Part 1

****************************************************************** Transcriber's Note: I have never seen a health warning on a book before but I have been asked to provide one here. Some of the ingredients used in these procedures are toxic to say the least. For instance, the recipe for Ching's Brown Worm Lozenges on p40 contains the line: 'Each lozenge should contain half a grain of mercury.' Now, times and attitudes may change but mercury does not. As a record of how things were done the volume is fine but as a recipe book danger lurks in these pages. Unless you are very, very sure of what you are doing please treat this as a reference book, not a practical guide.

More mundane note at the end of the book. ******************************************************************

HOW TO MAKE CANDY.

A COMPLETE

HAND BOOK.

FOR MAKING ALL KINDS OF

CANDY, ICE CREAM

SYRUPS,

ESSENCES ETC. ETC.

NEW YORK: FRANK TOUSEY, Publisher 34 AND 36 NORTH MOORE STREET.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1891, by FRANK TOUSEY, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D.C.

HOW TO MAKE CANDY.

CONFECTIONERY.

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.

The first process which it undergoes, in the hands of the confectioner, is that of clarification. It is conducted on the same principle as the refining of sugar, although not carried out in every particular.

CLARIFICATION OF RAW SUGAR.--For every six pounds of sugar required to be clarified, take one quart of water, the white of an egg, and about half a tea-cupful of bullock's blood. Less than a pint will be sufficient for 112 pounds; but if a very fine, transparent, and colorless syrup is required, use either charcoal, finely powdered, or ivory-black, instead of the blood. Put the white of an egg in the water, and whisk it to a froth; then add either of the other articles mentioned, and the sugar; place the pan containing the ingredients on the stove-fire, and stir them well with the spatula, until the sugar is dissolved, and is nearly boiling.

When the ebullition commences, throw in a little cold water to check it; this causes the coarser parts to separate more freely, by which means the whole of the impurities attach themselves to the clarifying matter used; continue this for about five minutes, using about one pint of water to every six pounds of sugar, or more, until you consider the whole of the dross is discharged, and there remains a fine clear syrup. Then place it by the side of the stove, and carefully remove with a skimmer the scum which has formed on the top; it may also be taken off as it rises, but I find the best method is to let it remain a short time after it is clarified, before it is removed; otherwise, if you take it off as it rises, part of the syrup is also taken with it. When either charcoal or black is used, it must be passed through a filtering-bag, made of thick flannel, in the shape of a cone, having a hoop fastened round the top, to keep it extended, and to which strings are sewn, that it may be tied or suspended in any convenient manner; what runs out at first will be quite black; return this again into the bag, and continue doing so until it runs fine and clear.

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. This is not generally done by the trade, but it will be found beneficial if practiced.

TO CLARIFY LOAF SUGAR.--This is clarified by mixing the whites of eggs with water, without any other assistance, for having been previously refined, it does not require those auxiliaries again to separate the coarser parts, unless it is of an inferior quality, or an extra fine syrup, as for bonbons and other fancy articles, as required. When it is necessary to have a very fine sparkling grain, in that case break your lump into small pieces, and put it in a preserving-pan, with a sufficient quantity of water to dissolve it, in which has been mixed the white of an egg and powdered charcoal; as for raw sugar, following those instructions already given. After the sugar has been drained from the bag, pass some water through, to take off any which may be left in the charcoal, which you use for dissolving more sugar.

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.

DEGREES OF BOILING SUGAR.--This is the principal point to which the confectioner has to direct his attention; for if he is not expert in this particular, all his other labor and knowledge will be useless; it is the foundation on which he must build to acquire success in his undertakings.

There are seven essential points or degrees in boiling sugar; some authors give thirteen, but many of these are useless, and serve only to show critical precision in the art, without its being required in practice; however, for exactness, we will admit of nine, viz: 1. Small thread. 2. Large thread. 3. Little Pearl. 4. Large Pearl. 5. The blow. 6. The feather. 7. Ball. 8. Crack. 9. Caramel. This last degree derives its name from "a Count Albufage Caramel, who discovered this method of boiling sugar."

In describing the process, I shall proceed in a different manner to other writers on the subject, by classing it under different heads, according to the uses to which it is applied.

SYRUP.

Under this head are comprised the degrees from the small thread to the large pearl; for at these points the sugar is kept in a divided state, and remains a fluid of an oily consistency. A bottle which holds three ounces of water will contain four ounces of syrup. The method of ascertaining those degrees, according to the usages of the trade, is as follows:

SMALL THREAD.--Having placed the clarified syrup on the fire, let it boil a little, then dip the top of your finger in the boiling syrup, and on taking it out apply it to the top of your thumb, when, if it has attained the degree, on separating them a small ring will be drawn out a little distance, about as fine as a hair, which will break, and resolve itself into a drop on the thumb and finger.

LARGE THREAD.--Continue the boiling a little longer, repeat the same operation as before, and a larger string will be drawn.

LITTLE PEARL.--To ascertain this degree, separate the finger from the thumb as before, and a large string may be drawn, which will extend to nearly the distance the fingers may be opened.

LARGE PEARL.--The finger may now be separated from the thumb to the greatest extent, before the thread will break.

CRYSTALLIZATION.

This takes the degrees of the blow and feather. The particles of the sugar being now brought together within the sphere of their activity, the attraction of cohesion commences, whereby they attach themselves together and form quadrilateral pyramids, with oblong and rectangular bases. This is generally, but improperly, termed candy, thereby confounding it with the degrees at which it grains, also termed candy. This certainly seems "confusion worse confounded;" but if things are called by their proper names, many of those seeming difficulties and technicalities may be avoided, which tend only to confuse and embarrass the young practitioner, without gaining any desired end or purpose. If it were generally classed into the degrees of crystallization, the true meaning and use would at once be explained, and understood by the greatest novice.

The nature and principle of this operation are these. First, as in the case of syrup, (the first four degrees,) _when the water has absorbed as much sugar as it is capable of containing in a cold state_, by continuing the boiling a further portion of the solvent (water) is evaporated, and sugar remains in excess, which, when exposed to a less degree of heat, separates itself, and forms crystals on the surface and sides of the vessel in which it is contained, and also on anything placed or suspended in it. But if it is exposed too suddenly to the cold, or disturbed in its action by being shaken, or if the boiling has been continued too long, the crystals will form irregularly, by the particles being brought in too close contact, and run too hastily together, forming a mass or lump.

To obtain this part in perfection the boiling should be gradual, and continued no longer than till a few drops let fall on a cold surface show a crystalline appearance, or after being removed from the fire, a _thin_ skin will form on the surface. It should then be taken from the fire, and placed in _a less hot, but not cold_ place, and covered, or put into a stove or hot closet, to prevent the access of cold air. A few drops of spirits of wine, added when the sugar has attained the proper degree, will conduce to a more perfect crystalline form, scarcely attainable by any other means, as it has a great affinity with the water, thereby causing the sugar to separate itself more freely. It must be used with caution, as too much will cause it to grain.

TO ASCERTAIN THE DEGREE OF THE BLOW.--Continue the boiling of the sugar, dip a skimmer in it, and shake it over the pan, then blow through the holes, and if small bubbles or air-bladders are seen on the other side, it has acquired this degree.

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; therefore, that body being destroyed by heat, which first changed its original form to those we have already enumerated, as this no longer exists with it, it naturally returns to the same state as it was before the solvent was added, which is that of minute crystals, or grains, being held together by the attraction of cohesion, unless, as before stated, they are separated by stirring, etc.

The sugar being evaporated by boiling from the last degree, leaves a thin crust of crystals round the sides of the pan, which shows it has attained the candy height; and this crust must be carefully removed (as it forms) with a damp cloth or sponge, or the whole mass will candy if suffered to remain. To prevent this is the chief desideratum, all further proceedings for which specific rules will be given in their proper places.

The remaining degrees can be ascertained after the following manner:

THE BALL.--Provide a jug of clean cold water, and a piece of round stick. First dip in the water, then in the sugar, and again in the water,[A] take off the sugar which has adhered to it, and endeavor to roll it into a ball between the finger and thumb, in the water; when this can be done, it has attained the desired degree. If it forms a large, hard ball, which will bite hard, and adhere to the teeth, when eaten, it is then termed the large ball, _et contra_.

[Footnote A: This should be performed as speedily as possible.]

THE CRACK.--Follow the directions given for the ball. Slip the sugar from off the stick, still holding it in the water, then press it between the finger and thumb; if it breaks short and crisp, with a slight noise, it is at the crack.

CARAMEL.--To obtain this degree, it requires care and attention, and also to be frequently tried, as it passes speedily from the crack to the caramel. Try it as before directed, and let the water be quite cold, or you will be deceived. If, on taking it off the stick, it snaps like glass, with a loud noise, it has attained the proper degree; it will also, when it arrives at this point, assume a beautiful yellow color; after this it will speedily burn, taking all the hues, from a brown to a black; therefore, to prevent this, dip the bottom of the pan into a pail of cold water, as soon as it comes to caramel, as the heat which is contained in the pan and sugar is sufficient to advance it one degree; also, be careful that the flame of the fire does not ascend round the sides of the pan, which will burn it.

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. This is termed greasing it. 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; this is frequently the case after several casts have been worked off in rotation; therefore, when you find it inclined to turn, remove it to a cooler spot, if possible, and not handle it any more than is necessary.

Sugar that has been often boiled or warmed is soon acted upon by the atmosphere, whereby it becomes clammy, and soon runs, as it is weakened by the action of the fire. Acid causes the same effect.

If it has passed the degree you intended to boil it at, add a little water, and give it another boil.

BLANC MANGE.

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.

CANDY--BONBON--CONSERVE.

The articles that come under this head are made by the sugar being brought to the ball, when it is grained by rubbing it against the sides of the pan. From this all fancy articles are made, such as fruit-eggs, cups, vases, etc.

BURNT ALMONDS.--Take some fine Valencia or Jordon almonds, and sift all the dust from them; put a pint of clarified syrup into the pan for each pound of almonds, and place it with the almonds on the fire; boil to the ball, then take it off and stir the mixture well with a spatula, that the sugar may grain and become almost a powder; whilst each almond has a coating. Put them into a coarse wire or cane sieve, and sift all the loose sugar from them, and also separate those which stick together. When cold, boil some more clarified syrup to the feather, put in the almonds, give them two or three boils in it, take them from the fire, and stir them with the spatula as before, until the sugar grains; sift and separate them, and keep them in glasses or boxes. A third coat may be given them in the same manner as the second, if they are required large.

BURNT ALMONDS--RED.--The same as the last, using prepared cochineal to color the syrup while it is boiling.

COMMON BURNT ALMONDS.--These are made with raw sugar and skimmings, if you have any. Put some water with the sugar to dissolve it; when it is near boiling, add the almonds, and let them boil in it until it comes to the small ball; or when the almonds crack, take them from the fire, and stir them with a spatula until the sugar grains and becomes nearly a powder; put them into a sieve, and separate the lumps.

ARTIFICIAL FRUIT, EGGS, ETC.--Prepare molds with plaster of Paris from the natural objects you wish to represent; make them in two, three, or more pieces, so as to relieve freely, and have a hole at one end into which the sugar may be poured; let them be made so as each part may be fitted together exactly; and for this purpose make two or three round or square indentions on the edge of one part, so that the corresponding piece, when cast, will form the counterpart, which may at all times be fitted with precision. Let the object you would take the cast from be placed in a frame made either of wood or of stiff paper, embed a part of it in fine sand, soft pipe-clay, or modeling wax, leaving as much of the mold exposed as you wish to form at one time, and oil it with sweet oil; mix some of the prepared plaster with water, to the consistency of thick cream, and pour over it; when this is set, proceed with the other portions in the same manner until it is complete. Let them dry and harden for use.

Take a sufficient quantity of syrup (clarified with charcoal or animal black) to fill the mold, and boil to the small ball; rub some of it against the side to grain it; when it turns white, pour it into the molds; take them out when set, and put them into the stove at a moderate heat to dry. The molds must be soaked for an hour or two in cold water previously to their being used, which will be found better than oiling them, as it keeps the sugar delicately white, which oil does not. Color your articles according to nature with liquid colors (see Colors) and camel's-hair pencils or the usual pigments sold in boxes may be used. If a gloss is required, the colors should be mixed with a strong solution of gum-arabic or isinglass, to the desired tint. Eggs and fruit may be made as light and as apparently as perfect as nature, by having molds to open in two, without any orifice for filling them. Fill one half with the grained sugar, immediately close the mold, and turn it round briskly, that it may be covered all over equally. To accomplish this, it is necessary to have an assistant, that it may be done as speedily as possible.

COLTSFOOT OR HOARHOUND CANDY.--Make a strong infusion of the herbs (see Infusions under the head of Syrups), and use it for dissolving the sugar, instead of taking syrup; raw sugar is mostly used for those candies. Boil it to the ball, grain it and finish as ginger candy.

FILBERTS AND PISTACHIOS.--These are done the same as burnt almonds, but they are usually denominated prawlings, the nuts being only put into the sugar for two or three minutes before it is taken from the fire and stirred.

GINGER CANDY.--Take clarified syrup and boil it to the ball; flavor it either with the essence of ginger or the root in powder: then with a spoon or spatula rub some of it against the side of the pan until you perceive it turn white; pour it into small square tins with edges, or paper cases, which have been oiled or buttered, and put it in a warm place, or on a hot stone, that it may become dappled. The syrup should be colored yellow, while boiling, with a little saffron.

LEMON PRAWLINGS.--Made the same as orange prawlings.

ORANGE PRAWLINGS.--Take four or five Havana oranges, and cut off the peel in quarters, or small lengths; take off all the pith or white part of the peel, leaving only the yellow rinds, and cut in small pieces, about an inch long, and the size of pins. Have about a pint of clarified sugar boiling on the fire; when it comes to the blow, put in the pieces of peel, and let them boil until the sugar attains the small ball; take them off, and stir them with the spatula until the sugar grains and hangs about them; sift off the loose sugar; when cold, separate and keep them in a dry place.

PEPPERMINT, LEMON AND ROSE CANDY are made after the same manner as Ginger Candy, coloring the lemon with saffron, and the rose with cochineal.

CHOCOLATE.

CACAO NUTS.--The cacoa or cacoa nuts, of which chocolate is made, is the seed of the fruit of a tree common in South America and the West Indies. The seeds of the nuts, which are nearly of the shape of an almond, are found to the number of from thirty to forty in a pod. The pods are oval, resembling a cucumber in shape. The different sorts are distinguished by name, according to the places which produce them; thus, the cacao of Cayenne, Caraccas, Berbice, and the islands of St. Magdalen and Domingo. These all differ in the size of their almonds or seed, quality and taste. The most esteemed is the large Caraccas, the almond of which, though somewhat flat, resembles the shape of a large bean. The next are those of St. Magdalen and Berbice. The seeds of these are less flat than those of the Caraccas kind, and the skin is covered with a fine ash-colored dust. 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.

Equal parts of the cacao of Caraccas, St. Magdalen and Berbice mixed together make a chocolate of first-rate quality; and these proportions give to it that rich and oily taste which it ought to have. That made from the cacao of Caraccas only is too dry, and that from the islands too fat and crude.