A laboratory manual of foods and cookery

208. — Prepare molasses candy, boiling it to the hard crack stage. Just before turning sirup out to cool, add £ tsp. soda. Note result in sirup and in candy when pulled. Fondant Ingredients : 2 c. granulated sugar \ c. cold water Method : Mix the sugar and water together in a saucepan. Place saucepan over heat and stir the contents with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the sirup to boil gently without further stirring until the " soft ball " stage is reached. Turn sirup on to a greased platter and let it remain undisturbed until a thin film has formed over the surface. When this has formed, with a wooden spoon stir the sirup until it becomes white and creamy. If sufficiently stiff turn the fondant on to .a marble or kneading board and make perfectly smooth. The fondant will work up better if allowed to remain in the ice box overnight, but if necessary, it can be made up at once. Precautions : 1. Scald the saucepan before using for boiling fondant, lest any odor of previous cooking appear in the fondant. 2. Do not stir the sirup after the sugar is melted. (Why?) 3. Do not allow the sirup to boil vigorously. If the sirup boils vigorously, crystals of sugar will be deposited in thick masses on the sides of the saucepan and are likely to mix with the sirup and appear in the final product. A damp cheesecloth on a fork used to remove the crystals as fast as formed on the sides of the saucepan will help to prevent crystals from mixing with the sirup. 4. When testing the sirup always remove the saucepan from the burner so that if the proper stage is reached it will not proceed to the " hard ball " stage and so become too crystalline. 5. Have the platter ready greased before the sirup is to be poured out. 6. Do not scrape the last of the sirup from the pan, as it will appear as a hard sugary mass in the fondant. 7. Use a minimum amount of butter with which to grease the platter. 8. Wash the hands with cold water just before kneading the fondant. 9. Cover the fondant with paraffin paper when putting it away to stand overnight. 10. If fondant is quite soft when done, do not leave it in the ice box — a cupboard is better - - but if quite stiff put it in the ice box to stand overnight and it will be easier to handle. Fondant may be used as follows : Creams Filling Drops Dates Walnuts Cherries Balls Chocolate peppermints Covering Small fruits Eclairs Nuts Cake Fruit sections Hot cross buns pineapple orange To make Cream Drops i. Divide the fondant into as many parts as you wish to make colors. 2. Have ready the following : double boiler color spatula flavoring teaspoon sheet of paraffin paper toothpicks spread on a perfectly saucepan of boiling water flat surface 3. Place the fondant in the double boiler and allow it to heat over hot water until soft. With the toothpick take up a tiny bit of color and stir it through the softened fondant. If sufficient color has not been added, repeat, but remember that a little color on the toothpick goes a long way in the fondant. 4. Now add the flavoring, using precaution that too much is not added.