THE CANDY COUSIN

Otago Witness, Volume 23, Issue 2684, 23 August 1905, Page 69

THE CANDY COUSIN

By MAORI LAX DA.

(Specially wi-itten for the Otago Witness.) NO. IX. CARAMELS AND ANTICIPATIONS

TDon't stand on your china heads and spin round on your little tin ears with ex citement,'-' said Edna loftily. "What if Edith has gotten a letter ! I've had letters often but it's no new one on me." "But— ; hut— but ; " said Bee stutteringly —it's from JMelle, and Cousin Estelle is in Paris, and " "And/ interjected Edrfch, "she wants me to go over and stay with her for— and oh! "Edna, I'll" learn how to make' French candies whilst I am -fchere." ■ Edna looked a trifle scornful. "You begin to "think you're the 'whole cheese' already, do you?" she asked indignantly. "But Edith -will teach you every bit of the French knowledge she gets, and then just think how wise you'll be with that added to all your own, said Bee artfully s pouring oil on the troubled waters. me see? What were we going to do today?" ''Caramels !" Edna responded, a little mollified. "Let's 'set to work, then," said Hal, "be_caus?. 1 know Edith will want to go flying off to pack soon." "Quite so," laughed Edith joyfully, "it will mate rae feel I urn really going." "She will put on a lot of 'dog' when she 'gets back-!" murmured Edna softly, as she set abont getting out the saucepans. "Edna! ISdua! , What Westernism is that?" laughed Bee. -"What kind of caramels shall we do first?" asted JMith, prompt m her obedience to the little candy -mistress so soon to be supplanted. ► "Caramel candy," Edna answered, feeling" asram a thrill of joy in being *he ■wisest"of the Tjand. "And caramel candy is just dandy—and that's all there is to it." "Be quick and let!s taste it, then," cried the three. So Edna recited the list of ingredients aloud. — Caramel Candy.'— "Hall a pound of brown ,sugar, three tablesponfiils of syrup — golden syrup, you call it," - she interjected ; "butter the ; size of a w.alnut,~ water very little, not more than" two tablespoonfuls, just enough to'moisten the sugar. Put the mixture, on .altogether, and let it boil. ' If it "boils very hard it can fte done in 10 or 12 minutes, and that is very short for caramels ; some take a whole hour. Flavouring to taste." "But," exclaimed Edith, ./'surely that is -when you do a great quantity?" Edna, nodded, not -quite pleased that the elder girl should have found out the reason, or part of it. "What flavouring should go into this?" asked Bee, as she measured out the cup ■of sugar, -while Hal .carefully poured in the water anfl molasses, and Edith .spooned off the butter. "If you like we can put vanilla — a tea« 6poonful bi that should be lots, — but a couple of teaspoonfuls of whisky makes it justT fine." "Well, put it in then," saia Edith. "Mother wouldn't mind our using just a little bit. Is that all?" "Sure!" responded 1 Edna promptly. "Now, I figure that Hal can attend to that while we fix the other ! kettles. Say, Hal, it's not done until, when you test a few drops in cold water, as usual, you can roll it into a foall — you know, when it 6ticks real hard to "the side of the cup." "Right, oh!" said the boy, as he took Ms stand beside the saucepan. "Oh,- 1 say, Edna, do you know how to make the red caramels — the kind that taste ifruity?" "I should say," Edna answered tranquilly. "Hustle a bit, and I'll "show yoii everything you want bo know. Tin not as slow -as molasses in winter," she added, spurring them on to further effort. "I don't believe even a Mayflower descendant could get things out "faster than ire are doing,'* protested Edith, -.as she and Bee flew about the kitchen in obedience *o -Edna's staccato ■diredntms. "Brown svgar — molasses. . . For landis sake, don't put -fhe 'butter wway ; ttb'll <want that «ure. Bee, Where's the ' Sour? „ . „ A pitcher of , milk, Edith. . . . Clot any maple .sugar? .. . . Where is the grater? We'll "be up against it if there's no chocolate in the house." "There is — -there is!" cried the three in chorus. "'Come to the point, Edna— what next?"" "Chocolate caramels," commanded Edna. 'Tut a good waluut-jsazed -lump of butter into a saucepan, JEdiih, and Jet it melt. Bee, when it has melted add to it a dessertsponful flour, and stir it till it is quite smooth. Edith, I wish you'd .boil Jialf a cup of milk, and just as it comes to the "boil pour it into Bee's mixture of butter and ilour." "What's this for?" asked Edith, measuring out the milk. "The chocolate caramels," Edna responded, putting a cup of brown sugar and lialf a cup of molasses together, then setting to work hastily to grate half a cup of chocolate. " "Bee, is the butter smooth? This milk is boiling up." "I'm ready," said Bee. "Oh, Edna'J" exclaimed Edith, as she .turned- the milk into, ihe butter and flour, stirring -as she did so, "it has thickened like thick custardv" "That's right," Ecfaa answered. "Now, turn that into the brown sugar and molasses I put ready, and add this half-cup of chocolate to it. Then let the whole tiling boil gently for about a quarter of an hour before you test it, as usual." •'Edna, -come quick ! I think this is done," Soiled Hal anxiously,.

Edna hastened to his side, tested the candy, and called for a square, biittered pan." Into this she turned the mixture, then bode the boy float' the tin carefully in a bafcin of cold water. "What's that for?" he asked in bewilderment. "It's the quickest way to fix it," Ec'na answered, superintending the operations, so that no drop of water splashed over the candy; "don't you see ihe reason of it? It cools from the bottom up as wel], then, instead of only from the lop down. If we did irot do that we might not be able to eat it until to-morrow." "Then I for one am glad you laiew that trick," said the boy emphatically. x "Oh, Edna !" cried Bee, "this chocolate* caramel won't stay in the •saucepan: it's bubbling all over/ "I guess you forgot to butter the saucepan round the top edge," said the little American, with some scorn. '"Sauries i Not more than an inch r ! own. Vox TJty's sake, i Edith, don't stir it!" I "What next?'" asked the drier girl, resigning the saucepan into Ler sister's I hands. j "Fruit caramels," said Edna, quickly. j "The butter, milk, and flour just as for the chocolate caramel mixture — half a tablespoonful of flour stirred into a walnatsized lump of butter as soon as it is melted, then -half a cup of boiling milk (or water) j stiroed into the butter and flour. Add to this a cup -of white sugar and three tablespoonfuls of syrup." "What kind of syrup?" "The Bjrup stewed fruit has been cooked •in, or the juice out of some preserves. >Say, where are tibose preserved strawberries? If we taka three tablespooffifuls <of that it will make elegant strawberry caramels." _ "Here " said Edith, producing the jar. E-dna, would really any kind of frurt*juice do?" "Sure ! The liquid out >of.n can of sliced pineapple makes just daraiy candy. Qnly, if the mixture is not a good colour, you ' must add some tinting to it. There, this is not bright -enough. Got any -colouring — , red?" rr No," answered Bee, with dismay in her Voica .But Edna would; not he put out. She called for the colouring packet that had coone in the last box of Emox's gelatine, soaked it for a few minutes in something under a tablespoonful of water, and added it to the strawberry mixture just as it came to .the 'boil. "That's all right," she ' said emphatically, as it turned a glorious rose. "W-atdi it, -Edith, w&ilo I " "Edna!" called Bee. "This chocolate caramel has gone quite thick in the sauce- , pan." "Sure, that's right," was the consoling •answer. "Test it and see." •Hal passed across a cup of cold water, and Bee tried. "It's just perfect," Edna declared. She poured it out into a well-buttered pan and ! floated it in a basin of cold water, as Hal ■ 'had done the caramel candy. "Say, Hal, did you mark that out in squares? If you did' not I guess you won't be able to do it at all." "It's only half-Gold mow," said the boy, hastily catching up a knife. "New's the word, then," the young Westerner answered. "Why are caramels always wrapped in, ! paper?" asked Edith' as she tended the j strawberry-flavoured mixture. j "Because," said E-3iiia, "when a caramel is a ciiramel it is not as hard rs molasses candy or barley sugar, so it sticks. to anyHhkig it can, and =nnless iept in a very cool plane roan looks spladgy. If you wrap them up in ooled paper the paper holds "them iirm." "It's a nuisance to take off," protested "Ours won't last long enotigli to grow soli-,"' asserted Bee with confidence. "Let's do up just a few in silver paper to put with .the other sweets," suggested Edith. "Here is a nice sheet, and they will look so pretty. "*. . . Gh, Edna, were you not going to make some maple? Do, and I'll take some across to Estelle, They may mot Lave maple sugar in Paris. What's the mixture?" "Maple caramels," said Edna, as promptly as if Edith had pressed a 'button. < "See, hanld out a- kettle. Hal. just shave • half a cupful of sugar from that brick of maple sugar, will you, and add to it the same quantity of ordinary brown sugar. Bee, this takes rather more butter than, the others-— a good slice: — so, that weighs about an ounce, I guess. Half a tablespoonful of flour mixed into the melted butter the same as before, and five tablespoonfuls of boding water poured into tihat. Put three tafolespoonfuls of maple syrup on to thi> sugar, and pour the water, butter, and fh>ur s on to the sugar and syrup. When it all comes to the boil again add a quarter of a teaspooniful of cream of tartar. It will take .about as long as the others to ' cook. .Sakes ! Bee, isn't the saucepan ready yet? Hal!" she cried reproachfully, "you haven't even found the sugar yet, and fust look at the clock !" Edith looked at the t&]Rale daal and gave >a cry of mingled eoaisternatioin and delight. "Here, take these strawberry caramels, -somebody ; I must go and pack. . . . Write me down that recipe, Edna., darling, and' give me the maple sugar. I'll take it with me and make it tibere — no time for more nosr. Do cool off the strawberry mixture quickly, Hal ; I want so much to taste them. Now to pack — to pack for Paris !" And Edith fled from the room. "Edna !" Her voice came float-

ing down the long passage. "How shall I know when the maple caramel is done?"'

"Test it in cold water when it thickens some," shouted Edina ; "and mind you butter the pan you put it in to cool." "I will ! I will !" called back Edith.