The Golden Age Cook Book Part 21

CHOCOLATE CREAM PEPPERMINTS.

Mix together two cups of granulated sugar and half a cup of cream, boil until it holds well together in cold water, or can be rolled between the fingers, flavor with oil of peppermint, remove from the fire and stir until the cream is stiff enough to mould into b.a.l.l.s. Use powdered sugar on the hands while moulding. Melt an ounce of chocolate and dip the b.a.l.l.s, which should be as large as hazel nuts, in this, using a long pin for the purpose, and lay them on paraffine paper. Any flavoring may be used instead of peppermint.

CANDY (to Pull).

Two cupfuls of granulated sugar, half a cup of water, one tablespoonful of vinegar, b.u.t.ter the size of a walnut. Boil the sugar and water without stirring until it is brittle when tried in cold water, add the b.u.t.ter and vinegar just before it is done. Flavor with any extract preferred, pour into b.u.t.tered soup plates, and when cool enough to handle pull until white.

CHESTNUTS GLACe.

Skin the chestnuts and cover with cold water, let them cook gently until tender, when a large needle can be run through them easily. Drain and drop them in cold water. After two hours drain again and put them in a bowl, cover them with a rich syrup that has been skimmed and boiled until clear. It must be boiling when poured over the chestnuts. Cover the bowl with a heavy paper and let it stand for twelve hours, drain off the syrup, bring it to the boiling point and turn it over the chestnuts again and put away for another twelve hours. Repeat this process three times, then drain the syrup off and the chestnuts are ready for use. Use the large imported chestnuts, remove the sh.e.l.ls and boil the nuts. The brown skin can then be easily removed with a penknife. They are very nice but very troublesome to prepare.

COCOANUT CAKES.

One pound of granulated sugar, half a pound of grated cocoanut, half a cup of water and a saltspoonful of cream of tartar. Boil the sugar and water together until, when dropped in cold water, it can be rolled between the fingers into a ball. Remove from the fire, stir with a wooden spoon until it becomes white and thick like cream, add the cocoanut, Stir well and drop with the spoon on paraffine paper or a tin baking sheet, and form into thin round cakes. Set away to dry.

h.o.a.rHOUND CANDY.

Put a tablespoonful of dried h.o.a.rhound leaves in a cup and pour over them half a cupful of boiling water, cover and let it steep until cold, strain and pour it over a pound of granulated sugar and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Boil without stirring, and if any sc.u.m rises to the top remove it. Test the candy in cold water, when brittle remove from the fire and pour into a b.u.t.tered pan. Mark into squares before it is cold, or break into irregular pieces.

MARSHMALLOWS.

Powder very fine eight ounces of gum arabic, dissolve it in three gills of water over a slow fire and strain. Simmer an ounce and a half of marshmallow roots in two gills of water, for ten minutes, closely covered. Strain and reduce to one gill. Add this with half a pound of sugar to the dissolved gum. Boil until it becomes a thick paste, stirring constantly. Add the whites of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth and a teaspoonful of vanilla extract. Remove from the fire, pour into a pan dusted thickly with cornstarch and when cool cut into squares with a sharp knife, roll in pulverized sugar and pack in a tin box.

NOUGAT.

A pound of granulated sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, one cup of blanched and finely chopped almonds or peanuts, or it may be made of mixed nuts. Dissolve the sugar in a spider over the fire without water, stirring constantly, and when entirely melted mix in the nuts quickly and pour at once into a well greased pan, and before it is cold mark in squares. This is very nice pounded fine in a mortar or ground in a mill to sprinkle over custards just before serving.

PANOCHE (a Spanish Recipe).

Two cups of dark brown sugar, one cup of chopped walnuts, half a cup of milk, b.u.t.ter the size of a walnut. Cook the sugar and milk together, boiling gently from seven to ten minutes, until, when tried in water, it holds well together, and can be rolled into a soft ball. Remove from the fire. Have the chopped nuts in a large bowl, pour over them a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, pour the candy over them and beat with long, rapid strokes until it begins to thicken--it should be like a cream wafer--turn out on paraffine paper, and break it or cut in pieces.

PEPPERMINT DROPS.

Two cups of granulated sugar, half a cup of cold water, a tiny pinch of cream of tartar. Boil ten minutes without stirring, let the sugar melt slowly that it may not burn. Add eight drops of oil of peppermint while still on the fire. When removed from the stove beat with an egg-beater until it falls in long drops, when drop quickly on paraffine paper.

PRALINES.

Two cups of granulated sugar, one-half cup of water, two cups of pecans, hickory nuts or English walnuts. Put the water and sugar on to boil, let it cook without stirring until it threads, remove from the fire and stir in the nuts until they are sugared. Spread on paraffine paper to cool.

Va.s.sAR FUDGE.

Two cups of sugar, two squares or one ounce of Baker's unsweetened chocolate, a scant cup of milk, one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter. Boil for ten minutes until it holds well together when dropped in cold water.

Take from the fire, flavor with a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, beat from three to five minutes until thick and creamy, turn into a b.u.t.tered pan and cut in squares.

Preserves.

PRESERVE OF MIXED FRUITS.

Five pounds of ripe currants or cherries, five pounds of granulated sugar, two pounds of seeded raisins, the pulp of six oranges cut in small pieces, and the rind of two oranges cut fine. Boil three-quarters of an hour. Grapes can be used instead of currants or cherries.

RED CURRANT JAM.

Pick the currants from the stems, weigh them, and allow three-quarters of a pound of white sugar to a pound of the fruit. Put the currants in a preserving kettle, mash them a little to prevent them from sticking to the kettle, and boil for fifteen minutes, then add the sugar and boil rapidly for ten minutes. Bottle and seal tight.

RED CURRANT JELLY.

Berries for jelly must be picked when the weather is dry. Pick them over, taking out all leaves, etc., put them in the kettle and mash them a little to get enough juice to keep them from burning; stir constantly, and as soon as hot wring them dry through a cheese cloth. Measure the liquid and to every pint of juice allow one pound of sugar. Put the juice on the fire and boil fifteen minutes, then add the sugar and boil fifteen minutes more, skimming thoroughly. Pour into gla.s.ses while hot; let them stand until the next day and cover. Very often jelly is soft, and always from one of two reasons: either the berries have been picked immediately after a rain or the sugar is adulterated.

RED CURRANT SYRUP.

The currants must be fresh and perfectly ripe and picked in dry weather.

Wash and put them in either a porcelain-lined or a granite-ware kettle, stir until they are tender, as for currant jelly, then remove from the fire and wring them as dry as possible in a cheese cloth. Measure the juice and return it to the fire, let it cook fifteen minutes, then add a pound of granulated sugar to each quart of juice, boil gently fifteen minutes, skimming as long as the sc.u.m rises. Bottle and cork well and keep in a dark place. Raspberry and strawberry syrup are made in the same way, only mashing and straining the fruit and measuring the juice before cooking.

BLACK CURRANT SYRUP.

Pick from the stems and mash them, a few at a time, in a bowl or granite saucepan with a potato masher, then put them in a stone jar and let them stand for two days, stirring well each day. Wring them through a cheese cloth, and if wanted sweet cook with sugar as red currant syrup. The juice can be bottled without sugar or cooking, and will keep for years.

It is used for sauces or fruit soups, etc.

CRANBERRY JAM.

Put five quarts of cranberries in a preserving kettle with two quarts of water and boil gently until the fruit is tender, then add three pounds and three-quarters of granulated sugar, boil until the fruit is clear, skimming carefully. Put in gla.s.ses and when cold seal. It keeps well.

GOOSEBERRY JELLY.

Use the large English gooseberries and follow directions for currant jelly.

GOOSEBERRY JAM.