FoodNet

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

1890

Page 44

Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
If they are for common or cheap comfits, give them occasionally a dust of flour, as you coat them. nonpariels. Nonpariels are made in the same manner as com- CONFECTIONARY SO fits, but coloured sugar will answer all the purposes of non panels. TO COLOUR LOAF SUGAR DUST. Sift as much powdered loaf sugar as you intend to use, and put it into an earthenware pan; make it warm by placing it over a slow clear fire, at a short distance from it; mix it about in the pan with your hand, and be careful that it does not burn; then put some of one of the colours to it, (see Colourings for Confectionary) mixed with water to the consistence of cream, and mix it together; continue mixing and stirring it about with your hand till it is quite dry; then put it on paper to cool. Sift it when it is cold, and put it in jars or canisters. You must use your own judgment as to how much colour to use; but as a general rule use as little as possible, for most of the colours are unwholesome, and some of them are highly injurious. COLOURINGS FOR CONFECTIONARY. In giving the various sorts of colourings used in con- fectionary, the use of any thing pernicious is not re- commended, although it may be mentioned in some of the recipes; it is merely given to show that such things are used: and that such coloured articles, however ele- gant they look, cannot be produced without them. However, in general, the quantity of any of the delete- rious colours necessary to he used is so small, that very little injury can arise from their use, if care be taken not to put in more than is just sufficient. MADE EASY. 87 PINK COLOUR. You may make a pink colour with either archil, lake, Dutch pink, or rose pink. Take as much of either of them as will be enough for your purpose, and moisten it with spirits of wine; grind it on a marble slab, till quite fine, and add spirits of wine, or gin, till it is of the thickness of cream. RED COLOUR. Red colour is made with cochineal, grind half an ounce of cochineal fine enough to go through a wire sieve, put into a two-quart copper pan, half an ounce of salts of wormwood, and half a pint of cold spring water; put the cochineal into it, and put it over a clear fire; let them boil together for about a minute; mix in three quarters of an ounce of cream of tartar, and let it boil again; as soon as it boils, take it off, and put in of powdered roche-alum rather less than half a tea- spoonful; stir it well together, and strain into a bottle; put in a lump of sugar, to keep it; cork it up, and put it by for use. SCARLET COLOUR. Vermillion, ground with a little gin or lemon juice, and then mixed with water, makes a bright scarlet; but in using it be careful not to take too much, for it is highly pernicious. CHERRY RED. Boil an ounce of cudbear in three half pints of water over a slow fire, till reduced to a pint, then add an ounce of cream of tartar, and let them simmer again. When cold, strain them, add an ounce and a half of spirits of wine to it, and bottle for use; this is rendered red when mixed with acid, and green with alkali; it is not a good colour, and Dutch grappe mad- der may be substituted for it: take two ounces, tie it in 88 CONFECTIONARY