A text-book of cooking

How many persons does the Plum Pudding recipe serve ? How many persons does the Cranberry Frappe* recipe serve ? LESSON III Christmas Sweets The Use of Candy in Diet. — Candy is an energy-giving food, but, unfortunately perhaps, it is not (at all times) a most desirable energy-giving food. Sugar exists in candy in concentrated form. In this condition, sugar is irritating to the organs of digestion. Sugar is contained in large quantity in some fruits, especially in dried fruits, figs, dates, prunes, etc. These fruits are a much better source of sweets for children than is candy, because they do not contain as much sugar, and have, in addition, valuable food materials in the form of ash. Candy should never be used to excess. A little eaten at the end of a meal is not harmful to a normal person. At that time the sugar does not come in direct contact with the walls of the alimentary canal, as it would if eaten between meals. From this, and from the fact that peppermint stimulates digestion, one can see a reason for the serving of mints at the end of a meal. WINTERGREEN AND PEPPERMINT WAFERS J ounce gum tragacanth Oil of wintergreen or peppermint \ cupful cold water Confectioner's sugar Soak the gum tragacanth in the water overnight. Then rub it through a fine wire sieve, and add enough confectioner's sugar to knead. Flavor with a few drops or oil of wintergreen or peppermint. Color the wintergreen -flavored mixture with red fruit paste. Roll until very thin on a board dredged with sugar. Shape with a small round cutter, or cut in one-inch squares ; cover with a cloth and let stand overnight, or until dry and brittle. Other flavorings and color pastes may be used in making the wafers. (These wafers are not ready for use until they are dry and brittle.) PARISIAN SWEETS Chop equal parts of figs, dates, and nuts together. Knead on a board dredged with confectioner's sugar, until well blended. Roll to \ inch thickness, cut into cubes or rounds, and dip each piece in confectioner's sugar. Store in tin boxes. CHRISTMAS CANDY 315 STUFFED PRUNES Soak large and perfect prunes in cold water for several hours ; steam until they are tender and the stones are easily removed. Take out the stones, and fill the open space with a mixture of chopped dates, figs, and candied fruit. Press the prunes into symmetrical shape, then roll in fine granulated sugar. Let stand several days before serving. The Parisian Sweet mixture may be used for stuffing prunes. Explain why Parisian Sweets are a more desirable confection than ordinary candy. When is the best time to eat candy ? Explain your answer. Why are mints served at the close, rather than at the beginning of a meal? LESSON IV Christmas Candy Sugar and Glucose. — Granulated sugar and glucose differ in taste and composition. Granulated sugar is crystalline in structure, while commercial glucose exists in the form of a heavy syrup, i.e. is non-crystalline in form. In many candies, a creamy consistency is desired. This is not possible, if all of the sugar of the candy exists in coarse crystalline form. Hence in the making of candy from granulated sugar, it is desirable to add glucose or syrup to granulated sugar or to change some of the crystallized sugar to a non-crystallized sugar, such as glucose. This can be accomplished by boiling granulated sugar with acid. (See When to add the sugar, p. 31.) Cooking Syrups. — Sugar and water are boiled to different degrees of temperature for making different kinds of candy. The thicker the syrup, the higher the temperature. Tests for syrups of different consistencies are : (a) Thread, — when dropped from a spoon, the syrup forms a thread about two inches long (230° F.). 1