TOFFEE-MAKING TIME

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 150, 22 December 1938, Page 27 (Supplement)

TOFFEE-MAKING TIME

With a little care it is> possible to produce simple confectionery in the home, states a writer in London "Times." Many a good sweet can be made over a spirit lamp, providing the attempt is not too ambitious. A sugar' thermometer (always used in a vertical position) is essential, as it prevents waste. It should be heated in a jug of hot water before being plunged into the boiling syrup, a-d washed directly after using, to prevent any sugar from sticking to it. A marble slab is also advisable. Sugar begins to boil at 215 degrees Fahrenheit and,increases to 315 degrees without burning. Constant watching, is necessary as it "toffies" quickly. The best syrup is made from a pound of loaf sugar mixed with a quarter of a pint of water, and an iron or enamel saucepan (never used for anything else) is recommended. Always must it be /gently moved so that the contents remain undisturbed. While the sugar cooks the pan is brushed round with cold water to prevent crystallisation. PUFF CANDT?. Put two pounds of brown sugar and a cupful of water into a deep pan. Boil for nearly 30 minutes. Test by , dropping a little into cold water. If it cracks it is ready. Lift off" the pan and stir in a teaspooi, of crushed baking soda. Stir until the candy froths up. Pour into a buttered tin about half an Lich high. Mark when half set. CHOCOLATE NOUGAT. Grate two ounces of the best chocolate and put it into a pan with a pound of granulated sugar, a gill of water, and : dessertspoon of glucose. Stir over the fire until dissolved. Then boil (without stirring) until a little of it will form a soft ball when tested in cold water. Now rinse out a basin with very cold water. Pour the mixture into it, adding a quarter of a pound of chopped nuts (which have been heated on a tray on the oven) and a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Turn out on to a marble slab well sprinkled with icing sugar. Press well to make it compact. Then put it into a tin

SWEETS FOR THE HOUDAYS

lined with rice paper (the edges moistened to make the side pieces stick). Cover with more paper, put on a weight, and leave for 24 hours. Then cut with a sharp knife. NOUGAT IMPERATRICE. Put a cup of marshmallows with half the quantity of ground almonds in a double boiler. Stir until well blended. Add a quarter o. a cup of chopped pistachia nuts and the same quantity of chopped candied cherries. Then spread the mixture half an inch thick on a tin which has been sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. When firm enough cut into bars. CHOCOLATE DROPS. This is a Victorian recipe. Pound to a smooth paste the best chocolate with an equal quantity of white sugar. (More or less can be used according to taste.) Blend thoroughly in a warm mortar and then roll into small balls. Lay them on sheets of waxed paper and shake over them peppermint pearls (from the chemist) until they are encrusted with them. This must be done before they harden. Whei quite cold remove from the paper. TOFFEE. Here is an old recipe for toffee. Boil together a pound of sugar and five ounces of butter for 20 minutes. Then stir in two ounces ,of blanched and divided almonds (carefullj dried in a slow oven). Let the toffee boil after they are added until it crackles when dropped into cold water and snaps without sticking to the fingers. GINGER CANDY. The following L a very old recipe tor, ginger candy:— Put a pound of the best sugar into a preserving pan with a third of a pint of water. Boil it to a thin syrup. Mix gradually a teaspoon of ground ginger with about three times as much of the syrup. Then htir this up with the rest. Watch carefully until it begins to boil. Towards the end throw in the grated rind of a large lemon, working the sugar round . quickly. Stir until it falls in a mass from the spoon. Then pour it out immediately and mark in the usual way.