Chap. VII. – Candying and Drying, pp.79-84.

Orange and Lemon Peel.

The orange and lemon peel being properly prepared (vide page 48.) they are taken out of the casks; after being well drained from the syrup, washed in water, and placed with their mouths downwards into sieves; and after dripping for a day, set in a stove to dry a little.

To candy them without drying. – Take the quantity you want out of the cask, put as much syrup in a pan as will cover them well; give them fifteen minutes boiling on a quick stove, then lift them into wire riddles to drain. When they are cold, they are ready for candying. They are much better this way than if previously dried. Put as much syrup into a pan as you can manage at one boiling, let it boil till it blows; put in the skins, but not more than the syrup will cover; let it boil till it blows again, take the pan off the fire, set it a little on edge; then, with the back of the skimmer, rub the sugar upon the side of the pan till it begins to be muddy, or inclines to grain; then, with a fork, take the skins one by one, give them a turn through the syrup and place them edgeways in wire riddles, that the sugar may run off. Have a large pan, or other vessel placed under the riddle to receive the sugar which drops. Turning the skins in the syrup and placing them into the riddle, must be done very quick, as the sugar soon grows so thick that it will not run off, and spoils the appearance of the peel. When the skins are all taken out of the sugar add a few ladlefuls of fresh syrup, let it boil till it blows, and again proceed to candy more. When they are dry pack them up in boxes and keep them in a dry place.

Orange and Lemon Chips.

Take the quantity you want out of the syrup, lay them on a wire riddle to drain; boil as much syrup as cover them to the blown degree; put in the chips, let it boil again; take the pan off the fire, rub the sugar on the side of the pan till it appears candying; lift them out with a fork as quick as you can, giving them a turn through the syrup; lay them lightly into the sieve to drain, and when dry and hardened put them in your box. A few only for present use should be done at a time, as they lose their rich flavour and transparency when long kept after being candied.

To Candy Cucumbers, Cedraties, and Melons.

Having these fruits preserved wet into jars, take the number required and proceed as directed in orange chips. If you want them dried; after washing them from the syrup lay them to dry on sieves in a stove, but not too warm.

Pine Apples in Slices, or Chips.

Wash them in water from the syrup, lay them in wire riddles, not to touch one another; then sift very finely pounded sugar over them; put them in a hot stove, turn and dust them daily for four days, and when dry pack them up.

To Candy Figs.

Having prepared the figs as directed page 62, wash them in warm water, dry them in a cloth; boil as much syrup to the blown degree as will cover them; put the figs into a vessel with a broad bottom, pour the syrup over them, let them remain in a hot stove two or three days, take them out, lay them on glasses to dry, and they will be very beautiful. They will candy in a few hours, but they are much better if allowed to remain a few days.

Ripe Figs.

Take for each pound of figs one pound lump sugar; make it into a syrup, put in the figs, let them boil gently till tender, then put them in pots for use. When you take figs out for candying notice that the remainder are well covered with syrup.

☛ For peaches dried, see page 56; peach chips, p. 57; pine apple chips, p. 58, 81; wine grapes, p. 60; cherries, p. 60; plumbs, p. 62; nectarines, p. 70. Apricots are dried as directed in pine apples, p. 58, 81.

Samphire and Angelica, candied or dried.

Take the angelica after it is preserved, (p. 54.) wash it clean from the syrup, cut it in long narrow stripes, tie it up into knots according to fancy, lay them on a sieve to dry, then candy them as ordered in orange chips, (p. 80.) Samphire looks beautiful when rock candied. Boil as much sugar as cover them to the blown degree; put the samphire into a proper vessel, pour on the sugar, and let it be well covered; set it in a stove for eight days, drain out the syrup, then life the samphire out carefully and dry it. Or, proceed as directed for making millefruit rock candy.

Barberries and Currants in Bunches, dried.

After being preserved (p. 66, 88.) put them and the syrup over the fire to warm; lift them from the syrup and lay them on sieves to drain. Then proceed by dusting them with finely pounded sugar through a lawn sieve, or muslin bag; set them in a stove, turning and dusting them till dry.

Rock Sugars of all Colours.

Boil a pint (mutchkin) or more, as you may require, of syrup to carmil degree; have ready, beat up light, the white of an egg, with pounded sugar like icing for a cake. Take the syrup off the fire, stir in the icing very quick, with a large spoon, (observe that if not done quick it is apt to come over the pan) have a sheet of writing paper oiled and the corners twisted up, into which pour it. It grows very hard. It may be made of any colour or flavour, by mixing it with the sugar and eggs before it is added to the syrup.

Millefruit Rock Candy.

Get a tin box made, twelve inches long and eight inches wide, and of depth to hold six or eight wire frames above each other, leaving room between each frame to hold any figures in paste, fruits, angelica knots, &c. each frame is made to rest upon a small piece of iron, which rises above the one below, and made to lift out easily. Make a hole in the bottom the size of a wine cork, put in the cork, then lay on the figures, knots, &c. on each frame, as you put them in. The sugar should stand two inches above the top frame when full. Boil up as much sugar to the blown degree as will cover the whole, and pour it into the box; set it in a hot stove for three or more days, then pull out the cork and let the syrup drain till next day. Then take them out and they will be all candied very brilliant; put them up in a dry box, with writing paper betwixt each row, keep them in a dry place free from dust. They are much used in ornamenting cakes, &c. in deserts, and may be made of various colours, but require to be well dried before candying.

White and Brown Sugar Candy.

White sugar candy is made of the finest sugar, and looks very ill if made with a coarser sugar than double refined. Brown candy is made of good Lisbon sugar. Provide yourself with a strong double tinned iron box, two feet long, twelve inches in breadth, and eighteen inches deep. Make another one without a bottom to slip easily down within the box; pierce the ends full of small holes, in regular rows; then, with a needle and strong thread, run threads through the ends at proper distances, in rows, from top to bottom; then put the frame within the box; boil up as much sugar as fill it to candy height, and pour it in. Set the box into a hot stove for two or three weeks; drain out the sugar, draw out the inner case, and let the strings remain a day or two in the hot stove to harden, then cut them out.