Mother's Remedies Part 218

Maple Creams No. 2.--To two pounds of maple sugar add a cup of water and a quarter teaspoonful cream of tartar. Shave the sugar, and stir till dissolved. Boil without stirring to the soft ball stage; let stand in the kettle until cool, not cold; beat until creamy and pour into a shallow b.u.t.tered pan.

Maple b.a.l.l.s.--Boil without stirring, two cups of shaved maple sugar and a cup of water. At the hard ball stage add a heaping tablespoonful of good b.u.t.ter. Beat till creamy. As soon as it can be handled form into b.a.l.l.s and press the half of an English walnut or pecan on one side.

WAFERS.--To make wafers, boil without stirring two cups of granulated sugar, a half cup of water. When it will "spin a thread" set the kettle in cold water and beat till creamy. Flavor with peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon, or any flavor you choose. Squeeze through a pastry tube upon paraffin paper in quant.i.ties that will spread to the size of a quarter dollar.

Chocolate Peppermint Wafers.--Take some of the fondant prepared as above, flavor rather strongly with peppermint and dip in sweet chocolate.

MOLa.s.sES CANDIES.--Nothing pleases children more than a "candy pull." Turn them loose in the kitchen and let them make mola.s.ses taffy.

Mola.s.ses Taffy.--Boil a cup of good Porto Rico mola.s.ses, a cup of brown sugar and a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of an egg until a little will harden, in cold water. Cool on b.u.t.tered plates, and as soon as it can be handled grease the fingers and pull till hard and light colored. To prevent boiling over, grease the edge of the pan or kettle in which it is boiled.

[CANDY MAKING 853]

Mola.s.ses Taffy No. 2.--Four cups of sugar, two of mola.s.ses, half a cup of vinegar. Boil till it hardens in cold water, then add a tablespoonful of soda dissolved in a little water. Pour into b.u.t.tered dishes and pull when sufficiently cool to handle.

b.u.t.ter Scotch.--One cup of each of sugar and mola.s.ses, half a cup of vinegar, one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and a quarter teaspoonful of soda.

Nougat.--Nuts intended for nougat should be blanched, skinned and dried.

Melt in a porcelain lined vessel, one pound of fine white sugar with two tablespoonfuls of water, stirring continually with a wooden spoon. Heat the nuts in the oven, after chopping them, add to the syrup, and stir for five minutes. Remove from the fire and add a little grated lemon rind. Oil a flat pan; place it in a warm place on the range and pour the candy into it. When brown, turn out of the mould, cut in cubes and wrap in oiled paper.

Nut Bars.--Chop any kind of nutmeats you prefer, or a mixture of nuts, moderately fine. b.u.t.ter a shallow pan and spread the nuts evenly over the bottom. Boil one pound of granulated sugar with half a cup of water and a pinch of cream of tartar till thick, but not too brittle. Pour over the nuts and set aside to cool. When it begins to harden mark into bars with a sharp knife. Let stand several days, when it becomes soft and delicious.

Nut Loaf.--Chop nutmeats into small pieces and work into fondant. Make into a roll, and after standing a day or two, cut into slices. Chopped dates, figs and raisins may be used in the same way.

Peanut Candy.--Carefully remove the sh.e.l.ls and brown skins from roasted peanuts. Put them an inch thick in a b.u.t.tered pan. Boil a pound of crushed loaf sugar with three gills of water and a salt spoon of cream of tartar (to prevent graining) dissolved in water, to the caramel stage. The instant the sugar reaches that point, shown by its beginning to brown, it must be removed from the fire and the pan set in cold water to check the boiling; then pour over the nuts.

Pop Corn Candy.--Boil two cups of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and a cup of water until it threads. Stir in four quarts of nice popped corn, rejecting all hard kernels, take from the fire and stir till cool. Make into b.a.l.l.s.

Popcorn Baskets.--Prepare the corn as above, instead of making into b.a.l.l.s, b.u.t.ter the bottoms of tumblers and press the candy around them to form little baskets, in which ice cream may be served or which may be filled with candies.

Sour Drops.--Strain the juice of three or four large lemons into a bowl, and stir in powdered loaf sugar till it is quite thick. Put into a pan and let boil five minutes, stirring constantly. Drop from the end of a spoon upon writing paper, and when dry keep in tin cannisters. Tartaric acid is generally used by commercial candy makers, but is much more injurious to health.

[854 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

Crystallized Fruits.--Other Candies.--Boil two cups of granulated sugar with two-thirds of a cup of water until it hardens in cold water, do not stir. When it is brittle without being sticky, it is ready to use. Dip the fruit to be candied, sections of oranges, white grapes, cherries, squares of pineapple, etc., into this, and lay on paraffin paper. Dip a second time after the first has hardened, to ensure a good coat. Use the same rule for the syrup to glace nuts.

Cream Dates.--Remove the stones from nice dates. Replace them with the roll of flavored fondant. Or roll a blanched almond in fondant and stuff the date with it.

h.o.a.rhound Candy.--Boil the h.o.a.rhound in a little water till the strength is extracted. Make a sugar syrup, adding the h.o.a.rhound to it; let it boil up and stir against the sides of the pan until it thickens. Pour out on paraffin paper dusted with fine sugar, and cut into squares.

Marshmallows.--Dissolve over a slow fire eight ounces of best gum arabic in three gills of water. Boil one ounce of marshmallow roots in a little water for half an hour. Strain, and boil down. Put this and the gum arabic solution with half a pound of loaf sugar, let it cook slowly till it makes a paste that can be rolled between the fingers to the "soft ball" stage.

Then add the beaten whites of two eggs; when well mixed pour in a pan which should be lined with white paper, with enough projecting over the sides so that as the mixture cools it can be lifted out and cut in cups with a sharp knife, then rolled in powdered sugar.

Marrons Glaces.--Remove the sh.e.l.ls from a quart of large Italian or French chestnuts. Let stand fifteen minutes in boiling water. Drain; rub off the skin; cover again with boiling water and simmer gently half an hour or till tender, but not soft. Drain in a sieve. Boil together one cup of granulated sugar and one cup of water; add the nuts and simmer until they begin to look clear. Make another syrup of one pound of granulated sugar and one cup of water; boil till it will spin a thread, add a teaspoonful of lemon juice and set aside till it cools a little; then beat till it begins to turn white. Set in a basin of hot water, flavor with vanilla, and when melted to a syrup, dip each nut. When coated, lay on paraffin paper to dry. These sugared chestnuts are highly esteemed as a sweetmeat and are expensive to buy.

Stick Candy.--Three pounds of granulated sugar, two cups of water, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar dissolved in a little warm water. Stir over the fire till the sugar is dissolved; cover the kettle while the syrup is boiling and skim carefully a few drops. When it will harden in cold water, take from the fire and add the flavoring and coloring, then pour on well b.u.t.tered plates. When cool, pull, and make into sticks or mark off into squares.

[CANDY MAKING 855]

School Girl's Delight.--Two cups of white sugar, three-fourths cup of golden color corn syrup and a quarter cup of water. Put into a granite sauce pan and boil till a little will crisp in cold water. Beat the whites of two eggs very stiff in a large bowl; pour the syrup very slowly into the bowl, beating the while, and beat and stir until it begins to harden. Then add one teaspoonful of vanilla, half a cup of chopped nutmeats, and five cents worth of dates, cut up with the scissors. Pour upon oiled paper in a flat pan and cut in squares. Those who eat this candy will ask to have it made again.

A Few Hints.--Many candy makers consider coffee A sugar, better than the granulated, as being purer. Choose a sugar that is dry, uniform in quality and with hard, sparkling crystals. Cane sugar is greatly to be preferred over beet sugar. When you can, let the sugar and water stand together for some time. The syrup may be stirred until it reaches the boiling point, but not afterward. Unless otherwise specified, cook over a hot fire. The syrup pa.s.ses quickly from one degree to another and must be tested often and carefully. Cream of tartar must be dissolved in a little warm water before being put into the syrup. So also must soda. If you use nuts, be careful to remove every particle of sh.e.l.l and skin before putting them into the syrup. Almonds are blanched by letting them stand in boiling water for a few minutes and then nipping off the skins between the fingers. They should be warmed in the oven before being put into the syrup. Dessicated cocoanut should be steamed a few minutes before being used; put in a dish in a colander over boiling water. Use the fresh cocoanut if you can get it. Bonbons made of fondant are probably the easiest form of candy making for the amateur to attempt, and the most interesting on account of the variety possible through the use of other materials in combination.

[858 MOTHERS' REMEDIES ]

OVER THREE HUNDRED MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES

A GOLD MINE OF INFORMATION FOR PROGRESSIVE HOUSEWIVES

HOUSEKEEPERS' ALPHABET.

Apples.--Keep in a dry place, as cool as possible, without freezing.

Brooms.--Hang in the cellarway to keep soft and pliant.

Cranberries.--Keep under water in cellar; change water monthly.

Dish of hot water set in oven prevents cake from scorching.

Economize health, time, and means and you will never beg.

Flour.--Keep cool, dry and securely covered.

Gla.s.s.--Clean with a quart of water mixed with a tablespoonful of ammonia.

Herbs.--Gather when beginning to blossom; keep in paper sacks.

Ink Stains.--Wet with spirits of turpentine; after three hours, rub well.

Jars.--To prevent, coax husband to your will rather than order him.