Summer Holidays

MARSHMALLOWS AND JELLIES | MARSHMALLOWS | GELATIN JELLIES | JELLO JELLIES | APRICOT JELLY | PINEAPPLE JELLY | HARD CANDIES, CRUNCHES AND BRITTLES | BASIC HARD CANDY | BUTTER CRUNCH | PEANUT BRITTLE | BUTTERSCOTCH | BUTTER BRICKAL | MAPLE-NUT BRITTLE | TOFFEE

June weddings and their anniversaries usher in the summer candy season. One wedding anni­versary—the sixth —is dedicated to sugar and candy — and to iron, too. But candy is wonderful for any wedding celebration. Because of their fresh dainty look, pastel and white bonbons are wedding party specials along with white mints and the ever-present fondant patty.

For weddings or anniversaries the patty is left white and flavored to your taste, then decorated with flowers of royal icing put on with a pastry tube.

Patties can be made large enough so that names may be written on them, and they can be used for place cards at any party or celebration.

Summertime is really not the perfect time to make candy — let's face it. But you can do a good job with most varieties if you pick the less humid days.

Marshmallows are no problem and they are just right for a Fourth of July picnic, either eaten with the fingers or toasted on sticks. Jellied candies appear cool and are refreshing; so they are well liked in warm weather even though they are more difficult to make. This is so with hard candies as well.

And I might as well say that there are no licorice candies in this book because of the many difficulties in the way of han­dling licorice in the home kitchen. Most professional candymakers don't make their own licorice candies but buy them from specialists in the field. Partly this is because licorice candy traditionally must be colored black, which involves using chemicals. The licorice root itself is not black but somewhere back in unre­corded history it was used in black candy and the idea caught on. So it isn't licorice if it isn't black.

If you like the flavor you can get a good approximation by using anise —only then, according to tradition, you must color it red, or it isn't anise!

If you stir up some butter crunch, everybody's fa­vorite, you will not need to worry about how it keeps. It will disappear so quickly the weather will not have a chance to aflFect it. And the same is true of peanut brittle, a favorite summertime confection which is apt to get sticky if left around. But do not attempt to dip chocolates in hot weather unless you have air con­ditioning.

Mother's Day and Father's Day come before it gets really hot so you need not be too limited in your choice of candies to make for either parent's day. Gift boxes at this time, like those for birthdays or presen­tation at any season of the year, deserve a special job Summer Holidays of packing. You can arrange candies in pretty dishes and wrap them in cellophane. Nuts and small hard candies look attractive packed in marmalade jars. If your assortment includes chocolates they will look best packed in a pretty tin box or in a pasteboard box lined with lace paper. You can use doilies or shelf edging.

To pack a box fit cardboard separators to the proper size so that the layers will sit evenly. Put your heavi­est pieces in the bottom and save the most decorative for the top layer. If you can get small glassine candy cups it will help to keep your candy looking nice and make it easier to arrange. They are difficult to find nowadays, though.

If the candy is to be shipped, pack it tightly so there isn't room for it to slide around and become marred or broken. Put cellophane over the top layer and crush waxed paper under the lid of the box. Then wrap it all in corrugated paper and mark it "perish­able."

For Fourth of July stay-at-homes fondant patties turn up again, this time in oblong shapes, decorated with red stripes and blue stars to simulate flags. For table decorations, too, which the young guests can lick at later, make red and white candy sticks, wrap them in red cellophane and twist the ends to make firecrackers.

Marshmallows and Jellies

Marshmallows are just about the most satisfying candy you can turn your hand to. They are melting, delicate, luscious — a taste and texture revelation — and so much better than the commercial product that there is hardly a basis for comparison. Made of noth­ing but sugar syrup, gelatin and flavoring they are also one of the most inexpensive candies to make. You really do need an electric mixer for the beating proc­ess, though, because it takes strong, regular and pro­longed beating to achieve a marshmallow.

Its close relatives, jellies or Turkish paste — though you wouldn't believe it to look at them — are more difficult to make at home, as the best jellied candies include a large amount of cornstarch, which is diffi­cult to cook to the right stage without scorching. Commercially, jellied candies are made in steam-jacketed kettles to prevent this. Also, it is difficult to find flavors good enough to "stand alone" — as the flavors in jellied candies must, since there is no flavor added by cream or butter or other such ingredients.

The two recipes given here are the result of long experimentation. The gelatin recipe is the most deli­cate in texture. But we feel that the Jello recipe made with cornstarch is a real discovery for home cooks, since it uses the variety of concentrated flavors that have been developed for dessert use, with the addi­tion of enough cornstarch to give a slightly chewy texture.

We have also included in this chapter some natural fruit jellies. These are not clear jellies and are used chiefly for centers for dipping in fondant or chocolate (see pages 19-28 and 32-37).

MARSHMALLOWS

2 tablespoons gelatin, 3/4cup light corn syrup, (2 envelopes), 1/2 cup hot water, 1/2 cup cold water, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 cups sugar Confectioners' sugar

Put 2 tablespoons gelatin in an electric mixer bowl and measure into this 1/2 cup cold water. Mix well and let stand. Measure 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup light corn syrup and 1/2 cup hot water into a saucepan and blend well with a wooden spoon. Place over low heat until sugar is all dissolved and then increase the heat. When mixture boils put in your candy thermometer and continue cooking without stirring. When ther­mometer registers 244° to 246°, remove from heat and pour into gelatin, beating all the while. Continue beat­ing until candy thickens and is slightly warm. At least 15 minutes is required. Blend in 2 teaspoons vanilla and pour into two pans (7 by 7 inches) that have been lightly buttered and dusted with cornstarch. Set in a cool place or refrigerator until firm. Remove from pan and cut into pieces, dusting each piece well with confectioners' sugar. Scissors can be used if dipped in confectioners' sugar between cuttings. Marshmallow can be dipped in chocolate, or combined with equal-size pieces of caramel or jellies for dipping. Or marsh-mallow may be used between two layers of caramel to give a variation.

A drop of fruit coloring may be added to the mix­ture during the beating to give tinted marshmallows. Concentrated canned or frozen fruit juice or strong coffee may be used in place of the cold water in which the gelatin is soaked. In this case, omit the vanilla. For nut marshmallows add 1/2cup chopped nuts to the mixture, or roll the marshmallow pieces in finely chopped nuts.

GELATIN JELLIES

2 tablespoons gelatin (2 envelopes), Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 cup cold water,  Juice and grated rind of 1 eating orange, 2 cups sugar Granulated or confectioners', 1/2 cup hot water    

Soften 2 tablespoons gelatin in 1/2cup cold water and let stand. Measure 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup hot water into a 2- or 3-quart saucepan, stirring over low heat until it dissolves and begins to boil. Now put in your thermometer and boil over high heat until the temperature reaches 290°. Add the gelatin to this syrup and cook slowly over low heat until the ther­mometer registers 228°. Strain juice and grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon into the mixture, blend and pour into an 8-inch square pan which has been rinsed in cold water and not dried. Chill in the refrigerator until set and firm. Remove and let stand in a cool room for an hour or two. Remove from the pan and cut into cubes. Roll in either granulated or confec­tioners' sugar. Let stand another hour before packing into a tin box. These do not keep well over a long period and are a little softer than commercial jellies or Turkish paste.

JELLO JELLIES

1 cup sugar, 1 package desired flavor, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, Jello,
1 cup boiling water, 1/4 cup boiling water

Mix 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch to­gether in a 2-quart saucepan and add 1 cup boiling water. Blend well and place over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is clear.

Then add 1 package Jello which has been mixed with 14 cup boil­ing water. Put in the candy thermometer and stir until thermometer registers 222°. Remove from heat and let stand until cool. Spoon out in patty shapes on greased cookie sheets. Let stand until firm and either roll in granulated sugar or dip in chocolate. Jello comes in strawberry, raspberry, lemon, lime, cherry and orange flavors.

APRICOT JELLY

1 pound dried apricots, 2 cups sugar

Steam 1 pound dried apricots until very soft. Put through a baby-food strainer into a saucepan. Meas­ure 2 cups sugar into the strained apricots and slowly cook over low heat until mixture forms a very heavy string from the end of the spoon. This candy must be stirred continuously to keep it from scorching. It is difficult to use a thermometer for this thick candy.

However, a test in cold water may be made. When the candy holds its shape and is quite thick, remove from heat. It may be spooned out into patties on a lightly greased platter or large pan or poured into a pan and later cut into cubes. Patties or cubes may be dipped in chocolate or fondant, or they are good just rolled in sugar.

PINEAPPLE JELLY

2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup water,

1. cup grated pineapple, drained
2. envelopes gelatin } mix and let stand at least
3.  (2 tablespoons) }  5 minutes

1/4 cup cold water}

Measure 2 cups sugar and 1/2cup water into a saucepan and blend well together. Place over low heat and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. When it boils, put in the candy thermometer and increase the heat. When the thermometer registers 254° measure in 1 cup drained grated pineapple, stir and continue cooking until candy becomes thick and jellied. Re­move from the heat and add 2 envelopes gelatin which has been softened in 1/4cup cold water. Pour into a lightly greased pan and set in a cool place over­night before cutting. This is especially good dipped in chocolate or fondant. The pieces may be squares or caramel size.

Hard Candies, Crunches and Brittles

Hard candies are a good change from the sweet, soft or chewy fudges, caramels and marshmallows. Clear hard candies are cooked to just about the top of the candy thermometer's range — as high as 310° — and form the basis for lollipops, drops, barley-sugar twists and so on. This candy is hard enough to merit the name "jawbreaker" and is relished most by the very young and the very old.

But there are other candies cooked to slightly lower temperatures — the toffees, brittles and crunches — which are more tender on the teeth because of the addition of butter. Of all these, probably butter crunch is in highest favor right now, particularly when coated with chocolate and nuts. This is one of the quickest, easiest candies to cook with the right utensils, though it is also one of the most expensive since it is made of equal quantities of butter and sugar. Butter brickal is a variation which contains a good deal less butter.

Brittles are usually poured out as thin as possible and stretched after pouring when the edges begin to cool to make a very thin, brittle and tender candy to eat. The addition of the butter and nuts 20° under the temperature at which the candy is finished en­sures a good brown taste to both nuts and brittle and makes it easier to work the butter in without stir­ring the candy so much that it sugars. The addition of soda, traditional with peanut brittle, makes the candy less transparent and imparts a special texture as well.

Toffee is really a simple caramel cooked to a tem­perature which makes it hard instead of chewy. The recipe we give is one we used incessantly one sum­mer we spent at a lake along with one of our aunts. We made it after we got home, too, but never could find the recipe or remember the exact measurements, simple though they are, and always had to call Aunt Ann to get the proportions again. Someone finally wrote it into Mother's special recipe book and we made it again and still found it good.

BASIC HARD CANDY

2 cups sugar, 34 cup water, 2/3 cup light corn syrup, Flavorings and colorings

Measure 2 cups sugar, 2/3 cup light corn syrup and 3/4cup water into a saucepan and blend together. Place over low heat and stir until mixture boils. Cover the saucepan for 5 minutes so that any sugar crystals that have formed on the sides of the pan will be washed down. Now put in the candy ther­mometer and let the candy boil without stirring. Using a pastry brush or a fork wrapped with muslin and dipped in water, wash off any crystals that might form. After the candy reaches 280°, lower heat so as not to discolor the candy. When candy thermometer registers 300°, remove pan from the heat and allow it to stand until all the bubbles have simmered down. Then add the flavoring and coloring. There are many to choose from but one favorite is anise along with red coloring. One teaspoon of a flavoring extract should be used for this recipe, while only a few drops of an oil such as peppermint, wintergreen or cin­namon are enough. Coloring should be added grad­ually until the desired intensity is reached. It is im­portant to stir these in as gently as possible. Too much stirring will cause the syrup to solidify into a hard sugary lump. Now the candy is ready to be formed. It may be poured into a pan, 7 by 7 inches, and marked into squares as it begins to harden. Or it may be poured in rounds on skewers or sticks to form lol­lipops.

BUTTER CRUNCH

¾  pound butter, 1 cup grated nuts, 3/4pound sugar (l 1/2, cups), 1/2pound dipping chocolate, 1 teaspoon corn syrup    or 6 ounces semisweet, ½  cup chopped nuts, chocolate

Melt 3/4pound butter in a 10-inch heavy iron skil­let, add 1 1/2cups sugar and 1 teaspoon corn syrup and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Put in your thermometer, which will have to be put in at a slant or held with one hand while you stir with the other. Continue stirring over medium heat until the tem­perature reaches 290°. Remove from heat, stir in 1/2cup chopped nuts and pour into a large flat pan or tray. The sugar and butter will not blend well until they reach about 250°. But they should not separate after that if you keep the temperature high enough to keep the mixture bubbling.

When the mixture has cooled, melt the chocolate (you may use more or less depending on the thick­ness you prefer) and spread thinly over surface, then sprinkle with half of the cup of grated nuts. When the chocolate hardens, turn the candy over and cover the other side with melted chocolate and the remain­ing nuts.

You may coat only one side with chocolate and nuts if you wish. A quick way of putting chocolate on both sides is to spread the pan you are going to use with grated nuts, smooth melted chocolate over them and then pour your candy onto this layer. As soon as candy cools slightly, spread pieces of chocolate over it with a spatula, letting the warm candy melt the top layer of chocolate; then sprinkle with nuts.

PEANUT BRITTLE

1 1/2 cups sugar,      1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup light corn syrup,l 1/2 cups salted peanuts, 1/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Measure 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup and 1/3 cup water into a 3-quart saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Continue stirring until syrup boils, then put in your thermometer and boil over high heat until thermometer registers 280°. Lower heat and add 1 tablespoon butter, stirring rapidly, then 1 l/2 cups salted peanuts. If your pea­nuts are not salted add 14 teaspoon salt. Cook and stir for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir occasionally until tem­perature reaches 300°. Remove from heat, add 1 teaspoon soda (which should be free from lumps) and stir until it bubbles up, add 1/2teaspoon vanilla, stir again and then pour onto two large cookie sheets. Spread out thinly with a spatula and when the edges are cool enough to handle pick them up and stretch out as thinly as possible. As the candy cools down pull it loose from the pan and turn it over, stretching again. This candy does not keep well and will get sticky unless kept in a tightly covered tin.

BUTTERSCOTCH

1 1/2 cups white sugar, 2/3 cup cold water, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, l/2 cup light corn syrup, 14 teaspoon salt

Measure 1 1/2cups white sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2cup light corn syrup, and 2/3cup cold water in a saucepan. Place over low heat and stir well until mixture boils. Cover the pan for 5 minutes so that the steam will wash down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Remove cover and put in the candy thermometer and let boil without stirring until ther­mometer registers 280°. Now add 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt and continue cooking until the thermometer registers 310°. Pour into a large greased pan, 13 by 9 inches, and mark into squares when the butterscotch begins to set. For patties, molds may be used or, if you have a steady hand, you can shape them by hand or else use a funnel and stick, only be sure to oil and heat both the funnel and the stick.

BUTTER BRICKAL

1 1/4 cups butter      , ½ cup water, 2 1/2 cups sugar,           1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup chopped nuts

Measure 1 1/4 cups butter and 2 1/2 cups sugar into a heavy 2- or 3-quart saucepan, add 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt and place over low heat, stir­ring until dissolved. When the mixture boils add 1 cup chopped nuts. Put in your thermometer and boil until 290° is reached, stirring occasionally toward the end. Pour into a large pan or tray. Mark in squares and cut or break when cold. Wrap in waxed paper or cellophane. This may be covered with chocolate and nuts like butter crunch, or the squares may be dipped in chocolate.

MAPLE-NUT BRITTLE

1/3 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup water, 2/3 cup maple syrup, 1 cup nuts, 3/4 cup light corn syrup, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt

Measure 1/3cup white sugar, 2/3 cup maple syrup, 3/4cup light corn syrup and 1/3 cup water into a saucepan and blend together. Place over low heat and stir until mixture boils. Wash crystals from sides of pan using either a pastry brush or a muslin-wrapped fork that has been dipped in water.

Now put in the candy thermometer and boil without stir­ring until the thermometer registers 280°. At this point, put in 1 cup nuts, 2 tablespoons butter and 1/8teaspoon salt. Continue cooking until thermometer registers 305°. Pour out on a large pan and, when cool enough to handle, stretch the candy out as thin as possible.

TOFFEE

2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon of either vanilla, 2 cups dark corn syrup or rum flavoring, 1/3 cup butter

Measure 2 cups sugar, 2 cups dark corn syrup and 1/3cup butter into a saucepan and blend together. Place over low heat and stir until mixture boils. Now put in your candy thermometer and allow to boil without stirring until thermometer reaches 270°. Remove from heat and add flavoring. Pour into a pan, 7 by 11 inches, and mark into squares or rec­tangles before the candy hardens. Wrap each piece in waxed paper or moistureproof cellophane.

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