Bonbon

“ There were dishes full of bonbons on the tables, and soon the bonbons were snapping at a lively rate among the big girls and boys, although the younger folks were rather afraid of them. Each bonbon had a motto paper in it and some sort of fancy article made of paper. Bert got an apron, which he promptly pinned on, much to the amusement of the girls. Nan drew a workman's cap and put it on, and this caused another laugh. There were all sorts of caps, hats, and aprons, and one big bonbon, which went to Flossie, had a complete dress in it, of pink and white paper. ”

“ They don't know I am an expert in nutriment and can protect them from any harm in eating. I offer them also a first-class bonbon taste, at the finish of my work to induce them to stay by and help me to do proper work, but they are all in such a blamed hurry that they never wait for the bonbon, and the result is that loads of dirt and indigestible stuff get by me and make endless mischief in the machine. ”

“ A very grand dessert is furnished with ices of every flavour, jellies holding fruit and flavoured with maraschino, all sorts of bonbons, nuts in sugar, candied grapes and oranges, fresh fruits in season, and ending with liqueurs and black coffee. ”

“ Some sugar-plums are frosted, by means of crystallized sugar, then a rich syrup is put on them, and slow drying gives them a silvery appearance.
There is just as little touching of the sugar-plums as possible; not that the hands of the working-people are not clean, but to finger a bonbon before you help yourself to it is to take away something of its pretty bloom. I saw trays full of moulded chocolate bonbons, almond shaped, and some of them had a little rim of chocolate around them, which had exuded from the mould. A girl with a pair of gloves on was breaking off the excess of chocolate. ”

“ In coloring fondant, dip a small wooden skewer in coloring paste, take up a small quantity, and dip skewer in fondant. If care is not taken, the color is apt to be too intense. During dipping, keep fondant over hot water that it may be kept of right consistency. For dipping, use a two-tined fork or confectioners’ bonbon dipper. Drop centres in fondant one at a time, stir until covered, remove from fondant, put on oiled paper, and bring end of dipper over the top of bonbon, thus leaving a tail-piece which shows that bonbons have been hand dipped. ”

“ Liqueur bonbons are formed of a mixture of some given liqueur and liquid sugar, which is poured into moulds, and then placed in a slow oven for the day. Long before they are removed a hard crust has formed on the outside, while the inside remains in its original liquid state. Bonbons are crystallized by being plunged into a syrup heated to thirty degrees Reamur; by the time they are dry the crystallization is complete and acts as a protection against the atmosphere. ”

“ On all sides one sees sugar, gallons of liqueurs, syrups, and essences, rum, aniseed, noyau, maraschino, pineapple, apricot, strawberry, cherry, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and tea, with sacks of almonds, and baskets of chestnuts, pistachio nuts, and filberts being emptied into machines which bruise their husks, flay them, and blanch them, all ready to receive their saccharine coating. 165
Those bonbons which have liqueur in them are much appreciated by gourmets who find other bonbons disagree with them! A sugar-coated brandy cherry is relished by the wisest man. Most bonbons are made by hand ”

“ In France, in entertaining a lady, or a party of ladies, at theatre or opera, the gentleman host always carries a box of bonbons, within which is a little imitation-silver sugar-tongs by which she can help herself to a chocolate or a marron déguisé, without soiling her fingers. ”

“ Then the peasant rose, and with the grace and courtesy of a grandee possessed himself of a bonbon. But he did not know, perhaps, that it was intended to go the road of black bread and garlic, for he fumbled in the pocket of his blouse, brought forth an envelope, rolled up the sweetmeat, and tenderly secreted it. Lydia gave him a radiant smile, shook her head, and still held out the box.
“Eat one,” she said; and as the man only stared at her with deepening color, she 68put one of the bonbons into her own mouth and motioned to him to follow suit. ”

“ The French do not consider bonbons unhealthful. Instead of giving her boy a piece of bread and butter as he departs for the Lycée the French mamma gives him two or three chocolate bonbons. The hunter takes these 168 to the top of the Matterhorn; ladies take them in their pockets instead of a lunch-basket; and one assured me that two slabs of chocolate sufficed her for breakfast and supper on the road from Paris to Rome. ”

“ You may rest satisfied that when you are lucky enough to get a box of these sugar-plums it is the result of an endless amount of painstaking labor and exceeding niceness, but it is questionable whether that will stop you for a moment in putting one of these pretty things into your mouth. Maybe when the very last sugar-plum is eaten you may think about the way they are made, and then you can ask for more, so as to be fully impressed with the cleverness of the bonbon art. ”

“ To make more elaborate bonbons, form, as in Fig. 14, small round centers out of the fondant to which have been added such materials as dates, figs, raisins, nuts, or coconut, or any combination of these. Only enough fondant should be used to make the other materials stick together. Then, in a double boiler, color, flavor, and melt some of the fondant and, with a coating or other fork, drop the centers into this melted cream. When thoroughly coated, remove, and place on waxed paper. While warm, a piece of nut or candied fruit may be placed on the top of each one. ”

“ Hide the outside of the dish with an arrangement of the lilies and [Pg 147] their leaves, being careful not to have it look stiff. Cut your guest-cards in the shape of open lilies, and paint them, writing the name of the guest across their face. Have your bonbons all green and white, and use plain white, or green and white china for serving the meal as far as you can, for the sake of preserving the cool look of the table. The ice cream may be in the pond-lily flowers, prepared as were the peonies in the June luncheon. ”

“ You can easily learn to make the most delicious candy. Our Home Candy Making Outfit includes a candy thermometer, recipes, etc., that insures success.
We teach you how to make French bonbons, nougat, chocolate creams and all the finest candies. Many women whom we have taught make candy to sell. ”

“ A little ingenuity on the part of the person making up the fondant will result in many delightful bonbons. Candied fruits, nuts, coconut, and numerous varieties of flavoring and coloring may be utilized very successfully with fondant. It should be remembered, however, that bonbons do not keep fresh for more than a few days or a week at the most if they are exposed to the air. ”

“ To dream of making candy, denotes profit accruing from industry.
To dream of eating crisp, new candy, implies social pleasures and much love-making among the young and old. Sour candy is a sign of illness or that disgusting annoyances will grow out of confidences too long kept.
To receive a box of bonbons, signifies to a young person that he or she will be the recipient of much adulation. It generally means prosperity. If you send a box you will make a proposition, but will meet with disappointment. ”

“ When a thin skin has formed on the top, place a cork in the lip of the pan, but not to close it, allowing a space for the sugar to run out, the cork being merely to keep back the skin; then fill the impressions you made in the powder, and place them in the stove at 90 degrees; let them remain a day, then take them out, and their surfaces will be found quite hard and solid; brush the powder from them with a light brush, when they may either be painted, crystallized, or piped. Many of these bonbons are beautifully piped and colored to represent dogs, horses, costumer, and theatrical characters ”

“ Never mind! Vive le vin! I, the old soldier, order another bottle, and half a pound of bonbons with it!”
“No, no, ex-brave; never—ancient grenadier! Your bottle last time; my bottle this. Behold it! Toast away! The French Army! the great Napoleon! the present company! the croupier! the honest croupier’s wife and daughters—if he has any! the Ladies generally! everybody in the world!”
By the time the second bottle of champagne was emptied, I felt as if I had been drinking liquid fire—my brain seemed all aflame. No excess in wine had ever had this effect on me before in my life. ”

“ Have guest cards painted with Easter lilies, and use only white and green decorations of bonbons on the table,—ribbon candies are pretty, or candy baskets in green filled with white candies. If you use candles on the table, have [Pg 78] the shades represent lilies, inverted. The little cakes may be iced in green, and the colours carried out in the ice cream, which may be purchased in beautiful forms of lilies, the flower being of lemon ice and the leaves of pistache cream. ”

“ Thus everybody has the opportunity offered to him of becoming a member by selecting the white ribbon, and in this way everybody is compelled to "show his colors."
If simple refreshments are served, let the Japanese napkins have a big hatchet gilded on them, and let there be some plates of hatchet cookies, formed by the cutter that any tinsmith will make from a pattern.
Have old-fashioned candy—peppermint, wintergreen, sassafras and molasses—instead of bonbons. Play the old games—hunt the slipper, blind man's buff, hide and seek. ”

“ Cook four pounds of Sugar, a little more than one pint of water, and a small spoon of cream tartar to a Soft Ball; set off and add two or three tablespoons of pulverized Sugar; then, with a small wooden spatula, work the [75] Sugar on the sides of the basin till it becomes whitish; then pour into the dipping-pot, having the water in the jacket boiling; color and flavor any shade or flavor wished, and dip any kind of Jelly centers, dropping them on sheets of tin; when cold, with a small brush dipped in any color wanted, touch the tops of all the Bonbons. ”

“ They are waiting for a beautiful little luminous hand to descend from heaven to fill them with preserved fruits and bonbons! In the olden time the presents intended for children were fastened to the two ends of the Yule Log. Later an attempt was made to introduce into France the Christmas tree, which, in a large portion of Europe, has superseded the Yule Log. But it is most usual to keep to the simple custom of filling the little shoes with bonbons, which more than one mother of the laboring classes has had the foresight to reserve for that purpose. ”

“ Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then wipe down the sides of the kettle to remove all sugar crystals. Boil to exactly 238 degrees, then pour out on a platter or marble slab and flavor with one-half teaspoonful of vanilla. Allow it to stand undisturbed until all heat has left it, then place over it the white of one egg beaten until very stiff, then cream the batch as you do in making fondant, but work it very slowly, as this gives it more chance to become firm. If it is too soft to work up in shape of bonbons, just let stand a little while, and then shape. ”

“ These artificial perfumes are much used for the preparation of confections into the composition of which neither fruit nor sugar enters, but only alga% potato glucose, and artificial flavors, and of bonbons, jellies, liquors, etc. The essences of cognac and rum are also much used in the preparation of drinks with alcohols of grain, sugar beet, or potato. The perfumes of flowers are harder to imitate. ”

“ They carry cornets of bonbons in their pockets, and have recourse to them every minute. They suffer much from disordered digestion, and fall into the green sickness, because they lack iron in the blood. ”

“ The acorn is
Fig. 368. left in its rough saucer, which gives the outer surface of the basket, the inner surface being the interior of the acorn proper. Make several cups and saucers, and the feast will be ready for others to see (Fig. 367) . Of course, it is only intended to give pleasure in this way and not really to serve as food.
Rose petals make an excellent substitute for the common
Snapping Bonbons, such as are usually served at parties with the refreshments. ”

“ As nearly all bon-bons are made in the same manner, we will explain very carefully how to make one or two kinds, and after you understand the idea, you may make any shape, color, or flavor you desire. We will now tell you how to make pink, rose flavor bon-bons, in several shapes. Take a small amount of bon-bon cream, and from one third to one half as much ground cherries and citron (see article on Bon-Bon Fillings) as you have bon-bon cream, and with your hands work and knead them well together. ”

“ Meantime our hospitable entertainer—it is ever the women who wait on their guests—brought out home-grown wine, somewhat sour to the unaccustomed palate, and, as a corrective, home-made brandy, which, with sugar, formed an agreeable liqueur, walnuts—everything, indeed, that she had. ”

“ Therefore, in its broadest sense, confections may be regarded as preparations having for their chief ingredient sugar or substances containing it, such as molasses, honey, etc., usually mixed with other food materials, such as nuts, fruits, chocolate, starches, and fats, to give them body and consistency, and flavored and colored in any desired way.
2. The making of confections, and of candy in particular, is both a useful and a delightful pastime that can be indulged in even by those who are only slightly skilled. ”