Cookery for every household

Put the walnuts on a tin, and toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes. Then make some almond paste or marzipan according to directions given in Recipe 2931. Divide this paste into small pieces the size of a hazel nut, and roll them into balls. Put a half walnut on each side of these balls, and press them well in. Proceed thus until all are finished. Various Colours . — A nice variety is made by dividing the almond paste into three portions before the flavouring is added, and making them up in different colours ; keep one portion its natural colour, and flavour with vanilla, colour a second portion pink by adding a few drops of carmine or cochineal, and flavour with essence of strawberry, and make the third green by using a little spinach green, and flavour with essence of almonds or ratafia. The colouring and flavouring must be worked well into each separate portion. The flavouring may, of course, be varied according to taste. A few drops of liqueur may be used instead of a flavouring essence. To Make the Caramel. — Put the loaf sugar, lemon juice, and water into an iron saucepan or sugar boiler, and boil quickly without stirring until a golden brown colour. Then remove the saucepan quickly from the fire, and dip the bottom of it into cold water, to prevent the caramel burning. Dip the walnuts into this one at a time ; lift them out with two forks or with a wire fork or ring, and place them on an oiled slab or dish. This must be done very quickly, as the caramel soon hardens. It is better if two people can be engaged with it — one to drop the walnuts into the caramel, and one to lift them out. Everything must be ready, too, before beginning. When all are done, remove the walnuts from the dish, break off any superfluous caramel, and place the sweets in small paper cases. Note. — A simpler method of finishing off the walnuts is to roll them in castor sugar instead of dipping them in caramel, but they will not look nearly so pretty. 2941. Caramel Dates and French Plums These may be prepared in the same way as Caramel walnuts, and make a nice variety. Very good soft fruit must be chosen, because, if dry, the caramekj will be hard and tasteless. Remove the stones from the dates or plums without cutting the fruit in two or breaking it in any way. Then fill the centres with an almond-shaped piece of marzipan, and roll slightly with the hands to form a neat shape. Allow these to dry for a few hours, and then coat with caramel, and finish as above. A green or pink filling looks particularly pretty with this kind of sweet. Instead of the marzipan stuffing, a piece of flavoured fondant may be used, and small pieces of candied fruit may be added. 2942. Marzipan Cherries Marzipan paste. Glace cherries. Castor sugar. Choose nice large cherries of a good colour and shape. Make a small hole in each and insert a little ball of marzipan. Roll in the hand to make them round, then coat with castor sugar. Serve in little paper cases for dessert. 2943. Caramel Figs Good figs. | Flavouring. Almond paste. | Caramel.