Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Fig Paste. — Chop into bits and boil I lb. of figs ; when soft, strain and press through a sieve; return to the water in which they were boiled, and which should be reduced to one cupful ; stir in 3 lbs. of granulated sugar, and cook down slowly until a thick paste is formed. Pour in pans lined with paper ; let cool ; take out on the paper, and cut into sections. Dust with powdered sugar. French Candy. — Take the white of an egg and an equal quantity of lemon or orange juice. Mix well together, and add confectioner’s sugar until the whole is stiff enough to roll into balls. Fruit, To Candy. — Make a syrup with 1 lb. of sugar and half a teacupful of water. When boiling has nearly reached the caramel stage, put in any preserved fruits, and stir gently until they get crystallized ; then take them out, and dry them in an oven or before the fire, but do not let them get colored. Fudge. — Put in a porcelain -lined saucepan two cups of granulated sugar, four sections of unsweetened chocolate (broken into bits), two heaping table-spoonfuls of butter, and one cup of milk. Cook all together, stirring constantly to prevent burning, for twenty minutes. At the end of that time dip out a little of the mixture and try it by putting it on a cold plate. If it is done it will form a soft yet friable paste. Flavor the contents of the saucepan with vanilla, beat hard for a few minutes, and turn the fudge into greased candy- pans. Cut into squares while warm. Horehound, Candied. — Boil horehound in water until the juice is all extracted. Take your sugar and boil up to a syrup, then add the horehound-juice to the syrup; boil up again, stir with a spoon against the sides of the sugar - pan. When it begins to grow thick, pour out in a paper case dusted with fine sugar. Lemon-drops Nut Bars and cut in squares. The horehound may be dried, and then put in the sugar, finely powdered and sifted. Lemon - drops. — Strain the juice of three or four large lemons into a bowl, then mix powdered loaf sugar with it until it is quite thick. Put it into a pan, and let it boil for five minutes, stirring it constantly. Drop it from the end of a spoon upon writing-paper, and, when cold, keep the drops in tin canisters until wanted for use. Or take 2 ozs. of powdered loaf sugar, mix with them the grated rind of three large lemons and half a teaspoonful of fine flour. Whisk the white of an egg thoroughly. Work it up with the other ingredients to a light paste, then place it in drops upon a sheet of writing-paper, and dry before the fire until the drops are quite hard. Time, half an hour to prepare. Maple - balls. — Cook, without stirring, two cups of grated or fine maple sugar and one cup of water. When it reaches the hard-ball stage, add one heaping table-spoonful of good butter. Remove from the fire and beat until creamy. When cold enough to handle make into balls, and put half of an English walnut or hickory-nut on each side.