The progress meatless cook book

FONDANT

This is the foundation for most candies, and should be kept a day or two before using. With it almost an endless variety of candies may be made, viz:—

Put these ingredients to boil, not stirring after sugar is dissolved. After about five minutes try it in cold water, to see if it can be moulded by hand. Beware of cooking it too long. Let cool gradually, then stir briskly till creamy and ready to knead by hand. Work in a little sugar if the mass becomes sticky. Set away in an earthen dish covered with a damp cloth for a day or two. Then flavor and form into candies of any preferred kind.

BUTTER SCOTCH

Boil all together till it hardens in cold water. Pour into buttered pan, when sufficiently cool mark with a knife into squares.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINTS

Boil water, sugar and cream of tartar till it hairs. Remove from fire and add peppermint, beating constantly till it begins to cool, when it must be dropped quickly from a teaspoon on buttered or paraffin paper. When cold, dip in the melted chocolate and return to paper to harden.

If the melted chocolate becomes curdled, add a little olive oil.

Any desired flavoring may be used.

DIVINITY CANDY

Stir sugar, water and syrup together, boiling till it hardens in cold water, making a tinkling sound when it hits the cup. Mix the stiffly beaten whites with nuts, pour the syrup slowly into the mixture, beating constantly until it is cool enough to form in a ball, then roll out on a buttered platter and cut in slices.

DIVINITY FUDGE

Boil sugar, water and syrup rapidly together till the mixture forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water. Pour the hot syrup slowly into the stiffly beaten whites, beating constantly, and as soon as the mixture begins to harden, stir in a cupful of chopped citron, candied cherries, orange, or similar fruits. Pour the fudge on to a buttered dish, and cut it in squares before it is cold.

NUT KISSES

To the well beaten eggs, add sugar, then nuts, salt and flavoring, beating with a spoon as ingredients are added. Drop from a small spoon in little balls on buttered tins and bake slowly.

KISSES

To the stiffly beaten whites, add flavoring and sugar, dropping from a dessert spoon on a buttered paper in a pan, baking till slightly browned.

AFTER DINNER MINTS

Mix the beaten white and water, adding sugar till the mixture may be kneaded like bread on a board without sticking. Add flavoring, knead again, roll and cut any preferred shape, and set away on a paraffin paper for two days.

Boil all but the peanuts together till the mixture hardens in cold water. Then stir in the peanuts with skins removed.

Pour on buttered plates to cool.

POPCORN BALLS

Butter a stew pan or kettle and boil in it without stirring the water, molasses, sugar and vinegar. When it will hair, add butter. When the mixture hardens, in cold water, add soda and pour over corn, stirring with a mixing spoon. Dip the hands in cold water and form the mixture into balls, continuing to dip the hands in cold water when making each ball, working rapidly before the syrup hardens. It is sometimes necessary to keep the dish containing the mixture in another dish of hot water to prevent hardening before balls are formed. Keep the finished balls in a cold place.

PULLED CREAM CANDY

Use enough water to cover sugar in which cream of tartar has been stirred in a stew pan, boil this till it hardens slightly in cold water. Flavor, pour in buttered tins, and pull when cool enough to handle.

PULLED MOLASSES CANDY

Heat molasses, sugar, water and vinegar to boiling point, add cream of tartar, stirring occasionally. Boil till it hardens in cold water, stirring often toward the last. When almost done, add butter and soda. Pour into buttered pans till cool enough to pull.

It may be cut with scissors in small pieces.

SEA FOAM CANDY

Heat sugar, water and vinegar to boiling, stirring till sugar is dissolved. Boil without stirring till it hardens in cold water. Remove immediately from fire, and when partially cool, pour over the stiffly beaten whites, continuing to beat until the mixture holds its shape. Add nuts, flavor, and drop from a teaspoon on paraffin paper.

CANDIED MINT LEAVES

Prepare fondant as per Fondant recipe. When the syrup is boiled so it will “hair,” remove from fire, stir a little and dip each small spray of mint in it, laying them on buttered paper to harden.

CANDIED ORANGE AND LEMON PEEL

Cut fresh peel from four oranges into one-half inch strips with scissors. Put in cold water, let boil five minutes, pour off this water, put into cold water and boil five minutes more, pour off this water, put into cold water and boil five minutes more for the third time. Make a syrup of one-half cupful water and one cupful granulated sugar, boil till begins to thicken, throw in peel, stirring constantly till syrup candies on peel. Turn candied peel into a colander to drain, then roll in sugar.

CANDIED VIOLETS

Violets may be prepared the same as Candied Mint leaves. The syrup may be colored by using grape juice, and the stems made green with spinach leaves crushed and juice added to the fondant.