Chapter III: Part 3

BRILLIANTS.--Take either of the pastes for peppermint lozenges from Nos. 1 to 4, and cut into small fancy devices, such as hearts, diamonds, spades, triangles, squares, etc.

CATECHU LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, catechu twelve ounces. Make into a paste with dissolved gum.

CATECHU A L'AMBERGRIS.--To the paste for catechu lozenges add sixteen grains of musk.

CATECHU WITH ORANGE-FLOWERS.--As before, adding twelve drops of essence of neroli.

CATECHU WITH VIOLETS.--As before, adding Florence orris root, in powder, three drachms. These are all used to fasten the teeth, and disguise an offensive breath.

CHING'S BROWN WORM LOZENGES.--Calomel washed in spirits of wine (termed _white panacea of mercury_) seven ounces, resin of jalap three pounds eight ounces, fine sugar nine pounds, dissolved gum sufficient quantity to make a paste. Each lozenge should contain half a grain of mercury.

Panacea one ounce, resin of jalap two ounces, sugar two pounds. Dissolve a sufficient quantity of gum in rose-water to make a paste. Make 2,520 lozenges, weighing eight grains each, and containing a quarter of a grain of calomel and half a grain of jalap.

These lozenges should be kept very dry after they are finished, as the damp, acting on the sugar and mercury, generates an acid in them.

CHING'S YELLOW WORM LOZENGES.--Fine sugar twenty-eight pounds, calomel washed in spirits of wine one pound, saffron four drachms, dissolved gum tragacanth sufficient to make a paste. Make a decoction of the saffron in one pint of water, strain, and mix with it. Each lozenge should contain one grain of mercury.

CINNAMON LOZENGES.--Gum tragacanth, dissolved, two ounces, lawned sugar eight pounds, cinnamon in powder one ounce, essential oil ten drops.

Mix into a paste and color with bole ammoniac. A stomachic.

CLOVE LOZENGES.--Sugar eight pounds, cloves three ounces, gum tragacanth two ounces.

Each lozenge should contain two grains of cloves. A restorative and stomachic.

GINGER LOZENGES.--Eight pounds of sugar and eight ounces of the best ground ginger. Mix into a paste with dissolved gum. Essence may be used instead of the powder, coloring it with saffron. A stimulant and stomachic.

IPECACUANHA LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, ipecacuanha one ounce, apothecaries' weight; dissolved gum sufficient to make a paste. Make 960 lozenges, each containing half a grain of ipecacuanha. An expectorant and stomachic, used in coughs.

LAVENDER LOZENGES.--Make as rose lozenges, using the oil of lavender instead of rose.

LOZENGES FOR THE HEARTBURN.--Prepared chalk four ounces, crab's eyes, prepared, two ounces, bole ammoniac one ounce, nutmeg one scruple, or cinnamon half an ounce. Mix into a paste with dissolved gum arabic.

MAGNESIA LOZENGES.--Calcined magnesia eight ounces, sugar four ounces, ginger in powder two scruples, dissolved gum arabic sufficient to form a paste.

Magnesia two ounces, sugar eight ounces, sufficient gum arabic to make a paste, dissolved in orange flower water.

MARSHMALLOW LOZENGES.--Marshmallow roots in powder one pound, or slice the root and make a strong decoction, in which you dissolve the gum, fine sugar four pounds. Mix into a paste. If six drops of laudanum be added, with two ounces of licorice, the pectoral quality of these lozenges will be improved. Good for obstinate coughs.

NITRE LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, sal-nitre one pound, dissolved gum tragacanth sufficient to make a paste. A diuretic internally; held in the mouth, it removes incipient sore throats.

NUTMEG LOZENGES.--Sugar eight pounds, oil of nutmegs one ounce, dissolved gum sufficient to mix into a paste. A stimulant and stomachic.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, NO. 1.--Take double refined loaf-sugar, pound and sift it through a lawn sieve; make a bay with the sugar on a marble slab, into which pour some dissolved gum, and mix it into a paste as you would dough, flavoring the mass with oil of peppermint. One ounce of this is sufficient for forty pounds of lozenges. Some persons prefer mixing their gum and sugar together at first in a mortar; but as it is indifferent which way is pursued, that may be followed which is most convenient. Roll out the paste on a marble slab until it is about the eighth of an inch in thickness, using starch-powder to dust it with, to prevent its sticking to the slab and pin. Before cutting them out, strew or dust over the surface with powder, mixed with lawned sugar, and rub it over with the heel of your hand, which gives it a smooth face. This operation is termed "facing up." Brush this off, and again dust the surface with starch-powder, cut them out, and place in wooden trays. Put them in the hot-closet to dry. All lozenges are finished in the same manner.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, NO. 2.--These are made as No. 1, adding a little starch-powder or prepared plaster, as for gum paste, to the paste, instead of using all sugar.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, NOS. 3 AND 4.--Proceed in the same manner as for No. 2, using for each more starch-powder in proportion. Use smaller cutters, and let the paste be rolled thicker.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, NO. 5.--These are made from loaf sugar in coarse powder, the finest having been taken out by sifting it through a lawn sieve. Mix it into a paste with dissolved gum arabic and a little lemon juice. Flavor with oil of peppermint.

PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, SUPERFINE TRANSPARENT.--The sugar for these must be in coarser grains. Pass the sugar through a coarse hair-sieve. Separate the finest by sifting it through a moderately fine hair-sieve. Mix and flavor as the others.

The coarser the grains of sugar, the more transparent the lozenges. The finer particles of sugar being mixed with it destroy their transparency. The solution of gum should be thicker in proportion as the sugar is coarse.

REFINED LICORICE.--Four pounds of the best Spanish juice, and two pounds of gum arabic. Dissolve the gum in warm water, as for Bath pipe. Strain and dissolve the gum in the solution of licorice. Place it over a gentle fire, in a broad pan, and let it boil gradually, stirring it continually (or it will burn) until it is reduced to a paste. Roll into pipes or cylinders of convenient lengths, and polish by putting them in a box and rolling them together, or by rubbing them with the hand, or a cloth. This is often adultered by using glue instead of gum, and by dipping the pipes in a thin solution, which gives them a beautiful gloss when dry. In establishments where this is manufactured on a large scale, the licorice is dissolved in a large bain-marie, and stirred with spatulas which are worked by a steam-engine.

RHUBARB LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, best Turkey rhubarb, in powder, ten ounces.

ROSE LOZENGES--Make your paste as No. 1, using the essential oil or otto of roses to flavor them; or the gum may be dissolved in rose water, and a little essential oil may be added to give additional flavor, if required. Color the paste with carmine or rose pink.

SAFFRON LOZENGES.--Saffron, dried and powdered, four ounces, sugar four pounds, dissolved gum sufficient. An anodyne, pectoral, emmenagogue.

STEEL LOZENGES.--Pure iron filings or rust of iron one ounce, cinnamon, in powder, four ounces, fine sugar seven pounds, dissolved gum, a sufficient quantity to make a paste. A stomachic and tonic.

SULPHUR LOZENGES.--Four pounds of sugar, eight ounces of sublimed sulphur, gum sufficient to make a paste. For asthma and the piles.

TOLU LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, balsam of tolu three drachms, or the tincture of the balsam one fluid ounce, cream of tartar six ounces, or tartaric acid one drachm, dissolved gum sufficient to make a paste. These may also be flavored by adding a quarter of an ounce of vanilla and sixty drops of the essence of amber. The articles must be reduced to a fine powder with the sugar. A pectoral and balsamic.

VANILLA LOZENGES.--Sugar four pounds, vanilla in powder six ounces, or sufficient to give a strong flavor. Make into a paste with dissolved gum.

YELLOW PECTORAL LOZENGES.--Sugar one pound, Florence orris-root powder twelve drachms, licorice-root six drachms, almonds one ounce, saffron in powder four scruples, dissolved gum sufficient to make a paste. Make a decoction of the licorice to moisten the gum with.

BATH PIPE.--Eight pounds of sugar, twelve ounces of licorice. Warm the licorice, and cut it in thin slices, dissolve it in one quart of boiling water, stir it well to assist the solution; let it settle, when dissolved, to allow any impurities or bits of copper which are often found in it to fall down; pour it off free from the sediment; dissolve the gum in the clear part, and mix it into a paste as for lozenges. Roll out a piece with your hand in a round form; finish rolling it with a long flat piece of wood, until it is about the size of the largest end of the stem of a tobacco-pipe. Dry them in the stove as lozenges. These may be also flavored with anise-seed by adding a few drops of the oil, or with catechu or violets by adding the powders of orris-root or catechu.

PEPPERMINT OR OTHER PIPES.--Any of the pastes for lozenges may be formed into pipes by rolling it out as directed for Bath pipes. They are occasionally striped with blue, green, and yellow, by making strips with liquid color on the paste and twisting before you roll it out with the board.

MERINGUES AND ICING.

DRY MERINGUES IN THE FORM OF EGGS.--Ten whites of eggs, twelve ounces of sugar.

Obtain the newest laid eggs, and separate the white from the yolk very carefully; put the whites into a pan, which must be quite free from grease; whisk them to a very strong froth, so as it will support an egg, or even a greater weight; have the sugar pounded and sifted through a lawn sieve, and mix it as lightly as possible; spread some pieces of board about an inch thick, then with a table or dessert spoon drop them on the paper about two inches asunder, dust them with fine powdered loaf sugar, blow off all that does not adhere, and put them into a cool oven to bake until they are a nice light brown; if the oven should be too warm, when the surface gets dry or hardened cover them with paper; as soon as they are done take them off with a knife; press the inside or soft part down with the top or the back of a spoon, place them on sieves, and put them into the stove to dry; when they are required to be served, fill them with any kind of preserved fruit or cream, if it is rather acid the better, and put two together.

The quality of the meringues will depend on the eggs being well whipped to a very strong froth, and also on the quantity of sugar, for if there is not enough they will eat tough.

ICING FOR WEDDING OR TWELFTH CAKES, ETC.--Pound and sift some treble-refined sugar through a lawn sieve, and put it into an earthen pan, which must be quite free from grease; to each pound of sifted sugar add the whites of three eggs, or sufficient to make it into a paste of a moderate consistence, then with a wooden spoon or spatula beat it well, using a little lemon-juice occasionally, and more white of egg if you find that it will bear it without making it too thin, until you have a nice light icing, which will hang to the sides of the pan and spoon; or, if it is dropped from the spoon, it should remain on the top without speedily losing the form it assumed. A pan of icing, when well beat and finished, should contain as much again in bulk as it was at the commencement; use sufficient lemon-juice to give the icing a slight acid, or it will scale off the cake in large pieces when it is cut. Many prefer the pyroligneous acid to the lemon-juice, but the flavor is not so delicate, and it always retains a smell of the acid; neither did I ever find, as some assert, that it improves the quality and appearance of the icing; the only advantage derived from it is that of economy.

ITALIAN MERINGUES.--One pound of sugar, the whites of six eggs. Clarify the sugar and boil it to the blow; in the meantime whip up the whites as for the last, take the sugar from the fire and rub it a little against the sides of the pan to grain it; as soon as it begins to turn white mix in the whipped eggs, stirring the sugar well from the pan with the whisk or spatula; lay them off, and bake as dry meringues: these may be colored by adding the liquid color to the syrup so as to give the desired tint; and either of them may be flavored by rubbing off the peel of oranges, lemons, or cedrats on sugar, and scraping it off as it imbibes the oil; or it may be flavored with vanilla, by cutting it in small pieces and pounding it with some sugar, or with any liquor by adding a spoonful or two when you mix the eggs or sugar. They may also be varied in form, and baked on tin or iron plates instead of wood, that the bottoms may be quite firm. The tops may be covered with almonds or pistachios, blanched and cut small or in fillets, or with currants, or colored sugars; the whole depending on the taste and ingenuity of the artist.

KISSES.--Twelve ounces of sugar powdered very fine and passed through a silk sieve, the whites of six eggs beaten to a strong froth; mix and lay out on paper, as for dry meringues; when baked, place two together. The size should be about that of pigeons' eggs.

MUSHROOMS.--To make these, take either of the pastes for meringues or light icing, as for cakes; put some into a bag in the shape of a cone, with a tin pipe at the end, the same as used for Savoy biscuits; lay them off in drops the size you wish them to be, on iron plates rubbed quite clean and dry; bake them as you would meringues, make also a smaller drop to form the stalk; when they are baked, take them off the tin and scoop out a little with your finger from the bottom near the edge, to form the hollow rough surface underneath; then dry them in the stove; scrape some chocolate and dissolve it in a little warm water, and rub a little over the rough part underneath; then place the stalk in the center, fixing it with a little icing, and let the flat part which was on the tin be placed outermost, to represent where it was cut.

PIPING CAKES, BONBONS, ETC.--This is a method of ornamenting wedding, twelfth-cakes, and other articles with icing, by means of small pipes or tubes; these are most generally made with writing-paper folded in the form of a cone, in the same manner as a grocer makes up his papers for small lots of sugar, tea, etc. The tube is filled with icing, made as for cakes, the base of the cone, or the place where it was filled, is turned down to prevent the sides opening, and the escape of the icing; the point is then cut off with a sharp knife or scissors, so as to make a hole sufficiently large to form the icing, when squeezed or pressed out, in a thread of the required size, and which will either be fine or coarse, according to the length of the point which is cut off. If the hole at the point of the cone is not perfectly straight when the icing is pressed out, it will form a spiral thread, which is very inconvenient to work with. Stars, borders, flowers, and different devices are formed on cakes after they are iced, the execution of which depends on the ability and ingenuity of the artist. Baskets, Chinese and other temples, etc., are formed on molds by these means, first giving them a coating of white wax, which is brushed over them after it is melted, and when cold, the icing is formed on it like trellis-work; when finished, the mold is warmed, and the icing easily comes off.

Some of the pipes which are used cannot be formed with paper, as the tape and star-pipes, which are made of tin, having a bag fastened to them in a similar manner to that generally used for dropping out Savoy biscuits, macaroons, etc., only much smaller, the point of the tin tube of the one being fluted to form a star, and in the other it is flat, so that when the icing is forced or squeezed through, it comes out in a broad thin sheet, like a piece of tape. I employ a set of pipes made of tin, with small bags fastened to them; these are of different dimensions; the orifice of the round ones commences at the size of a common pin, and the tape-pipes from a quarter to half an inch in width. I find these much better than paper ones, as the trouble and time which is lost in constantly making new ones is amply repaid by the others, as they are not very expensive and are always ready for use. These pipes should be in the hands of the confectioner what the pencil or brush is to the painter--capable of performing wonders with men of genius. Some of the bonbons which may be seen in the shops are proofs of what I assert; and many things are so cleverly done, that many persons would believe that they were either formed in a mold or modeled. I have not space to enlarge further on this subject, but much more might be given in explanation; therefore the artist must be guided by his own genius and fancy.

PASTILE DROPS.

Choose the best treble-refined sugar with a good grain, pound it, and pass it through a coarse hair sieve; sift again in a lawn-sieve to take out the finest part, as the sugar, when it is too fine, makes the drops heavy and compact, and destroys their brilliancy and shining appearance.

Put some of the coarse grains of sugar into a small drop-pan (these are made with a lip on the right side, so that when it is held in the left hand the drops can be detached with the right), moisten it with any aromatic spirit you intend to use, and a sufficient quantity of water to make it of a consistence just to drop off the spoon or spatula without sticking to it. Color with prepared cochineal, or any other color, ground fine and moistened with a little water. Let the tint which you give be as light and delicate as possible. Place the pan on the stove fire, on a ring of the same size. Stir it occasionally until it makes a noise, when it is near boiling, _but do not let it boil_; then take it from the fire and stir it well with the spatula until it is of the consistence that, when dropped, it will not spread too much, but retain a round form on the surface. If it should be too thin, add a little coarse sugar, which should be reserved for the purpose, and make it of the thickness required.

Have some very smooth and even plates, made either of tin or copper, let them be quite clean, and drop them on these, separating the sugar from the lip of the pan with a piece of straight wire, as regularly as possible. About two hours afterwards they may be taken off with a thin knife. If you have not the convenience of tin or copper plates, they may be dropped on smooth cartridge paper. Wet the back of the paper when you want to take them off. Cover the bottom of a sieve with paper, lay them on it, and put them in the stove for a few hours. If they remain too long, it will destroy their fragrancy.

CATECHU DROPS.--One pound of sugar, three ounces of catechu. Make as violet. These may also have the addition of a little musk or ambergris--about fifteen grains.

CHOCOLATE DROPS.--One pound of sugar, one ounce of chocolate. Scrape the chocolate to a powder, and mix it with the sugar in coarse grains, moisten it with clean water, and proceed according to the instructions already given, but do not mix more than can be dropped out whilst warm at one time. If any remains in the pot, it will grease the next which you mix, and will not attain the consistence required.

CINNAMON DROPS.--One ounce of cinnamon, one pound of sugar. Pulverize the cinnamon, and sift it through a lawn sieve. Mix it with the sugar, and add two or three drops of the essential oil. If the flavor is not strong enough, moisten it with the water and proceed as before. The flavor may be given with the essential oil only, coloring them with bole ammoniac.

CLOVE DROPS.--Make same as cinnamon drops.

COFFEE DROPS.--One ounce of coffee, one pound of sugar. Make a strong and clear infusion of coffee, as directed for coffee ice, and use it to moisten the sugar. Make the drops same as chocolate.

GINGER DROPS.--Mix a sufficient quantity of the best powdered ginger to give it the desired taste, or flavor it with the essence of ginger, and color it with saffron. Moisten with water, and make as others.

LEMON DROPS.--Rub off the yellow rind of some lemons on a piece of rough sugar, scrape it off, and mix it with the coarse sugar. Use sufficient to give a good flavor, and color with saffron a light yellow; moisten with water, as others.

ORANGE-FLOWER DROPS.--Use orange-flower water to moisten the sugar, or flavor it with the essence of neroli and moisten with water.

ORGEAT DROPS.--Make milk of almonds, as directed under the head of Orgeat Syrup, using a little orange-flower water; moisten the sugar with it.

PEPPERMINT DROPS.--Moisten the sugar with peppermint water, or flavor it with the essence of peppermint, and moisten it with water.

RASPBERRY DROPS.--Press out the juice of some ripe raspberries through a piece of flannel or cloth, and moisten the sugar with it. All fruit drops are made in the same way, that is, with the expressed juice, except pineapple. When you first rub off the rind of the fruit on sugar, pound the pulp of the fruit, and pass through a hair sieve. Scrape off the sugar on which the rind was rubbed, and mix it with a sufficient quantity of the pulp to give the desired flavor to the coarse grains, and moisten it with water. The whole of these grease the sugar, and require the same precautions as chocolate drops.

ROSE DROPS.--Moisten the sugar with rose water, and color it with cochineal.

VANILLA DROPS.--Make as cinnamon, using a little sugar to pound the vanilla. Use sufficient to give a good flavor; or it may be moistened with the essence of vanilla; but this greases it as chocolate.

VIOLET DROPS.--One pound of sugar, one ounce of orris-powder. Moisten with water, and color violet.

SYRUPS.

These are either the juices of fruits, or a decoction or infusion of the leaves, flowers or roots of vegetables, impregnated with a sufficient quantity of sugar for their preservation, and retaining them in a liquid state.

A great portion of this class comes more under the notice of the apothecary than the confectioner; but it may now be considered, with lozenges, as a branch of pharmacy in the hands of the latter, the most agreeable of which are now manufactured by him to supply the place of fresh fruits, etc., when out of season, for the making of cooling drinks, ices, etc., for balls and routs.

GENERAL RULES AND OBSERVATIONS.--Two things are essentially necessary to be observed, which are:--the proper methods of making decoctions and infusions. These require some knowledge of the nature and properties of vegetable matter.

The virtues of most plants are extracted by infusion, and this is generally the case with aromatic plants, and those whose properties depend on an essential oil; for, in boiling the whole of the aroma of the plant is dispersed, and the syrup loses that delicate flavor for which it is prized.

Aromatic herbs, and the leaves of plants in general, yield their virtues most perfectly when moderately dried. Cold water extracts from these in a few hours the lighter, more fragrant and agreeable parts, and then begins to take up the more ungrateful and grosser. By pouring the same liquor on fresh parcels of the herb, it becomes stronger, richer, thicker, and balsamic.

Those only should be decocted whose principles consist of mucilage, gum, or resin, and require boiling to extract them.

The compact resinous woods, roots and barks yield their virtues most freely while fresh. Dry, they yield little to cold or moderately warm water, and require it to be boiling. By this process the grosser, more fixed saline and mucilaginous parts are dissolved, the resinous melted out, and the volatile dissipated.

INFUSIONS.--These are watery solutions of vegetable matter obtained by maceration, either in hot or cold water, with the assistance of ebullition. In selecting and conducting the operation, the following general rules should be observed:

"1st. Infusion should always be preferred before decoction, where the virtues of the vegetable substance reside in volatile oil, or in principles which are easily soluble, whereas, if they depend upon resino-mucilaginous particles, decoction is an indispensable operation.

"2d. The temperature employed must be varied according to the circumstances of each case, and infusion made with cold is in general more grateful but less active than one made with heat.

"3d. The duration of the process must likewise be regulated by the nature of the substances; for the infusion will differ according to the time in which the water has been digested on the materials; thus the aroma of the plant is first taken up, then in succession the coloring, astringent, and gummy parts.

DECOCTIONS.--"These are solutions of the active principles of vegetables, obtained by boiling them in water.

"1st. Those principles only should be decocted whose virtues reside in principles which are soluble in water.

"2d. If the active principle be volatile, decoction must be an injurious process; and if it consists of extractive matter, long boiling, by favoring its oxidizement, will render it insipid, insoluble, and inert.

"3d. The substances to be decocted should be previously bruised or sliced, so as to expose an extended surface to the action of the water.

"4th. The substances should be completely covered with water, and the vessel slightly closed, in order to prevent as much as possible the access of air; the boiling should be continued without interruption, and gently.

"5th. In compound decoctions, it is sometimes convenient not to put in all the ingredients from the beginning, but in succession, according to their hardness, and the difficulty with which their virtues are extracted; and if any aromatic, or other substances containing volatile principles, or oxidizable matter, enter into the composition, the boiling decoction should be simply poured upon them, and covered up until cold.

"6th. The relative proportions of different vegetable substances to the water must be regulated by their nature. The following general rule may be admitted: Of roots, barks, or dried woods, from two drachms to six to every pint of water; of herbs or flowers, half that quantity will suffice.

"7th. The decoction ought to be filtered through linen while hot, as important portions of the dissolved matter are frequently deposited on cooling; care must also be taken that the filter is not too fine, for it frequently happens that the virtues of a decoction depend upon the presence of particles in a minutely divided state."--_Paris's Pharmacologia._

All acid syrups ought to have their full quantity of sugar, so as to bring them to a consistence without boiling, because the very action of much heat destroys their acidity, and makes them liable to candy, and this more particularly holds good where the infusion or juice, etc., has any fragrancy in flavor, because the volatile oil is dissipated by boiling. The same observation is also applicable to those infusions of flowers which give out their color, and which is necessary to be retained, such as violets, pinks, etc., as boiling injures them.

Those syrups which are made from decoctions, and do not take a sufficient quantity of sugar to bring them to a due consistence without boiling, require to be clarified so as to render them transparent; but this is often an injury, as the whites of eggs take off some of their chief properties with the scum; therefore, the decoction should first be rendered clear by settling or filtering, and the sugar should be clarified and boiled to the height of the feather or ball before the decoction is added, when it may be reduced to the proper degree.

The best and most general method of making syrups is to add a sufficient quantity of the finest loaf sugar, in powder, with the juice or infusion, etc., stirring it well until a small portion settles at the bottom, then place the pan in a larger one containing water; this is termed the bain-marie; put it on the fire, and the heat of the water as it boils will dissolve the sugar; when this has been thoroughly effected, take it off and let it cool; if more sugar is added than the quantity above named, it will separate in crystals, and not leave sufficient remaining in the syrup for its preservation. (See observations on Sugar-boiling.) When cold, put it into small bottles, fill them, cork closely, and keep in a dry cool place. Be particularly careful that no tinned articles are used in the making of syrups from the juice of red fruits, as it will act on the tin and change the color to a dead blue.

SYRUP OF ALMONDS--SIROP DE ORGEAT.--One pound of sweet almonds, four ounces of bitter ones, one pint and a half of water, sugar three pounds, orange-flower water two ounces.

Blanch the almonds, and as they are blanched throw them into cold water; when they are finished, take them out and pound them in a marble mortar, sprinkling them with a little orange-flower water, to prevent their oiling, or use water with the juice of a lemon; add sufficient in the pounding to reduce them to a paste, and when quite fine add half a pint more water; mix, and strain through a tamis cloth twisted tight by two persons; receive the milk which comes from the almonds into a basin; what is left in the cloth must be pounded again with some of the water, and strained. Continue this until the whole of the milk is obtained, and the water is consumed; then clarify, and boil the sugar to the crack; add the milk of almonds, and reduce it to the pearl; then strain it again, add the orange-flower water, and stir it well until nearly cold; when cold, bottle; shake the bottles well for several succeeding days, if you see it at all inclined to separate, which will prevent it.

BRANDY AND WINE SYRUPS may be made in the same manner as Syrup of Rum Punch.

COFFEE, SYRUP OF.--Fresh roasted Mocha coffee two pounds, water one quart, sugar three pounds eight ounces. Grind the coffee in a mill, and make a cold infusion with the water in a close vessel; let it stand for a day, then filter it through blotting paper, add the sugar, and finish in the bain-marie.

COLTSFOOT, SYRUP OF.--Fresh Coltsfoot flowers, one pound eight ounces; water, one quart; sugar, three pounds. Pick the flowers about February, and make an infusion of them with hot water; strain, and finish as wormwood syrup. Two or three handfuls of the leaves may be pounded and infused instead of the flowers.

CURRANT SYRUP.--One pint of juice, two pounds of sugar. Mix together three pounds of currants, half white and half red, one pound of raspberries and one pound of cherries, without the stones; mash the fruit, and let it stand in a warm place for three or four days, keeping it covered with a coarse cloth, or a piece of paper with holes pricked in it, to keep out any dust or dirt. Filter the juice, add the sugar in powder, finish in the bain-marie, and skim it. When cold, put it into bottles, fill them, and cork well.

GINGER, SYRUP OF.--Ginger, two ounces; water, one pint; sugar, two pounds.

Slice the root if fresh, or bruise it if dried; pour the water on it boiling, and let it macerate in a warm place for a day; then strain, and boil to the pearl.

ANOTHER.--A better flavored and a richer ginger syrup is made in the following manner: Take any quantity of scraped white Jamaica ginger and infuse for several days in good spirits of wine; decant the clear liquor when sufficiently saturated with the ginger, and add to the hot sugar, previously boiled to the ball or feather, a sufficient quantity of the liquor to impart to the syrup the agreeable aroma of the ginger root.

The spirit will be rapidly driven off when it is poured into the boiling syrup, and a bland and beautiful syrup will be the result; let it cool, and bottle immediately.

GOOSEBERRY SYRUP.--One pint of juice, one pound twelve ounces of sugar. To twelve pounds of ripe gooseberries add two pounds of cherries without stones, squeeze out the juice, and finish as others.

LEMON SYRUP.--One pint and a quarter of juice, two pounds of sugar. Let the juice stand in a cool place to settle. When a thin skin is formed on the top, pour it off and filter, add the sugar, and finish in the bain-marie. If the flavor of the peel is preferred with it, grate off the yellow rind of the lemons and mix it with the juice to infuse, or rub it off on part of the sugar and add it with the remainder when you finish it.

LICORICE, SYRUP OF.--Licorice-root two ounces, white maidenhair one ounce, hyssop half an ounce, boiling water three pints; slice the root and cut the herbs small, infuse in the water for twenty-four hours, strain and add sufficient sugar, or part sugar and honey, to make a syrup; boil to the large pearl. An excellent pectoral.

MARSHMALLOWS, SYRUP OF--SIROP DE GUIMAUVE.--Fresh mallow roots eight ounces, water one quart, sugar three pounds. Cleanse the roots, and slice them; make a decoction (see Decoctions), boiling it a quarter of an hour, so as to obtain the mucilage of the root; strain, and finish as wormwood. One ounce of licorice-root and one ounce of white maidenhair, with a few stoned raisins, may be added.

MORELLO CHERRY SYRUP.--Take the stones out of the cherries, mash them, and press out the juice in an earthen pan; let it stand in a cool place for two days, then filter; add two pounds of sugar to one pint of juice, finish in the bain-marie, or stir it well on the fire, and give it one or two boils.

MULBERRY SYRUP.--One pint of juice, one pound twelve ounces of sugar. Press out the juice and finish as cherry syrup.

ORANGE-FLOWER SYRUP.--Picked orange-flowers one pound, sugar three pounds. Take one half of the sugar and make a syrup, which boil to the large pearl, put the flowers in a basin or jar, and pour the syrup on them boiling hot, cover the jar or basin quite close and let them infuse in it for five or six hours, then drain off the syrup, boil the remaining portion of sugar, and pour over them as before; when cold, strain and bottle.

ORANGE SYRUP.--Same as lemon syrup.

PINEAPPLE SYRUP.--Take one and a half pints of syrup boiled to the ball; add to this, one pint of the juice of the best Havana pineapples, let it then come to a boil, remove the scum, and bottle when cool.

PINKS, SYRUPS OF.--Clove pinks one pound eight ounces, water two pints and a half, sugar three pounds. Let the flowers be fresh-gathered, cut off the white points of the petals and weigh them. Finish as syrup of violets. This syrup may be made with a cold infusion of the flowers, first pounding them with a little water in a marble mortar. Finish as before. If the flowers of the clove pink cannot be obtained, use other pinks, adding a few cloves to infuse with them, so as to give the flavor.

RASPBERRY SYRUP.--One pint of juice, two pounds of sugar. Choose the fruit either red or white, mash it in a pan, and put it in a warm place for two or three days, or until the fermentation has commenced. All mucilaginous fruits require this, or else it would jelly after it is bottled. Filter the juice through a flannel bag, add the sugar in powder, place in the bain-marie, and stir it until dissolved; take it off, let it get cold, take off the scum, and bottle it.

RASPBERRY VINEGAR SYRUP.--One pint of juice, two pints of apple vinegar, four pounds and a half of sugar. Prepare the juice as before, adding the vinegar with it, using white raspberries; strain the juice, and boil to the pearl.

Three pounds of raspberries, two pints of vinegar, three pounds of sugar. Put the raspberries into the vinegar without mashing them, cover the pan close, and let it remain in a cellar for seven or eight days: then filter the infusion, add the sugar in powder, and finish in the bain-marie. This is superior to the first, as the beautiful aroma of the fruit is lost in the boiling, as may be well known by its scenting the place where it is done, or even the whole house; the fruit may also be afterwards used with more, for raspberry cakes.

ROSES, SYRUP OF.--The dried leaves of Provence roses eight ounces, double rose leaves six ounces, water one quart, sugar four pounds. Pour the water on the leaves when nearly boiling into a glazed earthen vessel, cover it quite close, and let it remain in a warm place for a day; then strain and finish as violets. The leaves of the damask rose are purgative.

RUM PUNCH, SYRUP OF.--Jamaica rum one quart, the juice of twelve or fourteen lemons, sugar four pounds. Rub off the yellow rind of half of the lemons on a piece of the sugar, and scrape it off with a knife into a basin as it imbibes the oil; clarify and boil the remaining portion to the crack; strain the juice into the rum and add to it the sugar with that on which the peels were rubbed; mix together, and give it one boil. The yellow rind of the peels may be cut off very thin, and infused in the spirit for some days before the syrup is made.

SARSAPARILLA, SYRUP OF.--Half a pound of bruised sarsaparilla root, two ounces of ground orange peel, one ounce liquorice root, sassafras bark bruised two ounces, one gallon of water; boil to half a gallon; strain; to each pint of liquor add one pound of sugar; put on the fire till it boils, and take off the scum which may arise.

SIROP DE CAPILLAIRE--SYRUP OF MAIDENHAIR.--There are several sorts of Maidenhair, but the best is that of Canada, which has a pleasant smell joined to its pectoral qualities. The true Maidenhair--_Capillus Veneris_--is a native of Italy and of the southern parts of France. It has an agreeable but very weak smell. Common or English Maidenhair--_Trichomanes_--is usually substituted for the true, and occasionally for the Canadian. Its leaves consist of small round divisions, growing as it were in pairs. It grows on rocks, old walls, and shady banks, and should be gathered in September. Black Maidenhair--_Adianthum Nigrum_--has smooth and shining leaves, the middle rib being black, and the seeds are all spread on the back of the leaf. It grows on shady banks, and on the roots of trees. White Maidenhair--Wall Rue--Tent Wort--_Ruta Murana Salvia Vitæ_. The leaves of this are shaped something like rue, and covered all over the back with a small seed-like dust. Golden Maidenhair--_Muscus Capillaris_--grows in moist places, and the pedicle arises from the top of the stalk. I have given these particulars, because I find they are often substituted one for the other by persons who are not aware that there is any difference. Although all of them have nearly the same qualities, only two have a volatile oil, but they are all mucilaginous.

Canada capillaire two ounces, sugar two pounds. Chop the capillaire into small bits, and make as orange-flower syrup. By this method the oil is not allowed to escape, which, being exceedingly odoriferous and volatile, is soon dissipated if boiled; or make a cold infusion (See Infusions) of the plant by putting one quart of water to four ounces of capillaire, add four pounds of sugar, and finish in the bain-marie, adding one ounce of orange-flower water. [This is a fashionable and delicate syrup, but is rarely obtained genuine.]

Simple syrup, flavored with orange-flower water, is usually substituted for it.

SIROP DE PISTACHE is made in the same manner as Syrup of Almonds, coloring it green with a little spinach.

STRAWBERRY SYRUP.--Make as pineapple, taking care to strain carefully at least twice, through a fine flannel bag, so as to remove entirely all sediment and the small seed of the fruit.

VIOLETS, SYRUP OF.--One pound of violet flowers, one quart of water, four pounds of sugar. Put the flowers cleared from their stalks and calyx, into a glazed earthen pan; pour on the water boiling hot, and stop the pan quite close; let it remain in a warm place for a day, then strain off the infusion through a thin cloth; add the sugar, and place in a bain-marie; stir it well and heat it until you can scarcely bear your finger in it; then take it off, and when cold, bottle. A laxative. This syrup is often adulterated by being made with the flowers of heartsease, or columbine scented with orris-root, and colored.

WORMWOOD, SYRUP OF.--There are three sorts of wormwood most generally known--the common, sea, and Roman. The first may be distinguished by its broad leaves, which are divided into roundish segments of a dull green color above, and whitish underneath; its taste is an intense and disagreeable bitter. The sea wormwood has smaller leaves, and hoary both above and underneath; it grows in salt marshes, and about the sea-coasts; the smell and taste are not so strong and disagreeable as the common.

The Roman differs from the others by the plant being smaller in all its parts; the leaves are divided into fine filaments and hoary all over, the stalk being either entirely, or in part of a purple color. Its smell is pleasant, and the bitterness not disagreeable; it is cultivated in gardens. The sea wormwood is generally substituted for it.

The tops of Roman wormwood, two ounces; water, one pint; sugar, two pounds. Make an infusion of the leaves in warm water; strain; add the sugar to the infusion, and boil to the pearl. If the common wormwood only can be obtained, put the tops into three times the above quantity of water, and boil it over a strong fire until reduced to a pint. This will deprive it of part of its bitterness and disagreeable smell.

THE STOVE OR HOT CLOSET.

This is a useful and indispensable appendage in confectionary; it is generally constructed like a cupboard in the recess of a wall. The walls or sides should be composed of bricks, or wood lined with tin or sheet iron, to retain the heat, with pieces of wood nailed or fastened in the sides, about four inches asunder, to form a groove for trays or boards to rest on, which is necessary for the drying of lozenges, comfits, bonbons, &c.; there should also be a few strong shifting shelves made either of small bars of round iron or wood, like a grating, on which candy pots or sieves may be placed; the grooves for these should be so constructed as to be capable of inclination so as to drain off the syrup from the candy pots without taking them from the shelves; the door should be made to shut close, with a small door at the top to let out any excess of heat. I have before remarked that it may be heated by means of the modern stoves. At places where the oven is heated with wood, furze, etc., a common iron pot or crock with three legs is filled with the live embers, or it may be filled with burning charcoal and covered with wood ashes, which is replenished night and morning, which gives the heat required.

SUGAR SPINNING.

To attain proficiency in this part, it requires much practice, and also a good taste for design, and to be expert in the boiling of sugar, taking particular care to avoid its graining. Baskets, temples, vases, fountains, etc., are made by these means. It may almost be termed the climax of the art. The molds for this purpose may be made either of copper or tin, so as to deliver well. Let them be slightly rubbed all over, on the part you intend to spin the sugar, with butter or oil.

Boil clarified syrup to the degree of caramel, taking care to keep the sides of the pan free from sugar. The moment it is at the crack, add a little acid to grease it (see Sugar Boiling). When it has attained the required degree, dip the bottom of the pan in cold water, take it out, and let it cool a little; then take a common table-spoon, dip it in the sugar, holding the mold in your left hand, and from the spoon run the sugar over the mold, either inside or out, with the threads which flow from it, which may be either fine or coarse, according to the state of the sugar; if they are required very coarse, pass the hand over them two or three times; for when it is hot it flows in finer strings than it will when cooler; form it on the mold into a sort of trellis-work; loosen it from the mold carefully, and let it remain until quite cold before it is taken off, that it may retain its shape. When the sugar gets too cold to flow from the spoon, place it by the side of the stove or fire to melt. Young beginners had better draw their designs for handles of baskets, etc., on a stone with a pencil before it is oiled, and then spin the sugar over them.

ALMOND BASKETS.--Blanch some fine Jordan almonds, and cut them into thin slices, and color them in a small copper pan, over the fire, with prepared liquid color (see Colors). Put them into the pan, and pour in color sufficient to give the desired tint; rub them about in the pan with your hand until they are quite dry; form them as for a Chantilly basket, or else form them on an oiled marble slab, and spin sugar over them on each side. Afterwards arrange them in a mold, or build them to any design, first having a pattern cut out in paper, and form them on the stone from it.

CHANTILLY BASKETS.--Prepare some ratafias, let them be rather small, and as near of a size as possible; boil some sugar to the caramel degree, rub over the inside of a mold slightly with oil, dip the edge of the ratafias in sugar and stick them together, the face of the ratafias being towards the mold, except the last two rows on the top, which should be reversed, remembering always to place their faces to meet the eye when the sugar is cold; take it out and join the bottom and top together with the same sugar; make a handle of spun sugar and place over it. Some sugar may be spun over the inside of the basket to strengthen it, as directed for webs. Line the inside with pieces of Savoy or sponge cakes, and fill it with custard or whipped cream, or the slices of cake may be spread with raspberry jam. Half fill it with boiled custard, then put in a few Savoy or almond cakes, soaked in wine, and cover the top with whipped cream; or it may be filled with fancy pastry or meringues. All sorts of fancy cakes may be made into baskets or ratafias.

GOLD WEB, TO MAKE A.--Boil syrup to caramel height, coloring it with saffron, and form it as directed in making Silver Web. It can be folded up to form bands or rings, etc. Fasten it to the other decorations with caramel.

If any of the strings or threads of sugar should pass over those parts where they are not required, so as to spoil the other decorations in the making of baskets or other ornaments, it may be removed with a hot knife without breaking or injuring the piece.

GRAPE, ORANGE, OR CHERRY BASKETS.--These are made similar to the Chantilly Baskets; the oranges are carefully peeled and divided into small pieces, taking off the pith. Insert a small piece of stick or whisk in the end of each, dip them in caramel, and form them on the inside of an oiled mold. Cherries and grapes may be used either fresh, or preserved wet, and dried. Dip them in caramel, and form them as oranges. Each of these, or any other fruit, after being dipped in caramel, may be laid on an oiled marble slab separately, and served on plates in a pyramid, with fancy papers, flowers, etc. The baskets are finished as Chantilly, with spun sugar.

SILVER WEB, TO MAKE A.--Boil clarified syrup to the crack, using the same precautions as before observed, giving it a few boils after the acid is added; dip the bottom of the pan in water, and let the sugar cool a little; then take the handle of a spoon, or two forks tied together, dip it into the sugar, and form it either on the inside or outside of a mold, with very fine strings, by passing the hand quickly backwards and forwards, taking care that it does not fall in drops, which would spoil the appearance of the work. With this may be represented the hair of a helmet, the water of a fountain, etc. Take a fork, or an iron skewer, and hold it in your left hand as high as you can, dip the spoon in the sugar, and with the right hand throw it over the skewer, when it will hang from it in very fine threads of considerable length.

SPANISH CANDY.--Boil a quart of clarified syrup to the crack. Have some icing previously prepared as for cakes, or mix some fine powdered loaf sugar with the white of an egg to a thick consistency as for icing; take the sugar from the fire, and as soon as the boiling has gone down stir in a spoonful of this or the icing, which must be done very quickly, without stopping. Let it rise once and fall; the second time it rises, pour it out in a mold or paper case, and cover it with the pan to prevent its falling. Some persons pour it out the first time it rises, and immediately cover it as before. It may be made good both ways. If it is required colored, add the coloring to the syrup while it is boiling, or with the icing, adding more sugar to give it the same stiffness as before.

JELLIES.

APPLE JELLY.--Take either russet pippins, or any good baking apples; pare and core them, cut them in slices into a preserving-pan containing sufficient water to cover them; then put them on the fire, and boil them until they are reduced to a mash. Put it into a hair-sieve, that the water may drain off, which you receive in a basin or pan; then filter it through a flannel bag. To every pint of filtered juice add one pound of loaf sugar, clarify and boil it to the ball. Mix the juice with it and boil until it jellies; stir it with a spatula or wooden-spoon, from the bottom, to prevent burning. When it is boiled enough, if you try it with your finger and thumb, as directed in sugar-boiling, a string may be drawn similar to the small pearl; it may also be known by its adhering to the spatula or spoon, or a little may be dropped on a cold plate; if it soon sets, it is done. Take off the scum which rises on the top. This is in general used for pouring over preserved wet fruits. This jelly may be colored red with prepared cochineal.

BARBERRY JELLY.--Take some very ripe barberries, pick them from their stalks, and weigh them. To every pound of fruit take three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar; add sufficient water to make it into a syrup, put in the barberries, and boil them until the syrup comes to the pearl, taking off any scum which may rise. Then throw them into a fine hair or lawn sieve, and press the berries with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible from them. Receive the syrup and juice in a pan, put it again on the fire, and finish as apple jelly.

BLACKBERRY JELLY.--Make as currant jelly--using half a gallon of raspberries to one gallon of black currants; finish as usual.