Any shade of green may be obtained by mixing blue and yellow with leaf green. All shades of orange are obtainable from yellow and red. All shades of violet or mauve or even purple for deep violets may be made from red and blue in different proportions.
If the color in your candy is not clear and uniform it is because it has not been thoroughly mixed. To avoid spots it must be evenly incorporated through the entire ma.s.s. If this does not seem possible with coloring paste, dissolve in a little warm water and then add it to the fondant or prepared compound.
In applying with the brush use the wash methods much as in water color work and the shading will be much more artistic and the variety much greater. Apply a medium shade uniformly and let thoroughly dry and then shade with light and darker tones. Do not use much water, as the surface of the candy does not absorb the water as does water color paper.
=White Daisy.=--This makes an unusually pretty modeled piece, as will be seen from the ill.u.s.tration facing page 138, and from No. 13 of the frontispiece.
White potato fondant is used for the petals and candied orange peel for the center, and angelique for the stem and leaves.
Flavor the potato fondant with one of the stronger extracts such as peppermint, cinnamon or cloves. If desired it may be used without flavoring, but the more delicate flavors are not so pleasing. Mix enough sugar with the fondant for it to mold smoothly and easily and hold its shape. Upon a clean piece of gla.s.s, or oil cloth, if gla.s.s is not easily obtainable, place a piece of angelique of a size suitable for the stem.
To form the petals roll pieces of potato fondant between the fingers.
Properly arrange these petals around the center. Press a piece of candied orange peel down upon the stem and petals. This peel gives the yellow center of the daisy and acts as an additional means for holding the stem and petals together. Or, yellow fondant may be subst.i.tuted. Run a thin knife under the flower and lift it over the gla.s.s to an oil cloth placed over a board or to a piece of waxed paper and dry for twenty-four hours.
Cook to two hundred and twenty degrees, a syrup made of one cupful of sugar and one-third of a cupful of water; pour this into a dish so that the syrup will be about an inch deep. Add to the daisies such leaves cut from angelique as may be desired and then dip into this liquid and lift upon a wire rack. In the making of this as in all composite models the crystal syrup--one cupful of sugar and one-third cupful of water cooked to two hundred and twenty degrees--is an essential a.s.set for gluing purposes. A small bristle brush is good for applying, but care must be used as in using glue not to use too much of the syrup. The syrup, when dry, will hold the leaves to the stem. If the amateur confectioner is very conscientious, she may improve the looks of the flowers by coloring the outside edges of the centers lightly with sugar--first a little brown and then a touch of yellow placed there with the pointed end of the modeling stick.
Before the flowers have thoroughly set, free them from the wires of the rack. Shortly after the dipping, when as much of the syrup as will has run off the flowers, run the fingers along the under side of the rack springing the wires under each piece. This method not only frees the flowers but it rids them of undue acc.u.mulations of the syrup. Otherwise, the wires would dry into the candies, which would be broken upon their removal. Leave on the rack until dry.
=Yellow Daisy.=--Yellow daisies may be made by coloring the white potato fondant or by making fresh fondant, using the yolk of the egg in place of the white. The fondant made of the yolk will not model quite so readily but coloring is unnecessary.
Form the yellow daisy as the white, but use a small raisin for the center, instead of the piece of orange peel. No colored sugar is necessary. Crystallize as before.
If exceptionally bright and clear colors are desired, the flowers may be dipped twice into a thin crystal instead of once into an ordinary crystal. Use the same proportions of sugar and water--one cupful to one-third cupful cooked to only two hundred and twenty degrees. Into this dip the flowers after they are thoroughly dry, and dry on a rack as before. The next day dip them again into a crystal of the same sort. Dry as before. The result will be glossy flowers, free from crystals, with particularly beautiful yellows and browns.
=Calla Lily.=--This is particularly suitable for Easter time. For the stem, use a small stick of angelique. Make the center from yellow fondant. While still moist, dip into granulated sugar. See the ill.u.s.tration facing page 138.
If the yellow fondant is not on hand, a little of the ordinary white may be colored yellow and used. It is hardly worth while to make up a batch of the special egg fondant for one set of lilies.
From the white potato fondant, pat out rather thin pieces, wrap them around the stem, form the lily and curl the edges and make the pointed top and the front fold prominent. If leaves are desired, cut a long leaf from the angelique, dip the stem end into thick syrup and fasten to the stem. To make a perfect union, cover the stem below the lily with syrup.
If the lilies are to be used for box tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, do not make the stems very long and if leaves are used, bring them up well onto or behind the flower to give added strength so that the stems will be unlikely to break at their juncture with the lily.
=Red Apples.=--As dinner favors, red apples are unusually effective. For the foundation use pulled figs, stuffed with any good mixture. Nuts and pitted dates may be used for the filling, but the combination is a little too heavy. Marshmallows and pecan meats are preferable. A third possibility is chopped nuts and figs. Whatever filling is used, the method of its insertion is the same. If the figs are dry, steam them thoroughly. Make a slit in the side, fill with the chosen mixture, and pinch together the edges of the opening.
As the covering for the figs, uncooked fondant must be used. Cinnamon is a popular flavoring. Color it with red paste. At this stage in the process it should not be made the shade desired for the finished product, but there should be enough of the red to overcome the dead white of the fondant. In other words, make the first coating much lighter than it otherwise would be. Into the uncooked fondant, sugar must be worked until modeling is easy.
Encase the stuffed fig in fondant. The thickness of the coating will depend upon the size of the fig; the finished product should be about the size of a real apple. Model the surface so that it looks as much like an apple as possible. If it is desired to have the confection all edible, use a piece of angelique for the stem; a twig from a vine or bush really looks better, however. For the blossom end use a clove. If the general directions given above are followed, the result will be a surprising naturalness.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Fascinating to the Child]
Proceeding as directed on page 64, use the vegetable coloring pastes for the coloring. As the red color paste is likely to have the magenta shade overmuch, the first coating would better be of orange and the second of enough dark red to give the true apple red.
To intensify the color and leave the apple glossy, brush it with crystal syrup cooked to two hundred and twenty degrees. The syrup should be used while yet warm and should be applied smoothly.
By the use of other colors, other sorts of apples can be made.
Before being eaten, these apples, like real apples, should be cut into sections.
See the ill.u.s.tration facing this page, and No. 24 of the frontispiece.
=Single Roses.=--They may be pink, red, yellow or white. The process in each case is the same except for the coloring and the flavoring. Take as much fondant as is needed for roses of one color and as the base, use uncooked potato fondant. Divide it into three lots and color with paste the shade desired--the first so very faintly that its tint is just off the white, the second a little deeper and the third deeper still. Always remember that immersion in hot syrup deepens the color. Remember, too, that the three lots of different shades are for roses of one color only.
For red roses, use cinnamon flavor and red coloring. For yellow roses, use clove as flavoring and yellow as coloring. Yellow roses are shown as Nos. 3 and 26 of the frontispiece. Be very careful not to use too much color. For white roses, use the plain fondant, but after the rose has dried a touch of green must be added to give depth and character.
For pink roses, use rose water as flavor and pink as coloring.
Whatever the color of the rose, form five petals, curling the edges to imitate those of the natural rose, and using different shades for different petals so that the rose will have natural variety of color. At the center use a small piece of angelique; a touch of darker green coloring to the center of the angelique gives the rose greater verisimilitude. It is well to model them upon a sheet of gla.s.s and when completed lift on to a waxed paper to dry.
If the rose is a white one, let it be remembered that it must be shaded with light green.
When the flowers are dry dip them into a crystal, cooked to two hundred and twenty-five degrees. Use brown and yellow sugar to imitate the pollen around the green centers. The pointed end of the wooden tool will be useful in placing these colored sugars. They must be made to stand out clearly. If too much syrup has collected around the center, be sure to push it out with the blunt end of the tool before trying to put the sugar in place.
After the roses have dried, they are ready to look at and eat.
=Rose Buds.=--From potato fondant, colored as desired, model several small petals. Cut a piece of angelique to represent the stem and properly arrange the petals around one end of it and press them on. The leaves and thorns are to be made from angelique and attached by pressing them to the stem using the crystal, prepared for the dipping, as glue.
The calyx, made from angelique, may be also so attached. When the buds have dried dip them into a crystal cooked to two hundred and twenty-five degrees. Dry on racks. The crystal will make stronger the union of petals, leaves, thorns and stem.
=New Potato.=--A particularly appropriate form in which to model the potato fondant is that of the new potato. Work the proper sized piece of fondant into as close an imitation as possible of the new potato.
As this new potato has perhaps more of the fondant than many people will wish to eat at one time, several partial subst.i.tutions are possible.
That statement, by the way, is no reflection upon the fondant, for any piece of candy, no matter how good, of the size of this is likely to be rather too much to be eaten at one time if of one flavor. Marshmallows, pitted dates with nut meats, pulled figs closely rolled, or English walnut meats are some of the things that may well be used as centers.
Whatever is used should be rolled in enough of the fondant to make pieces of the desired size and form and then immediately rolled in dry cocoa.
The result will be strikingly convincing--and good to eat.
=Pea Pod.=--From fondant colored green, a pea pod may be modeled, split, and the peas modeled and placed within. When the forms are dry, dip them in a crystal made by boiling one cupful of sugar and one-third cupful of water to two hundred and twenty degrees. Use care that the syrup does not settle between the peas. Granulated sugar dusted over the pod gives a beautiful soft color and surface.
=Snow b.a.l.l.s.=--All modeled candies are a delight to children, but snow b.a.l.l.s always meet with a particular favor.
Stuffed figs, prepared as directed for red apples on page 70, form the basis for them. To keep the color of the figs from showing through, cover them with the uncooked fondant and roll in the hands until perfect b.a.l.l.s are formed. After the b.a.l.l.s have dried two or more hours, roll them again in this coating of uncooked fondant to which has been added a small quant.i.ty of blue coloring. This is to insure the b.a.l.l.s being snow white. Brush these b.a.l.l.s with the unbeaten white of an egg and roll in equal parts of crystal and granulated sugar.
=Grapes.=--The confection described below and pictured opposite page 72 is good to look at, good to eat, and comparatively easy to make. It should be borne in mind, by the way, that the directions for candies often sound more difficult than the actual process.
As the basis for the grapes, take smooth almonds, not blanched. Into the smaller end of each one insert nickeled wire, pushing it well into the nut. Then cover the nuts with potato fondant. Work them with the fingers until they a.s.sume the forms of single grapes. Dry in a corn starch bed.
When the forms are dry, brush all the corn starch off. The grapes so formed should be colored a medium shade by the use of vegetable coloring pastes to resemble catawba or purple grapes. Because of the opaqueness of the grapes, they cannot be made to imitate closely the color of green grapes, but if the confectioner has an unusual fondness for green grapes, and is not over particular, there is no reason why she should not attempt them.
After coloring, dry the grapes thoroughly on a wire screen, finish them in thin crystal, which has been colored somewhat lighter than the shade the finished grapes are expected to a.s.sume. In order to leave the confection with a glossy surface, it is possible to add to the crystal a very small quant.i.ty of gum Arabic.
After the crystal is thoroughly dry, the wires should be wound with raffia of the leaf green shade, and, by twisting the wires together, the single grapes formed into bunches of the size desired. If the confectioner wishes large bunches, it is well to wind the wires onto a tree twig, for the sake of the additional firmness. It should be remembered that the large bunches are heavy. The use of the twig is also recommended for the natural appearance it gives to the finished bunch.
Brush the stems with a thin syrup. The loose ends of the raffia may be disposed of and the appearance of the confection made more natural by dampening them with the syrup and winding them around any round object of about the size of a lead pencil. The ends of the raffia, so treated, will resemble tendrils.
In taste, the grapes are much like the usual hard-covered almonds.
=Other Possibilities.=--If the candy-maker has ambition and imagination, she will regard the foregoing objects as merely suggestive; she will work out for herself other objects of equal interest. The following suggestions as to coloring, she will find valuable no matter how much she may want to create for herself. For pears, use yellow with red; for peaches, yellow with a very little red; for pumpkins, light orange with touches of green; for radishes, light red, with green for the stem; for carrots, orange with a slight touch of green; for plums, the so-called violet with a very little red; for strawberries, red, touched with yellow to simulate the seeds--and so on indefinitely.