Part 5

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. Less sugar must be used in the ice, so as to allow for that which is used in making the meringue.

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; some like the taste of rum to predominate, but in this case of course you will be guided by the wish of your employer. In general the prevailing flavor distinguishes it by name, as rum-punch or brandy-punch ice; after the spirit is well mixed, replace the pot and finish freezing. Champagne, arrack, or tea is added; it is then termed champagne-punch ice, arrack-punch ice, etc.

RASPBERRY OR FRESH FRUIT.--One quart of raspberries, one quart of cream, three quarters of a pound or a pound of sugar, a few ripe currants and gooseberries, or currants and ripe cherries may be added, instead of all raspberries, which is much approved by some, and the juice of two lemons; mash the fruit, and pass it through a sieve to take out the skins and seeds; mix it with the other articles; add a little prepared cochineal to heighten the color; put it in the pot and freeze.

RASPBERRY FROM JAM.--One pound of jam, one quart of cream, about six ounces of sugar or syrup, to palate, and the juice of two lemons. Mix as before.

STRAWBERRY.--Same as raspberry.

VANILLA ICE.--One quart of cream, half an ounce of vanilla, twelve ounces of sugar; cut the vanilla into small pieces, and pound it with the sugar until it is quite fine, add it to the cream and eggs, make it into a custard, strain, and when cold, freeze, or it may be flavored with the essence of vanilla. (See Essences.)

WATER ICES.--These are the pulp or juice of fruits, mixed with syrup, lemon juice, and a little water, so as to bring them to a good flavor and consistence when frozen.

LOZENGES.

These are composed of loaf sugar in fine powder, and other substances, either liquid or in powder, which are mixed together and made into a paste with dissolved gum, rolled out into thin sheets, and formed with tin cutters into little cakes, either oval, square, or round, and dried.

One ounce of gum tragacanth, and one pint of water. Let it soak in a warm place twenty-four hours; put it in a coarse towel or cloth, and let two persons continue twisting it until the whole of the gum is squeezed through the interstices of the cloth. One ounce of this dissolved gum is sufficient for four or five pounds of sugar; one ounce of dissolved gum arabic to twelve ounces of sugar.

Either of these gums may be used separately, or in the proportion of one ounce of gum dragon to three ounces of gum arabic mixed together. These are generally used for medicated lozenges; but gum arabic alone is considered to make the best peppermint.

In mixing _these_, as well as all other medicated lozenges, the different powders should be well mixed with the sugar, in order that each lozenge may have its due portion. If this is not attended to, the perfect distribution of the component parts cannot be depended on, and one lozenge may contain double or treble the quantity of medicated matter it ought to have, whilst others contain comparatively none; therefore, those that have the greatest portion may often prove injurious by acting contrary to what was intended.

BRILLIANTS.--Take either of the pastes for peppermint lozenges from Nos. 1 to 4, and cut into small fancy devices, such as hearts, diamonds, spades, triangles, squares, etc.

CATECHU LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, catechu twelve ounces. Make into a paste with dissolved gum.

CATECHU A L'AMBERGRIS.--To the paste for catechu lozenges add sixteen grains of musk.

CATECHU WITH ORANGE-FLOWERS.--As before, adding twelve drops of essence of neroli.

CATECHU WITH VIOLETS.--As before, adding Florence orris root, in powder, three drachms. These are all used to fasten the teeth, and disguise an offensive breath.

CHING'S BROWN WORM LOZENGES.--Calomel washed in spirits of wine (termed _white panacea of mercury_) seven ounces, resin of jalap three pounds eight ounces, fine sugar nine pounds, dissolved gum sufficient quantity to make a paste. Each lozenge should contain half a grain of mercury.

Panacea one ounce, resin of jalap two ounces, sugar two pounds. Dissolve a sufficient quantity of gum in rose-water to make a paste. Make 2,520 lozenges, weighing eight grains each, and containing a quarter of a grain of calomel and half a grain of jalap.

These lozenges should be kept very dry after they are finished, as the damp, acting on the sugar and mercury, generates an acid in them.

CHING'S YELLOW WORM LOZENGES.--Fine sugar twenty-eight pounds, calomel washed in spirits of wine one pound, saffron four drachms, dissolved gum tragacanth sufficient to make a paste. Make a decoction of the saffron in one pint of water, strain, and mix with it. Each lozenge should contain one grain of mercury.

CINNAMON LOZENGES.--Gum tragacanth, dissolved, two ounces, lawned sugar eight pounds, cinnamon in powder one ounce, essential oil ten drops.

Mix into a paste and color with bole ammoniac. A stomachic.

CLOVE LOZENGES.--Sugar eight pounds, cloves three ounces, gum tragacanth two ounces.

Each lozenge should contain two grains of cloves. A restorative and stomachic.

GINGER LOZENGES.--Eight pounds of sugar and eight ounces of the best ground ginger. Mix into a paste with dissolved gum. Essence may be used instead of the powder, coloring it with saffron. A stimulant and stomachic.

IPECACUANHA LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, ipecacuanha one ounce, apothecaries' weight; dissolved gum sufficient to make a paste. Make 960 lozenges, each containing half a grain of ipecacuanha. An expectorant and stomachic, used in coughs.

LAVENDER LOZENGES.--Make as rose lozenges, using the oil of lavender instead of rose.

LOZENGES FOR THE HEARTBURN.--Prepared chalk four ounces, crab's eyes, prepared, two ounces, bole ammoniac one ounce, nutmeg one scruple, or cinnamon half an ounce. Mix into a paste with dissolved gum arabic.

MAGNESIA LOZENGES.--Calcined magnesia eight ounces, sugar four ounces, ginger in powder two scruples, dissolved gum arabic sufficient to form a paste.

Magnesia two ounces, sugar eight ounces, sufficient gum arabic to make a paste, dissolved in orange flower water.

MARSHMALLOW LOZENGES.--Marshmallow roots in powder one pound, or slice the root and make a strong decoction, in which you dissolve the gum, fine sugar four pounds. Mix into a paste. If six drops of laudanum be added, with two ounces of licorice, the pectoral quality of these lozenges will be improved. Good for obstinate coughs.

NITRE LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, sal-nitre one pound, dissolved gum tragacanth sufficient to make a paste. A diuretic internally; held in the mouth, it removes incipient sore throats.

NUTMEG LOZENGES.--Sugar eight pounds, oil of nutmegs one ounce, dissolved gum sufficient to mix into a paste. A stimulant and stomachic.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, NO. 1.--Take double refined loaf-sugar, pound and sift it through a lawn sieve; make a bay with the sugar on a marble slab, into which pour some dissolved gum, and mix it into a paste as you would dough, flavoring the mass with oil of peppermint. One ounce of this is sufficient for forty pounds of lozenges. Some persons prefer mixing their gum and sugar together at first in a mortar; but as it is indifferent which way is pursued, that may be followed which is most convenient. Roll out the paste on a marble slab until it is about the eighth of an inch in thickness, using starch-powder to dust it with, to prevent its sticking to the slab and pin. Before cutting them out, strew or dust over the surface with powder, mixed with lawned sugar, and rub it over with the heel of your hand, which gives it a smooth face. This operation is termed "facing up." Brush this off, and again dust the surface with starch-powder, cut them out, and place in wooden trays. Put them in the hot-closet to dry. All lozenges are finished in the same manner.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, NO. 2.--These are made as No. 1, adding a little starch-powder or prepared plaster, as for gum paste, to the paste, instead of using all sugar.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, NOS. 3 AND 4.--Proceed in the same manner as for No. 2, using for each more starch-powder in proportion. Use smaller cutters, and let the paste be rolled thicker.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, NO. 5.--These are made from loaf sugar in coarse powder, the finest having been taken out by sifting it through a lawn sieve. Mix it into a paste with dissolved gum arabic and a little lemon juice. Flavor with oil of peppermint.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, SUPERFINE TRANSPARENT.--The sugar for these must be in coarser grains. Pass the sugar through a coarse hair-sieve. Separate the finest by sifting it through a moderately fine hair-sieve. Mix and flavor as the others.

The coarser the grains of sugar, the more transparent the lozenges. The finer particles of sugar being mixed with it destroy their transparency. The solution of gum should be thicker in proportion as the sugar is coarse.

REFINED LICORICE.--Four pounds of the best Spanish juice, and two pounds of gum arabic. Dissolve the gum in warm water, as for Bath pipe. Strain and dissolve the gum in the solution of licorice. Place it over a gentle fire, in a broad pan, and let it boil gradually, stirring it continually (or it will burn) until it is reduced to a paste. Roll into pipes or cylinders of convenient lengths, and polish by putting them in a box and rolling them together, or by rubbing them with the hand, or a cloth. This is often adultered by using glue instead of gum, and by dipping the pipes in a thin solution, which gives them a beautiful gloss when dry. In establishments where this is manufactured on a large scale, the licorice is dissolved in a large bain-marie, and stirred with spatulas which are worked by a steam-engine.

RHUBARB LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, best Turkey rhubarb, in powder, ten ounces.

ROSE LOZENGES--Make your paste as No. 1, using the essential oil or otto of roses to flavor them; or the gum may be dissolved in rose water, and a little essential oil may be added to give additional flavor, if required. Color the paste with carmine or rose pink.

SAFFRON LOZENGES.--Saffron, dried and powdered, four ounces, sugar four pounds, dissolved gum sufficient. An anodyne, pectoral, emmenagogue.

STEEL LOZENGES.--Pure iron filings or rust of iron one ounce, cinnamon, in powder, four ounces, fine sugar seven pounds, dissolved gum, a sufficient quantity to make a paste. A stomachic and tonic.

SULPHUR LOZENGES.--Four pounds of sugar, eight ounces of sublimed sulphur, gum sufficient to make a paste. For asthma and the piles.

TOLU LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, balsam of tolu three drachms, or the tincture of the balsam one fluid ounce, cream of tartar six ounces, or tartaric acid one drachm, dissolved gum sufficient to make a paste. These may also be flavored by adding a quarter of an ounce of vanilla and sixty drops of the essence of amber. The articles must be reduced to a fine powder with the sugar. A pectoral and balsamic.

VANILLA LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, vanilla in powder six ounces, or sufficient to give a strong flavor. Make into a paste with dissolved gum.

YELLOW PECTORAL LOZENGES.--Sugar one pound, Florence orris-root powder twelve drachms, licorice-root six drachms, almonds one ounce, saffron in powder four scruples, dissolved gum sufficient to make a paste. Make a decoction of the licorice to moisten the gum with.

BATH PIPE.--Eight pounds of sugar, twelve ounces of licorice. Warm the licorice, and cut it in thin slices, dissolve it in one quart of boiling water, stir it well to assist the solution; let it settle, when dissolved, to allow any impurities or bits of copper which are often found in it to fall down; pour it off free from the sediment; dissolve the gum in the clear part, and mix it into a paste as for lozenges. 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. They are occasionally striped with blue, green, and yellow, by making strips with liquid color on the paste and twisting before you roll it out with the board.

MERINGUES AND ICING.

DRY MERINGUES IN THE FORM OF EGGS.--Ten whites of eggs, twelve ounces of sugar.

Obtain the newest laid eggs, and separate the white from the yolk very carefully; put the whites into a pan, which must be quite free from grease; whisk them to a very strong froth, so as it will support an egg, or even a greater weight; have the sugar pounded and sifted through a lawn sieve, and mix it as lightly as possible; spread some pieces of board about an inch thick, then with a table or dessert spoon drop them on the paper about two inches asunder, dust them with fine powdered loaf sugar, blow off all that does not adhere, and put them into a cool oven to bake until they are a nice light brown; if the oven should be too warm, when the surface gets dry or hardened cover them with paper; as soon as they are done take them off with a knife; press the inside or soft part down with the top or the back of a spoon, place them on sieves, and put them into the stove to dry; when they are required to be served, fill them with any kind of preserved fruit or cream, if it is rather acid the better, and put two together.

The quality of the meringues will depend on the eggs being well whipped to a very strong froth, and also on the quantity of sugar, for if there is not enough they will eat tough.

ICING FOR WEDDING OR TWELFTH CAKES, ETC.--Pound and sift some treble-refined sugar through a lawn sieve, and put it into an earthen pan, which must be quite free from grease; to each pound of sifted sugar add the whites of three eggs, or sufficient to make it into a paste of a moderate consistence, then with a wooden spoon or spatula beat it well, using a little lemon-juice occasionally, and more white of egg if you find that it will bear it without making it too thin, until you have a nice light icing, which will hang to the sides of the pan and spoon; or, if it is dropped from the spoon, it should remain on the top without speedily losing the form it assumed. 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. Clarify the sugar and boil it to the blow; in the meantime whip up the whites as for the last, take the sugar from the fire and rub it a little against the sides of the pan to grain it; as soon as it begins to turn white mix in the whipped eggs, stirring the sugar well from the pan with the whisk or spatula; lay them off, and bake as dry meringues: these may be colored by adding the liquid color to the syrup so as to give the desired tint; and either of them may be flavored by rubbing off the peel of oranges, lemons, or cedrats on sugar, and scraping it off as it imbibes the oil; or it may be flavored with vanilla, by cutting it in small pieces and pounding it with some sugar, or with any liquor by adding a spoonful or two when you mix the eggs or sugar. They may also be varied in form, and baked on tin or iron plates instead of wood, that the bottoms may be quite firm. The tops may be covered with almonds or pistachios, blanched and cut small or in fillets, or with currants, or colored sugars; the whole depending on the taste and ingenuity of the artist.

KISSES.--Twelve ounces of sugar powdered very fine and passed through a silk sieve, the whites of six eggs beaten to a strong froth; mix and lay out on paper, as for dry meringues; when baked, place two together. The size should be about that of pigeons' eggs.

MUSHROOMS.--To make these, take either of the pastes for meringues or light icing, as for cakes; put some into a bag in the shape of a cone, with a tin pipe at the end, the same as used for Savoy biscuits; lay them off in drops the size you wish them to be, on iron plates rubbed quite clean and dry; bake them as you would meringues, make also a smaller drop to form the stalk; when they are baked, take them off the tin and scoop out a little with your finger from the bottom near the edge, to form the hollow rough surface underneath; then dry them in the stove; scrape some chocolate and dissolve it in a little warm water, and rub a little over the rough part underneath; then place the stalk in the center, fixing it with a little icing, and let the flat part which was on the tin be placed outermost, to represent where it was cut.

PIPING CAKES, BONBONS, ETC.--This is a method of ornamenting wedding, twelfth-cakes, and other articles with icing, by means of small pipes or tubes; these are most generally made with writing-paper folded in the form of a cone, in the same manner as a grocer makes up his papers for small lots of sugar, tea, etc. The tube is filled with icing, made as for cakes, the base of the cone, or the place where it was filled, is turned down to prevent the sides opening, and the escape of the icing; the point is then cut off with a sharp knife or scissors, so as to make a hole sufficiently large to form the icing, when squeezed or pressed out, in a thread of the required size, and which will either be fine or coarse, according to the length of the point which is cut off. If the hole at the point of the cone is not perfectly straight when the icing is pressed out, it will form a spiral thread, which is very inconvenient to work with. 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.

Some of the pipes which are used cannot be formed with paper, as the tape and star-pipes, which are made of tin, having a bag fastened to them in a similar manner to that generally used for dropping out Savoy biscuits, macaroons, etc., only much smaller, the point of the tin tube of the one being fluted to form a star, and in the other it is flat, so that when the icing is forced or squeezed through, it comes out in a broad thin sheet, like a piece of tape. I employ a set of pipes made of tin, with small bags fastened to them; these are of different dimensions; the orifice of the round ones commences at the size of a common pin, and the tape-pipes from a quarter to half an inch in width. I find these much better than paper ones, as the trouble and time which is lost in constantly making new ones is amply repaid by the others, as they are not very expensive and are always ready for use. These pipes should be in the hands of the confectioner what the pencil or brush is to the painter--capable of performing wonders with men of genius. Some of the bonbons which may be seen in the shops are proofs of what I assert; and many things are so cleverly done, that many persons would believe that they were either formed in a mold or modeled. I have not space to enlarge further on this subject, but much more might be given in explanation; therefore the artist must be guided by his own genius and fancy.

PASTILE DROPS.

Choose the best treble-refined sugar with a good grain, pound it, and pass it through a coarse hair sieve; sift again in a lawn-sieve to take out the finest part, as the sugar, when it is too fine, makes the drops heavy and compact, and destroys their brilliancy and shining appearance.

Put some of the coarse grains of sugar into a small drop-pan (these are made with a lip on the right side, so that when it is held in the left hand the drops can be detached with the right), moisten it with any aromatic spirit you intend to use, and a sufficient quantity of water to make it of a consistence just to drop off the spoon or spatula without sticking to it. Color with prepared cochineal, or any other color, ground fine and moistened with a little water. Let the tint which you give be as light and delicate as possible. Place the pan on the stove fire, on a ring of the same size. Stir it occasionally until it makes a noise, when it is near boiling, _but do not let it boil_; then take it from the fire and stir it well with the spatula until it is of the consistence that, when dropped, it will not spread too much, but retain a round form on the surface. If it should be too thin, add a little coarse sugar, which should be reserved for the purpose, and make it of the thickness required.

Have some very smooth and even plates, made either of tin or copper, let them be quite clean, and drop them on these, separating the sugar from the lip of the pan with a piece of straight wire, as regularly as possible. About two hours afterwards they may be taken off with a thin knife. If you have not the convenience of tin or copper plates, they may be dropped on smooth cartridge paper. Wet the back of the paper when you want to take them off. Cover the bottom of a sieve with paper, lay them on it, and put them in the stove for a few hours. If they remain too long, it will destroy their fragrancy.

CATECHU DROPS.--One pound of sugar, three ounces of catechu. Make as violet. These may also have the addition of a little musk or ambergris--about fifteen grains.

CHOCOLATE DROPS.--One pound of sugar, one ounce of chocolate. Scrape the chocolate to a powder, and mix it with the sugar in coarse grains, moisten it with clean water, and proceed according to the instructions already given, but do not mix more than can be dropped out whilst warm at one time. If any remains in the pot, it will grease the next which you mix, and will not attain the consistence required.

CINNAMON DROPS.--One ounce of cinnamon, one pound of sugar. Pulverize the cinnamon, and sift it through a lawn sieve. Mix it with the sugar, and add two or three drops of the essential oil. If the flavor is not strong enough, moisten it with the water and proceed as before. The flavor may be given with the essential oil only, coloring them with bole ammoniac.

CLOVE DROPS.--Make same as cinnamon drops.