Anonymous

“ All acid syrups ought to have their full quantity of sugar, so as to bring them to a consistence without boiling, because the very action of much heat destroys their acidity, and makes them liable to candy, and this more particularly holds good where the infusion or juice, etc., has any fragrancy in flavor, because the volatile oil is dissipated by boiling. The same observation is also applicable to those infusions of flowers which give out their color, and which is necessary to be retained, such as violets, pinks, etc., as boiling injures them. ”

“ As sugar is the basis or groundwork of the confectioner's art, it is essentially necessary that the practitioner should carefully study and observe the difference in its qualities, the changes which it undergoes or effects when combined with other articles in the process of manufacture, and also the different forms which it assumes by itself, at various stages. Without this knowledge, a man will never become a thorough and efficient workman, and it can only be acquired by practice and experience. ”

“ A pan of icing, when well beat and finished, should contain as much again in bulk as it was at the commencement; use sufficient lemon-juice to give the icing a slight acid, or it will scale off the cake in large pieces when it is cut. Many prefer the pyroligneous acid to the lemon-juice, but the flavor is not so delicate, and it always retains a smell of the acid; neither did I ever find, as some assert, that it improves the quality and appearance of the icing; the only advantage derived from it is that of economy.
Italian Meringues.—One pound of sugar, the whites of six eggs. ”

“ When a thin skin has formed on the top, remove it carefully with a skimmer, and pour the sugar into the mold; place it in the closet at 90 degrees of heat, and let it remain for twelve hours, then drain off the syrup into a pan from the tube at bottom, and let it remain in the closet until quite dry; then turn them out by striking the box hard upon the table, separate them carefully, and put them in boxes with paper between each layer. When different fruits, paste, knots, etc., are mixed together indiscriminately, it is termed mile-fruit candy. ”

“ But remember that too much acid will also grain it; neither can it be boiled to caramel if there is too much. A little butter, added when it first commences boiling, will keep it from rising over the pan, and also prevent its graining. About as much cream of tartar as may be laid on a sixpence, and added to seven pounds of sugar, with the water, or equal quantities of cream of tartar and alum in powder, added when it boils, will also keep it from candying. If sugar is poured on a slab that is too hot, it is very apt to grain ”

“ Be careful that the syrup does not run too fast and wet them too much, but so that it dries as soon as dropped, which causes them to appear rough. If one cot full of sugar is not enough, put in more until they are the required size. When one lot is finished put in sieves to dry, and proceed to another; but do not let them lie in the pan after you have finished shaking them. They will be whiter and better if partly pearled one day and finished the next. Use the best clarified sugar to finish them.
Clove Comfits.—Flavor sugar gum paste with the oil of cloves, and mold it in the form of cloves. ”

“ The essences usually sold are made by adding half an ounce of pure oil to one pint of spirits of wine.
Bergamot, Essence of.—From the peel of the bergamot lemon.
Bitter Almonds, Essence of.—This is obtained by distilling the cake or residue of the almonds after the oil has been expressed from them. It is a deadly poison, containing prussic acid, like all other nuts or leaves which possess the bitter principle. Flies drop dead when passing over the still when it is in operation. The essence usually sold is one ounce of oil to seven ounces of rectified spirit. ”

“ Punch-Water Ice.—Make either a good lemon ice, or use some orange juice with the lemons, in the proportion of one orange to two lemons: either rub off the yellow rind of the lemons on sugar, or pare it very thin, and soak it in spirit for a few hours; when the ice is beginning to set, work in the whites of three eggs to each quart, beaten to a strong froth, and mixed with sugar as for meringue, or add the whites without whisking them; when it is nearly frozen, take out the pot from the ice, and mix well with it a glass each of rum and brandy, or sufficient to make it a good flavor ”

“ Spanish Candy.—Boil a quart of clarified syrup to the crack. Have some icing previously prepared as for cakes, or mix some fine powdered loaf sugar with the white of an egg to a thick consistency as for icing; take the sugar from the fire, and as soon as the boiling has gone down stir in a spoonful of this or the icing, which must be done very quickly, without stopping. Let it rise once and fall; the second time it rises, pour it out in a mold or paper case, and cover it with the pan to prevent its falling. Some persons pour it out the first time it rises, and immediately cover it as before. ”

“ Some confectioners use arrow-root instead of flour for thickening; but either flour or corn-starch is better for the purpose, as they have no taste of their own.
Freezing.—When the cream or custard is prepared it is put into the freezer, which is a cylindrical tin vessel which is provided with a rotary scraper or dasher, moving by a crank, with a handle through the lid. The freezer is then firmly imbedded in a bucket of pounded ice, mixed with coarse salt. This bucket should be provided with a hole or spigot near the bottom, so as to drain off the superfluous water caused by the melting ice. ”

“ The Feather.—Dip the skimmer again into the sugar, and blow through the holes as before, and the bubbles will appear larger, and stronger. Or if you give the skimmer a sudden jerk, so as to throw the sugar from you, when it has acquired the degree, it will appear hanging from the skimmer in fine long strings.
CANDY.
Sugar, after it has passed the degree of the feather, is of itself naturally inclined to grain; that is, to candy, and will form a powder, if agitated or stirred; for, as the boiling is continued, so is the water evaporated until there is nothing left to hold it in solution ”

“ The oil from nutmegs is often extracted from them by decoction, before they are brought to the market, and their orifices closed again with powdered sassafras; this may be ascertained by the lightness of the nut; if it is punctured with a pin, the oil will be pressed from it when good. These oils may be obtained by expression of distillation; they hold resin in solution, and consequently sink in water. ”

“ The spirit will be rapidly driven off when it is poured into the boiling syrup, and a bland and beautiful syrup will be the result; let it cool, and bottle immediately.
Gooseberry Syrup.—One pint of juice, one pound twelve ounces of sugar. To twelve pounds of ripe gooseberries add two pounds of cherries without stones, squeeze out the juice, and finish as others.
Lemon Syrup.—One pint and a quarter of juice, two pounds of sugar. Let the juice stand in a cool place to settle. When a thin skin is formed on the top, pour it off and filter, add the sugar, and finish in the bain-marie. ”

“ In boiling sugar keep the top of the pan partly covered from the time it commences boiling until it has attained the ball or crack; the steam which rises being again thrown on the sides, prevents the formation of the crust or crystals.
To prevent its graining, add a little of any sort of acid, when it is at the crack—a table-spoonful of common vinegar, four or five drops of lemon-juice, or two or three drops of pyroligneous acid: any of these will have the desired effect. ”

“ Punch a la Romaine—Roman Punch Ice.—Make a quart of lemon ice, and flavor it with a glass or two of each of rum, brandy, champagne, and Maraschino; when it is frozen, to each quart take the whites of five eggs and whip them to a very strong froth; boil half a pound of sugar to the ball, and rub it with a spoon or spatula against the sides to grain it: when it turns white, mix it quickly with the whites of eggs, stir it lightly together, and add it to the ice; when cold, mix it well together, and serve it in glasses. ”

“ If they were stirred into the sugar in the pan it would grain, which is the reason why it is melted for nogat. Form the rock into a ball or roll, and make it into a sheet about two inches thick, by rolling it with a rolling-pin. The top may be divided into diamonds or squares by means of a long knife or piece of iron; when it is nearly cold cut it into long narrow pieces with a strong knife and hammer.
Barley Sugar.—Boil some clarified loaf sugar to the crack or caramel degree, using a little acid to prevent its graining ”

“ Stars, borders, flowers, and different devices are formed on cakes after they are iced, the execution of which depends on the ability and ingenuity of the artist. Baskets, Chinese and other temples, etc., are formed on molds by these means, first giving them a coating of white wax, which is brushed over them after it is melted, and when cold, the icing is formed on it like trellis-work; when finished, the mold is warmed, and the icing easily comes off. ”

“ Take four ounces of sweet almonds, blanched, half an ounce of bitter almonds; pound them in a clean mortar; moisten them gradually with orange flower-water; mix this with one quart of fresh cream and one ounce of clarified isinglass; put into a saucepan, constantly stirring till it boils; then pass through a fine sieve, and form into a mold, and put on ice.
Blanc Mange may be flavored with vanilla, Mocho coffee, marischino, pistachios and strawberries; in which case the bitter almonds should be left out. ”

“ Warm the mortar and pestle by placing them on a stove, or by means of charcoal, until they are so hot that you can scarce [Pg 12] ly bear your hand against them. Wipe the mortar out clean, and put any convenient quantity of your prepared nuts in it, which you pound until they are reduced to an oily paste, into which the pestle will sink by its own weight. If it is required sweet, add about one-half or two-thirds of its weight of loaf sugar in powder; again pound it so as to mix it well together, then put it in a pan, and place it in the stove to keep warm. ”

“ The best and most general method of making syrups is to add a sufficient quantity of the finest loaf sugar, in powder, with the juice or infusion, etc., stirring it well until a small portion settles at the bottom, then place the pan in a larger one containing water ”

“ If a little lime, about a spoonful, or any other alkali is added to the sugar, with the water, etc., it will neutralize the acid which all raw sugars contain, and they will be found to stand much better after they have been manufactured, by not taking the damp so soon. ”

“ Roll out a piece with your hand in a round form; finish rolling it with a long flat piece of wood, until it is about the size of the largest end of the stem of a tobacco-pipe. Dry them in the stove as lozenges. These may be also flavored with anise-seed by adding a few drops of the oil, or with catechu or violets by adding the powders of orris-root or catechu.
Peppermint or other Pipes.—Any of the pastes for lozenges may be formed into pipes by rolling it out as directed for Bath pipes. ”

“ The scum should always be reserved when charcoal or black is not used, to mix with the articles of an inferior quality.
The best refined loaf sugar should be white, dry, fine, of a brilliant sparkling appearance, when broken, and as close in texture as possible. The best sort of brown has a bright, sparkling, and gravelly look. East India sugars appear finer, but do not contain so much saccharine matter, yet they are much used for manufacturing the best sort of common sweetmeats, when clarified, instead of loaf sugar. ”

“ Any of the fruit pastes may be formed into cakes like these, or into drops, by forcing them out on paper with a small pipe and bladder attached to it.
Raspberry Paste.—As currant paste.
Violets, Gum of.—Violet flowers one pound, picked gum two pounds, sugar four ounces in syrup. Pour three pints of water at the boiling point on the flowers in an earthen jar; stop it perfectly close, and keep it in a warm place for ten or twelve hours; strain the infusion by expression into a flat pan or dish, place it on an inclination, and let it rest for an hour, that the fæces may subside ”

“ A square box is necessary, which you fill with very dry starch powder. Sugar, powdered very fine and dried, will answer the same purpose. The depth of the box should be suited to the articles intended to be made. Shake the box, or pass a knife repeatedly through the powder, that it may be solid; smooth the surface with a straight piece of wood; have a thin piece of flat board, on which is fastened a number of little devices, about an inch asunder, and to suit the width of the box ”

“ Infusion should always be preferred before decoction, where the virtues of the vegetable substance reside in volatile oil, or in principles which are easily soluble, whereas, if they depend upon resino-mucilaginous particles, decoction is an indispensable operation. ”

“ The others are very crude and oily, and only fit to make the butter of cacao. The kernels, when fresh, are bitter, and are deprived of this by being buried in the ground for thirty or forty days. Good nuts should have a thin brittle skin, of a dark black color; and the kernel, when the skin is taken off, should appear full and shining, of a dusky color, with a reddish shade. Choose the freshest, not worm-eaten, or moldy on the inside, which it is subject to be. ”