowed to take a whole night. Set this
gelatine water on the fire and stir it until it comes to a boil and the
gelatine is wholly dissolved.
Mix one pound of sugar and one-half of a pound of glucose; into them
strain the gelatine. Set the resulting mixture on the fire and cook it
until it is very stringy as it drops from the paddle. When stirring,
scrape the bottom of the kettle well as the mixture sticks very easily.
Run a half pound of figs through a grinder. When the gelatine mass is
cooked, as above, remove it from the fire, add a few drops of oil of
lemon or a teaspoonful of lemon extract, and thoroughly mix in the figs.
Dust a marble slab with confectioner's sugar, place candy bars in
position, and pour the mass between them so as to form about one-half
inch thick. If the candy is allowed to cool a little before it is poured
out, and is carefully stirred, the figs will not separate and come to
the top. Dust the top with the sugar and let it remain over night.
To finish the confection, cut it into squares by simply pressing the
knife down through it. Roll the pieces in confectioner's sugar, and pack
them in an air-tight box.
=Seaweed.=--This gelatine called for by this receipt is also known as
Japanese isinglass, agar-agar, and kanten. It is peculiar to Japan. It
is made from seaweed, the great unused resource of the western world.
The Orient alone to any extent uses seaweed as a food, and, of the
Orient, only Japan shows appreciation of its agricultural and commercial
value. Kanten is the product of five hundred manufacturing plants in
Japan, with an annual output of over three million pounds. The usual
commercial gelatine is made from animal tissues--skin, ligaments,
tendons, or the matrix of bones, particularly of horns and hoofs.
Seaweed as a source for gelatine appeals somewhat more to the
imagination!
Kanten is made from the gelidium family of seaweed which grows in deep
water upon the rocks. Coolies dive for the seaweed. They wash and dry it
by the seaside, and sell it at seven or eight cents a pound to the
factories for gelatine manufacture. The perfect purity of kanten is
proved by its use as a culture medium in bacteriological work.
Gelidium grows on both coasts of America from Canada to the Gulf. This
is true, also, of red laver which is largely used as a food in Japan and
unknown here. In Japan it is baked or toasted until crisp and used in
sauces and soups. It is palatable, and nutritious, being rich in
proteids. Red laver is not abundant in Japan and is being cultivated.
Sea farming is becoming an important industry under the supervision of
the government. The red laver beds are now rented out by the season to
the sea farmers with average crop returns of one hundred and fifty
dollars per acre.
Kelp, also, is utilized in Japan, not alone for glue, sizing and iodine,
but as a food--kombu. In this country, it is sometimes used to fertilize
the low-lying, barren lands near the shore.
In the marketing of the vegetable sea food known as Irish moss, New
England comes to the fore. This is a delicious food product used much as
corn starch for blancmange, jellies, custards, and puddings.
In a book relating to candy-making, why this information concerning the
unappreciated food value of seaweed? Because the discovery of the
possibilities that cheap and common vegetables can well serve as the
basis for the best candy may well be supplemented by the utilization of
seaweeds, valuable as a food, but now wasted. In the midst of her work,
the candy-cook may well stop to think that it is by putting cheap and
common things to new uses that the race will make material progress.
XX
STUFFED FRUITS
=Dates for Candy.=--For the basis of dates as candies, Fard dates are
perhaps the best because they are generally whole with unbroken skins.
If Persian dates are to be used instead, they should be of the sort that
come packed in single layers or in small boxes. The skins of Persian
dates are tender and when taken from boxes holding fifteen or twenty
pounds are torn by the sharp pick used to handle them. When cream
fillings are used, however, softer dates can be substituted if they are
carefully handled.
=Sparkling Dates.=--Wash, steam, pit, and dry. Fill them with rhubarb
marmalade, and close them very tightly. Brush the whole outside surface
with the unbeaten white of an egg, and roll the dates so coated in
coarse granulated sugar. If Fard dates cannot be obtained, select as
perfect Persian dates as possible. Fill them with rhubarb marmalade as
for the Fard dates, but do not use the egg coating. Simply roll in the
sugar.
=Chocolate Covered Dates.=--Proceed as above up to the point at which
the dates are rolled in sugar. To make the chocolate confection, roll
the dates in confectioner's sugar, instead of in the coarse granulated.
After they have dried, coat them as usual with chocolate.
=Date Brilliants.=--Wash, steam, and pit dates; fill them with either
vegetable cream or cream fondant. Dip them singly in a crystal syrup,
cooked to two hundred and twenty-five degrees. Dry them on a rack. For
fillings, a great variety is possible. Add finely chopped nuts or
granulated cocoanut to the vegetable cream, or use rhubarb marmalade,
tart jam, or orange marmalade.
=Rhubarb Marmalade.=--The fillings suggested for date brilliants are all
within the knowledge of the candy-cook, except, perhaps, rhubarb
marmalade. As the basis for it, wipe clean with a damp cloth stalks of
rhubarb. They must not be put into water. Peel them and cut them into
very thin slices. Cover each pound of rhubarb with one and one-quarter
pounds of granulated sugar. Let the mixture stand over night. In the
morning, boil it for ten minutes, or a little longer if the rhubarb is
not soft. Grind one-third of a pound of dried figs; remove the rhubarb
and sugar from the fire; to them add the figs and stir until they are
thoroughly mixed. Boil ten minutes more. The marmalade should be put
into glasses while hot, and sealed at once.
=Sugared Dates.=--Prepare dates and fill as for date brilliants; dip
them in syrup, and, while still damp, dust with granulated sugar.
=Stuffed Dates.=--Fill with any cream or marmalade and roll in
granulated sugar, dates washed, strained, steamed and pitted.
=Stuffed Prunes.=--The sort of prunes that come in boxes are better to
use than the ordinary ones because they are of a better quality, and are
separated in the curing. Barely cover the prunes with cold water, and
allow them to stand over night. One method is to pour the water off the
next morning, pit the prunes, and use them as they are. If the prunes
are moist and firm to begin with, the soaking is probably all that is
necessary. Otherwise the second method is the one to be followed. If so,
after the prunes have been soaked, place them over the fire and allow
them to come to a boil quickly. This application of heat is sure to
plump out prunes that have become dry, or have been over-cured. The
difficulty, however, is that there is danger that the juice will be
started, and much of it lost, and that the skins may be broken. The
second method will destroy the raw taste to which some persons object.
No matter which method has been followed, fill each prune with tart jam,
orange marmalade, rhubarb marmalade, or with potato fondant, cooked or
uncooked, with or without the addition of nuts. To finish, coat each
prune with the unbeaten white of an egg, and roll in granulated sugar.
If it is desired, they can be rolled in confectioner's sugar, dried and
coated with chocolate.
XXI
ANGELIQUE
=Rings.=--Angelique is a vegetable that is of the greatest use as an
accessory in the making of many sorts of vegetable candy. That fact,
however, should not obscure the equally important fact that its flavor
is excellent and that it may well be used as a base. Rings made from it
are very good if filled with any one of the four mixtures described
below. And, as the reader will see by looking at No. 15 of the
frontispiece, they are good to look upon.
[Illustration: Angelica Archangelica]
As a beginning, no matter what filling is to be chosen, cut crystallized
angelique cross-wise into sections a quarter of an inch wide. If these
sections are flattened by packing or cutting, separate the sides so that
they form circles, the more nearly perfect the better.
The fillings may be either potato fondant, plain or colored, and
flavored to taste; potato fondant with chopped nuts worked into it;
equal parts of potato fondant and almond paste; or rhubarb marmalade,
with confectioner's sugar worked into it if it appears too moist.
When the fillings are in place, each ring should be dipped separately
into a crystal, cooked to two hundred and twenty degrees, and then
should be allowed to drain on a wire rack. The next day the process
should be repeated. When the rings have become thoroughly dry, they will
be found very useful for almost any sort of serving or packing. The
outside is firm, and the centers soft.
=Orange Rings.=--Rings made from candied orange peel may be treated
similarly. Cut the peel into rings by using one-half and one quarter
inch cutters. Thereafter both process and fillings are the same. An
interesting combination can be made by arranging three small orange
rings in a cluster, and holding them in position by the syrup. In
addition to the filling, a pignolia nut may be placed in each ring.
See No. 19 of the frontispiece.
=Angelique as a Plant.=--Angelique or angelica is so called because in
early centuries it was thought to be a specific for poison and
pestilence. It is an aromatic garden herb, of an order of plants of the
cohort umbelliferae, known popularly as the parsley family. The order is
one of strongly marked properties. Some of its members contain an
aromatic oil and furnish condiments--as anise, dill, caraway, and
coriander. From another group these qualities are nearly absent and the
stem and leaf are edible--as in celery, angelique and parsley; or the
root--as in carrot and parsnip.
Angelique is native to many temperate parts of Europe and America. It
grows on river banks and in other damp places. It is easily cultivated
and often grows to the height of six feet. Its seeds may be sown in the
autumn as soon as they are ripe, or they may be planted in the spring.
Angelique develops a plant much like celery. It is blanched and eaten
the same way. The stalk is used commercially when crystallized or
candied. It is green in color and pleasingly pungent in flavor, and
lends itself in many ways to the use of the candy-maker. It comes
generally in strips six or seven inches long and is cut according to
the special directions for the different candies.
Angelique is so easy to raise and is of such value that two methods of
handling it when home grown are given below. Why so many candy-makers
with gardens continue to buy it when it can be cultivated so easily is a
mystery.
=Preserved Green Angelique.=--Select angelique that is fresh, young,
crisp, and as tender as possible. Cut the stalks into six inch lengths;
wash them thoroughly. Boil them in water for ten minutes, and drain
them. Thereupon, boil them in a syrup for half an hour. Let them cool in
the syrup. Store in wide-mouthed bottles or jars.
=Dried Angelique.=--Prepare the angelique as before. Cut the stalks into
strips, lozenges, or large and small rings. Boil them in the syrup three
or four times--as was directed before. After draining, roll each piece
in powdered sugar. Dry them thoroughly on a screen, and store
carefully.
XXII
FOR THE CATERER
Vegetable candy opens up a new field for the caterer. It furnishes him
material that is not only cheaper but better than that with which he has
been accustomed to work. Not only are the results better, but they are
achieved by the expenditure of much less effort. Potato fondant can be
made to assume clear outlines without the hour after hour beating
required by the traditional French methods. Moreover, the caterer's
customers can have the satisfaction of knowing that the pretty things
that they are buying are not made with the help of plaster of Paris or
other ingredients of which the less there is said the better!
The caterer should take particular note of the illustration facing page
138. It will suggest many of the uses to which the new mediums can be
put. The caterer, also, should read with particular care the chapter
relating to decorative candy. Chapter and illustration together will
furnish him with ideas as to how he can make use of this discovery in
his own profession. Of course, for success, absolute familiarity with
the processes of vegetable candy-making is essential.
There are a few definite points which should be borne in mind, however,
by the person who wishes to use vegetable candy in catering. Flowers can
be wired and used as bouquets. As will be seen from the illustration
facing the next page, to hold candles for use on birthday cakes there is
no need to use the objectionable wire cups. Smaller flower cups made
from potato fondant can be substituted. An excellent method is to use
them in the border. There, they are not only useful but highly
decorative. Nor need there be used cups made from starch, plaster of
Paris, or other inedible mixtures.
The possibilities of using potato fondant as the base for fancy cups to
hold ice creams and ices are unlimited. For instance, the fondant can be
molded into cups of conventionalized flower designs. The caterer should
remember that these cups should be dipped one or more times in a
crystal syrup. This will not only make them resemble somewhat the ever
popular spun sugar, but will tend to make them impervious to the melting
ices or creams. As a result, the fondant itself will retain its
crispness. A similar use is for novel containers for salted almonds and
nut meats.
[Illustration: For the Caterer]
One great advantage of the use of objects made from vegetable candy is
that they may very easily be made to follow the color schemes used at
luncheons or dinners. The color may be very easily applied to the
exterior or may be worked into the mass itself before it is molded. Just
how these operations should be followed will readily be seen by
re-reading Chapter VIII, division III,
"DECORATIVE CANDIES FROM POTATO FONDANT."