Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 77

THE CANDY COUSIN.

By MAORILANDA.

(Specially written for the Otago Witness.) XI.— THE MASTERPIECE.

"Now for the French creams," said Edna. "I am real glad "you went to Paris, ■Edith, for I have been wanting to know /; hew to make- some of . these things the 'worst' way for quite a while." < "What shall we do first?" asked Bee, Teady, as usual, to fall in with the suggestions of the others. ' *'Coffee creams," «aid" Edith decidedly. - "Do you use coffee or "coffee extract?" asked Bee, pausing on. her way to fetch the coffee pot. •"Oh, the real thing is always better," Said Edna, turning up her already slightly elevated rose at the mention of a substi-

tute. "It's no knot to make coffee, either, ; Tli do that if you like." ' -"It must be very strong, then," directed •Edith, "nearly- two t,ablespoonsful to half a 'pint of .water — we don't need as much as but' we "can hardly make less." . • "All right," said Hal, pouring out the ■contents of the- kettle until only a cupful of water remained, and lighting the gas beenath it. "Tell * us the recipe all at once, Edith, •so that I shall remember," said Edna. — Coffee Creams. —

"The white of an egg, beaten just until ■the slimy stage has passed ; a good tablejspoonful of strong coffee " "What — the coffee itself?" demanded "Hal, voyaging in an unwary moment out of his sphere. "Gracious, no, boy !" cried Edna. "The liquid coffee that you would drink." "Cafe noirV corrected Edith. "It must not be hot," she added, "and must bo very well strained. Eun it two or three times through a piece of thin muslin and let it settle well before you start." ; ' "WHat about sugar?" - ■_. "Confectioner's, of course. And it simply ;tnust_ be- sifted, in through a sieve. • Lumps , _be a nuisance. Make it as' we did '-. -those 1 the otKeivday— so stiff that you can /touch it and it feels as if it really would . -not^ take, another -grain. Then, spoon it • ?onfrl an.dji.put it. in . nice v oval-shaped mouth-.fulg-on to a piece- of paraffin paper or a ■sugared -plate." "How long will they take to harden?" asked Hal. "Oh, .about an hour, but the longer you .leave them the better." ""The 'kettle "is boiling," said Bee, "and here is the coffee tin." . "Can," corrected Edna, seizing it and taking out the two necessary tablespoonsful. "Let -it boil two or three minutes," directed Edith, as she watched- Edna pour- '' ing in the scalding half pint of water. She • broke an egg, . separated the white into a basin, "and began to beat it while Bee - fetched the sugar and a spoon. "Hurry up and cool that coffee, Edna ; • this does not take much beating. Stand it in a bowl of cold water." "Sure, "l've; done that already," Edna - answered.- .'-1 -guess, it's about ready, too. This is the -third time I've strained! it and ' ■ it's as clear as. Colorado air." .' "Then put a tablespoonful into this white 'of egg," commanded Edith. "Now, Bee, • Lyou take" it over and beat in all the sugar r Hal will give you — it will need something short of a, pound." "What next?" asked Edna. "Do show us how the coloured ones are done." ' "Very well. Til need another egg, then, • -for " "I reckon you mean the white of it.' Edith nodded. "Here you are," responded the young 'American, deftly cracking and separating an egg as she spoke. j _■ "Now a cup ot «ream. Then sift in the sugar, beating the mixture all the time, for . the more you beat the creamier it will ! ' taste. ' ly'hen it is just beginning to ".thicken vp — that will be when it has taken 'considerably., under half a pound of sugar, j •! for .these do -not absorb as much as the. 'Nvatavmised" "creams — 'take a small quanv titv out into- j. saucer, so. Now, while I go on putting" in." sugar you mis the violet colouring into that smaller quantity. Make ' , -it r a few shades darker than we shall want k the- sweets, because, of course, when we t add it' to.- this larger, lot it will make it . . much, paler.". . f „ "Why do.it separately?" asked Edna. ' - f"For\- "f ear " of making it streaky,"'" ,- "answered Edith. "Edna, don't put in as r j much" as that; they will be a kind of . purple. il'you do." - j "I have always used bottle colourings,"' , proftsted'Edna.. - j "Well, ' Estelle j.ad these Burnett'.? , colour pastes, so I brought some back with me — they seemed fine. They are awfully" strong, though, so you mvst oaly use a tiny, tiny bit. The best way is to , take ifc out on tins end of a match; then ; you can't very well get too much." ' "That should be a lovely pale violet colour," said Bee, who Was watching with . interest-. "Yes; scrape it into my basin, Edna," , - said Edith, "and I'll stir it into this." "Dandy," affirmed Edna. 1 "Now 'the almond essence — a quarter of . « teaspoomful." "Shall I finish that while yon si art . something eli?9?'' asksd Edith as she poured In the flavouring. } "I shall waait some blanched almonds Co , pub on the top of these. Hadn't you better do them for me? There will be 50 . creams or more, so yoit had better prepare 25 or 30 almonds." ' "Put almonds on them all," commanded Hal.

Edith laughed. "I meant to," shs answered. "You split the almonds ait?r «rackin» and blanching them in hot

water. There, that's certainly stiff enough. | Taste!" "Lovely," said Bee, stealing o. spoonful. "Let's s», Kdith. Th© almond creams are only ■''' "Almond creams," began Edith, '"consist of the. -white of one egg, one tablospoonful of cream, a quarter of a tcaspmmful of almor-d essence, about a pound of confectioner's sugar a brass .pinlieadsized bifc x»f violet colouring, and half a blanched almond stuck on the top of each little mound" "Sure," said Edna thoughtfully. "I shan't forget— but I think I'll call Miem 'violet creams.' Now let's do some orange ones." "Very well ; I'll attend to those," said Edith; "and, nKtfnwhile, suppose you do some rose creams — they will look so pretty ivith the other coloured ones." • "Right, oh,* responded Edna ; "just like ■the almond ones?" she asked, setting to work with energy. "Oh, Edith, tho cat's drunk up all the cream. We can't make any more,' 1 cried Hal, acute dismay in his voice, i Edith laughed as Bee indignantly i "shoo'd" th© erstwhile petted kitten forth. I "Try the water mixture — the one I showed you for the fondant. Privately, I don't f think there is any difference in taste, but i 3 r ou must beat the egg more. —Rose Creams. — ''The white of one egg and a tablespoonful of cold water beaten together to a stiff froth. Powdered sugar, a quarter of a teaspoonful (or less) rosewater, a few drops of any pink colouring, then the rest of the sugar until the mass becomes touchable with lingers. Then drop ir. cut in rounds on prepared ! paper or sugared plate." '■ "What about the orange creams?" asked Hal hastily. "They look fine — in windows " "They are really all made In much the j same way," said Edith wisely. "Write" it down &>r me in- base I forget," said Edna as she worked away at' the basin of pink "ereain." So Edith ' wrote : ' — Orange Creams. — ! The white of on© egg and , a 1 able- ! spoonful of water well whipped; a scant tablespoonful of grated orange skin and confectioner's .sugar till stiff. A few , drops of orange flower water is a great 1 improvement. "We have been very quick this morning," she added, a.s she laid down her pen. ''There is time for something else. Shall I show you the masterpiece of the whole collection 7" "What is that?" they asked in chorus, while Edna scraped the- harder at the last scraps in her basin, and Bee and. Hal triumphantly stuck the remaining -almonds in tie little violet mounds, such wais their eagerness to assist in the wonder. Edith answered almost with bated breach "Apples !" she murmured. "Apples?" tie others echoed., "What do you mean?" ~ - Then Edna began to execute an "Indian, war dance. "1 know, I know,"' she, cried in delight. "She means those dear, .'cute, little crab apple candies. I know them ; they. are jiist the cunningcst things!" "Edith, did you really learn that too?" cried Bee, almost as pleased as Edna. — "Marzipan Fruits" — Began Edith with pride. "The white of an egg very well beaten ; to help you to do this add a small pinch of salt I to it. Stir in the best confectioner's sugar till the mixture is creamy, Than , add a quarter of a teaspoonful ofvanilla ! essence, more sugar, green colouring, then the last of the sugar." ! A cry of protesting voices arose. "Tell us more ; tell us more. How do we make the stalks?" | "Hal, run out into the garden, will you, and find some twigs — little, tiny, thin ones. mind. We want them as fine as possible and about an inoh long," Edith continued. "Bee, fetch the cloves." 1 "What are they for?" asked Edna, as she leaned idly with her elbows "on the table. "The cloves make the blossom end of the apple, and help to give them their flavour," explained the elder girl, as her sister returned and Hal ran in with, the stalks. "Waoli those- twigs, Edna, please. They are sure to be sooty. I think this is almost stiff enough to colour, don't you?" All agreed. So the yellowest of the green colour pastes was produced, and the desired apple tint attained. The rest; ot the sugar was then added till, with a sigh of satisfaction, Edith decided that not nnother fraction could be absorbed. She took a teaspoonful of the mixture and pushed' it off on to the oiled paper. Bee rjirefully shaped it round while Edna cautioiitfly pushed a clove in each. "But where do the stalks come in?" asked Hcd, superintending tho operation with interest. "We can't put 'them till the apples are dry enough to turn over," a.sserted Edith as she worked at the dwindling mass. "Now, Hal, get me tho bottle ol red fruit colouring and a clean, now, camel's hair brush — what a <*c:xl thing my painting keson was, delayed, or I might, have used them'" die added. ''Now a pauc^r with three drops of water in it , add to that a drop or so of the red " "But," protested Bee. "that is too pnle a pink for tho red cheek of an apple." Edith laughed. "That is just to smoolb off the colour at the clges so that, theie will not be a sharp dividing lire." she said comfortingly. "See, I ns3 the red by itself for the main spot, then T shade it off witb tiie watered red. See? . . ."

"Let me shape the rest," said Edna eagerly. "I'll make them into pears , they'll look elegant, I know."

"By rights," said Edith '"I should not colour them until the next day ; but 1 wanted to show you so much. Hal, I think if you turn those first ones carefully with a knife you might put the stalk in now."

"Oh, Edith, how lovely they look!" cried the two girls as Hal obeyed and they saw the dainty, little, red-cheeked appla complete from blossom to stalk.

Edith smiled, well pleased. "Wait till you taste them," she laughed. "You'll have no words left for the looks then."