This section is from the "The Ideal Cook Book" book, by Annie R. Gregory. Also see Amazon: The Ideal Cook Book.
Follow same directions as above only use less coloring matter in the mixture. H. F. E.
Put one-quarter of a pound of finely-sifted sugar into a preserving pan, with one-fourth cup of water, place it on a moderate fire, and stir it with a wooden spoon till it becomes brown; then stir it constantly until it is a dark brown. Add one cup of hot water. Draw it to the side of the fire and let it simmer very gently for one-quarter of an hour longer. Strain and bottle for use. If the fire is too fierce, the caramel will be discolored. D. C. F.
Crush the sugar either coarsely or to a powder, whichever is required. Place two or three drops of fruit juices or prepared cochineal in the palm of the hand, and rub the sugar in with it until it is sufficiently colored, when it is ready for use. S. C. A.
Melt four pounds of sugar in two quarts of water, over the fire. When it boils beat in the white of one egg well whisked. Let come to a boil, skim, boil ten minutes; strain and bottle. Charlotte Hunt.
Rub the required quantity of powdered sugar through a fine sieve on a granite pan, set it on the stove to warm, and whisk in any kind of flavoring desired. H. E. A.
There are several methods of testing sugar while cooking. All skilled sugar boilers advise the use of a thermometer graduated from fifty degrees Fahrenheit to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. They claim that while the sugar is undergoing the process of boiling it is very nearly impossible for a learner to determine the exact degree which the sugar has attained without the aid of the thermometer. However, only a few skilled boilers use them. The common method is to drop a drop of the syrup into cold water. The sugar must be boiled according to the kind of candy to be made, and there are several degrees, known as "smooth," "thread," "ball," and "crack." All these stages of the syrup must be learned by experimenting, and the ingenuity of the candy-maker brought into use. The "crack" degree (300 degrees or over) is used for most candies. It is a good plan to butter the dish in which sugar or molasses is to be cooked within a couple of inches of the top. This prevents the sugar rising any any higher and running over.
Do not put candy in a refrigerator to cool, but in a cold, dry place.
E. J. C.
Cut a pineapple crosswise into thin slices and then again into quarters. Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth; lay the fruit in this, drain and dip again the part that drips off. Select the pieces one by one and by the aid of a skewer dip them into finely powdered sugar. Place the fruit in an oiled or buttered pan and put in an oven that is cooling. Pile them on a dish and set them in a cool place until wanted.
Palmer Miller.
Four cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of cream, one-half cupful of milk, one-quarter of a pound of butter, one-half cake of Baker's chocolate grated. Put all over hot fire until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Place pan in another of hot water and cook until it is easily formed into a ball when dropped into cold water, but not hard or brittle. Remove from fire at this stage, flavor with a teaspoonful of vanilla and stir until it begins to set. Pour in pan to depth of one-half inch and mark off in squares. Stanley Miller.
Take one-half pound of the best quality of brown sugar, one ounce of butter, one-half wine-glassful of water. Let sugar and water boil till they become a smooth, thick syrup. Add three drops of lemon essence, stirring briskly. Pour into buttered pans or onto a marble slab.
T. J. M.
Boil but do not stir one-half pound of loaf sugar in one breakfast-cupful of water. Pit some cherries, or prepare any desired fruit, and string them on a thread, then dip them in the syrup; suspend them by the thread. When pineapples are used, slice them crosswise and dry them on a sieve, or in the open air; oranges should be separated into sections and dried like pineapple. E. S.
Boil one and one-half cupfuls of sugar and three-fourths of a cupful of sweet milk; add one-half teaspoonful of butter. Boil about ten minutes. Let it cool; when lukewarm beat adding a teaspoonful of lemon juice. When it becomes a soft, creamy substance have ready seeded dates, fill with this cream and serve. T. P. M.
This taffy can be made of one cupful of sugar, one-half cupful of water, one teaspoonful of molasses, butter the size of an egg and two tea-spoonfuls of vinegar. Lissie Mooney.
Pop the corn and take out all the hard kernels, then put in a large pan, the larger the better. For seventy balls, take two cupfuls of sugar and two cupfuls of molasses and boil them until, when you drip a little into cold water, it is brittle; then pour in a thin stream over the corn. One person should pour and the other stir up the corn constantly to get it all mixed in with the candy. The less candy used the better. The corn must be salted and buttered. Work it into balls with the hands.
B. Felt.
Those who have lived among the maple groves of Vermont, New York, Michigan or parts of Canada know what real enjoyment there is in a "Sugar Off." But good things like these cannot be kept a secret, and so if you want one of the nicest edible treats of your life, take two quarts of genuine (not imitation) maple syrup and put it over the fire in a large granite kettle and let it boil without stirring until you can wax it by dropping a little in cold water. While it is boiling, get ready some pieces of flat ice, about four or five inches thick and five inches long. Put one piece on each plate. Now when all is ready lift from the kettle by means of a large spoon a little of the "Sugar Off" and spread over the ice. Eat at once while it is warm. No harm if it cools, except that the pleasure wanes with the cooling. If ice is not to be had, snow or cold water will answer the purpose but ice is better. Some prefer to eat it from a saucer without either ice or snow. By stirring the wax in a saucer it will grain and become sugar. It is still good. Mrs. Eliza Locke.
 
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