HOME MADE CONFECTIONERY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 76, 6 December 1940, Page 52

HOME MADE CONFECTIONERY

children that we are making wholesome sweets this year; but also, and chiefly, to send Home to children in Britain. People who were at Home through the last war all tell us how they craved for sweet stuff; and we can multiply that craving by a hundred in the case of the children. Many groups of women are making butterscotch and barley-sugar for our soldiers, sailors and airmen; and now we need to think of all those little ones whose homes have been destroyed, and upon whose receptive minds so many undesirable impressions are being registered. Toys are being sent in to those centres where cases are being » packed teady for despatch to England; and more recently, sweets are being sent in, too. Peppermint Rock This recipe was sent by a Blenheim link in our Daisy Chain. She writes — "I have made this for sweet stalls, pulling and twisting it into all sorts of shapes, the most popular being the "mint walking stick." It keeps quite a long time. I feel that with the advent of cold weather at Home, the comforting, soothing warmth of this sweet might ' Sickie 2 is not only for our own

help the little children in these troubled times." Boil 2 gups of sugar (brewer’s crystals for preference) and 14 cup of water, until a little tested, cracks in cold water. It takes about twenty minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of gelatine, soaked in boiling water to dissolve. Bring to the boil, and keep boiling for 3 minutes. Take off the fire, and add 14 teaspoon of peppermint essence. Let it cool slightly. Now comes the hard part! Beat and beat till white and thick, turn on to a board or dish sprinkled with icing sugar. Mix and knead into the required shapes. Pack in waxed paper and airtight tins. By using a skewer dipped in cochineal you get the pink streaks in candy sticks. I make watch faces, clowns and numerous shapes. Kiddies love the unusual! Butter Crisps and Plain Toffee This comes from another Blenheim lady. One pound of sugar, 1 cup of water, 4% teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon butter, a few drops essence of lemon. Boil the water, sugar, cream of tartar, until a little of it, tried in water, cracks, and the colour is deep amber. Add butter, and boil a couple of minutes longer while stirring gently. Pour into a buttered dish. As the edges cool, turn into centre until all is cool enough to handle. Pull out until colour changes to white, and make into pipes,

balls, walking sticks, etc. For the plain toffee, just pour out on to the buttered dish, sprinkle with nuts, if liked. Always make sweets with the best sugar, and once boiling, don’t let it go off. Coconut Ice This is a little unusual, as it is made without milk. Three cups of sugar, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of coconut, and 14 teaspoon cream of tartar, essence and colouring. Boil sugar, water, and cream of tartar till a little tried in water forms a soft ball. Add coconut. Beat until thick as cream. Pour half out, and colour the other half pink. Smooth on to the white, and sprinkle with coconut. If the pink sets before you are able to pour it out, warm it over the fire a little.

Egg and Butter Toffee This is an English recipe. One pound of butter, 2lb. of Demerara sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon cold water, a pinch of salt. Melt the butter and sugar together in a saucepan, add the wellbeaten eggs, water and salt. Boil well for 20 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon continuously. Pour the toffee into three well-greased pudding plates, or tins, to’ harden. Turkish Delight Four dessertspoons gelatine, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of hot water, 1 saltspoon citric acid, and half a teaspoon each of vanilla and lemon food flavourings. Place the gelatine, sugar, acid and water in a pan; stir till dissolved. Boil for 20 minutes, but do not stir after it boils. Remove from fire and allow to cool for

10 minutes. Divide the mixture, colouring one part pink. Flavour the pink half with vanilla, and the white half with almond or lemon. Grease two flat dishes and pour the mixture in. Leave for at least 24 hours. Cut into squares, and roll in a mixture of icing sugar and corn flour. Russian Toffee Quarter of a pound of butter, 14Ib, sugar, 1 tin sweetened condensed milk, and a little vanilla. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the sugar, and condensed milk, and stir constantly till boiling. Let it boil slowly for exactly quar-° ter of an hour. Then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and take off the fire. Test it in water. Be sure and stir the whole time when boiling. Pour on to a buttered tin, and when cold, cut into squares with a knife. It will not be hard.

Marshmallow One pound No. 1A sugar, 13% cups cold water, loz. gelatine, 1% teaspoon tartaric acid, whites of 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla flavouring. Soak the gelatine in the % cup of water for ten minutes or more. Boil the sugar and 1 cup of the water as quickly as possible, until a little tested in cold water will form a firm ball-the temperature will be about 250° or 255°. Take it off the gas, and add the gelatine gradually. Return it to the gas. Let boil for a minute or two. Add the tartaric acid. Let it get cold, and add the essence. When on the point of setting, beat till frothy. then

add the whites stiffly beaten and beat all together, using a dovet beater. Add about 1% teaspoon of baking powder, and beat again. Must be very fluffy. Pour on to a flat dish. When cold and set, cut in rounds or any shape desired, and use as required, ot pour while still warm on to a short cake crust. Allow to set and then ice the top with chocolate icing. Cut into fingers when required. Butterscotch One and a-half cups. of butter (the lady who sent the recipe said she uses only one cup), 1 cup of molasses (she just uses golden syrup), 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 14 teaspoon lemon, Pinch of cream of tartar. Put all except essences into pot, stir till the temperature is 290° or until it ‘will harden in cold water. Take off, add the flavour. ings, put in buttered tins. When half cold, mark off, and when cold, break up.