The confectioner's and pastry-cook's guide, or, Confectionery made easy ...

Boil as much clarified sugar as you will want to use, longer than in either of the preceding degrees, over a clear fire, as before described; have a pan of cold water in readiness, placed so that no heat can get to it, and yet so that it shall be handy. To prove whether the sugar is boiled enough, dip a clean stick into it, and immediately after you take it out, put it into the cold water; draw off the sugar that hangs to the stick into the water, as quickly as you can, and if it becomes hard, and snaps when you break it, it has acquired the proper degree; but if otherwise, you must boil it again till it answers that trial. Be particularly careful that the water you use for this purpose is perfectly cold, or you will be greatly deceived. CARAMEL. To obtain the caramel degree, boil clarified sugar longer than for either of the former degrees, over a clear fire. You must prove it as directed in the crackled degree, by dipping a stick first into the sugar, and immediately after you take it out putting it into a pan of cold water; but there ought to be this difference, that when it comes to a caramel height, it will, the moment it touches the water, snap like glass; this is the highest and last degree of boiling sugar. You must, in doing this, take great care that the fire which you use be not too fierce, for the sugar must boil slowly; and that it be clear, and does not flame up the sides of your pan, which would cause the sugar to burn, and get discoloured, and thereby destroy all your labour. These directions will be of great service, and should be attended to in boiling every sort of sugar. BARLEY-SUGAR, TWIST, CROPS, LOZENGES, &c. BARLEY SUGAR. Boil a pint of clarified sugar in a pan that has a spout to it, over a clear fire, till it is between the crackled and caramel degrees. To try when boiled enough, wet the end of a stick or piece of clean tobaccopipe, and then dip it into the sugar, put it quickly into cold water, and hold it there half a minute: if the sugar comes off brittle, it is done; if not, you must boil it till it will do so. When the sugar is boiled enough, put in rather more than half a teaspoonful of lemon-juice, and six or seven drops of essence of lemon, and let it just boil again. Then, as before directed, try it, and when it will snap, it is boiled enough. ^ While your sugar is boiling, slightly oil a smooth marble slab with sweet oil. On this pour the sugar when boiled, in a sheet, and cut it with a pair of scissors into strips about six inches long, and one wide; when cool, twist them, and put them on tin plates, where they will quickly get cold. You must keep them in jars or cannisters, so that the air cannot get to them, or they will become sticky. DROPS, FOR KISSES. Boil and flavour clarified sugar exactly the same as for barley sugar: sift some loaf sugar upon a clean (not oiled) marble slab; when it is ready, drop the barley sugar on the slab, rather larger than a sixpence. Put them when cold, into sifted loaf sugar in a dish, give them a shake, so as to mix them in the sugar, and then fold them singly in papers, either with or without mottos. ACIDULATED DROPS.