Put into a marbleized saucepan (by long experience in
sugar-boiling I find them less likely to burn even than
brass, and I keep one for the purpose) one pound of
sugar and half a pint of water ; when it has boiled ten
minutes begin to try it ; haye a bowl of water with a
pieqe of ice near you, and drop it from the end of a
spoon. When it falls to the bottom, and you can take it
up and make it into a softish ball (not at all sticky) be-
tween your thumb and finger, it is at the right point ;
remoye it from the fire to a cold place ; when cool, if
perfectly right, a thin jelly-like film will be oyer the
surface, not a sugary one j if it is sugary, and you want
your candy yery creamy, you must add a few spoonfuls
of water, return to the fire and boil again, going through
91
92 Culture and Cooking,
the same process of trying it. You must be careful that
there is not the least inclination to be brittle in the ball
of candy you take from the water ; if so^ it is boiled a
degree too high ; put a little water to bring it back again,
and try once more. A speck of cream of tartar✪ French Candies is use-
ful in checking a tendency in the syrup to go to sugar.
When you haye your sugar boiled just right set it to
cool, and when you can bear your finger in it, begin to
beat it with a spoon ; in ten minutes it will be a white
paste resembling lard, which you will find you can work
like bread dough. This, then, is your foundation,
called by French confectioners fondant ; with your fon-
dant you can work maryels. But to begin with the
simplest French candies.
Take a piece of fondant^ flayor part of it with yanilla,
part of it with lemon, color yellow (see coloring can-
dies), and another part with raspberry, color pink ; make
these into balls, grooyed cones, or anything that strikes
your fancy, let them stand till they harden, they are
then ready for use.
Take another part of jout fondant, haye some English
walnuts chopped, flayor with yanilla and color pink;
work the walnuts into the paste as you would fruit into
a loaf cake ; when mixed, make a paper case an inch
wide and deep, and three or four inches long ; oil it ;
press the j)aste into it, and when firm turn it out and cut
into cubes. Or, instead of walnuts, use chopped al-
monds, flayor with yanilla, and leaye the fondant white.
This makes Va^^illa ALM0]tq"D Cream.
TuTTi Frutti Ca:n-dy. — Chop some almonds, citron,
a few currants, and seedless raisins ; work into some
fondanty flayor with rum and lemon, thus making Ko-
man punch, or with yanilla or raspberry ; press into the
French Candy at Home, 93
paper forms as you did the walnut cream. You see how
you can ring the changes on these bars^ varying the
flayoring, inventing new combinations^ etc.
Page 50 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1885. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Put into a marbleized saucepan (by long experience in sugar-boiling I find them less likely to burn even than brass, and I keep one for the purpose) one pound of sugar and half a pint of water ; when it has boiled ten minutes begin to try it ; have a bowl of water with a piece of ice near you, and drop it from the end of a spoon. When it falls to the bottom, and you can take it up and make it into a softish ball (not at all sticky) between your thumb and finger, it is at the right point ; remove it from the fire to a cold place ; when cool, if perfectly right, a thin jelly-like film will be over the surface, not a sugary one j if it is sugary, and you want your candy very creamy, you must add a few spoonfuls of water, return to the fire and boil again, going through
92 Culture and Cooking,
the same process of trying it. You must be careful that there is not the least inclination to be brittle in the ball of candy you take from the water ; if so, it is boiled a degree too high ; put a little water to bring it back again, and try once more. A speck of cream of tartar is useful in checking a tendency in the syrup to go to sugar. When you have your sugar boiled just right set it to cool, and when you can bear your finger in it, begin to beat it with a spoon ; in ten minutes it will be a white paste resembling lard, which you will find you can work like bread dough. This, then, is your foundation, called by French confectioners fondant ; with your fondant you can work marvels. But to begin with the simplest French candies.
Take a piece of fondant^ flavor part of it with vanilla, part of it with lemon, color yellow (see coloring candies), and another part with raspberry, color pink ; make these into balls, grooved cones, or anything that strikes your fancy, let them stand till they harden, they are then ready for use.
Take another part of your fondant, haye some English walnuts chopped, flavor with vanilla and color pink; work the walnuts into the paste as you would fruit into a loaf cake ; when mixed, make a paper case an inch wide and deep, and three or four inches long ; oil it ; press the j)aste into it, and when firm turn it out and cut into cubes. Or, instead of walnuts, use chopped almonds, flayor with yanilla, and leave the fondant white. This makes Vanilla Almond Cream.
TuTTi Frutti Ca:n-dy. — Chop some almonds, citron, a few currants, and seedless raisins ; work into some fondant, flavor with rum and lemon, thus making Roman punch, or with vanilla or raspberry ; press into the
French Candy at Home, 93
paper forms as you did the walnut cream. You see how you can ring the changes on these bars, varying the flavoring, inventing new combinations^ etc.
Records on this page
French Candies