Nogat.—Two pounds of sweet almonds, one pound of sugar, one pound of water. Blanch the almonds, and cut them in slices, dry them at the mouth of a cool oven, and if slightly browned, the better; powder the sugar, and put it into a stew-pan, with the water; place it on the fire to melt, stirring it with a spatula until it becomes a fine brown, then mix in the almonds, and let them be well covered with the sugar; pour it out on an oiled marble-stone. It may be made into a thick or thin sheet, and cut with a knife into small pieces, such as dice, diamonds, etc. The surface may be strewed with currants, fillets of pistachios or coarse sugar, and cut into different forms with tin cutters.
It may also be formed into baskets, vases, etc. Oil the interior of a mold, and spread the nogat over it, whilst warm, as thin and even as possible. To save the fingers from being burned, it may be spread with a lemon. Detach it from the mold when warm, and let it remain until cold, that it may retain its shape perfectly, then fasten the different parts together with caramel sugar. For baskets, a handle of spun sugar may be placed over it, or ornamented with it according to fancy. These may be filled with whipped or other creams when required to be served.
Raspberry Candy.—This may either be made from raw or refined sugar. Boil it to the crack, and color it with cochineal; pour it on a stone rubbed over with a little oil or butter, cut off a small piece, and keep it warm to stripe or case the other part, when finished; to the remainder add a little tartaric acid (not so much as for drops), and some raspberry paste, sufficient to flavor it. The residue of raspberries used for making vinegar, and preserved with an equal quantity of sugar, or even less, as for raspberry cakes, does very well for this purpose. Fold the edges over into the center, and attach it to a hook fixed against the wall; pull it towards you, throwing it on the hook each time after having pulled it out; continue doing this until it gets rather white and shining, then make it into a compact long roll, and either stripe it with the piece you cut off, or roll it out in a sheet with a rolling-pin, and wrap it round it so as to form a sort of case; then pull it into long narrow sticks, and cut them the required length.
To Extract the Acid from Candied Drops, Etc.—All the articles which have acid mixed with them are extremely liable to grain, when they are useless except to sell for broken pieces, as they cannot be boiled again unless the acid is extracted. The method of doing this is at present not generally known in the trade, and it is kept by many that are in possession of it as a great secret. Five dollars is often paid for this recipe alone. However great the secret may be considered, it is only returning to the first principles in the manufacture of sugar. When the juice is expressed from the canes, it contains a considerable quantity of oxalic acid, which must be destroyed before it will granulate into sugar; for this purpose lime is employed, which has the desired effect; so will it also in this case, but chalk or whitening is most generally used. First dissolve your acid sugar in water; when this is thoroughly accomplished, mix in a sufficient quantity of either of these alkalies in powder to cause a strong effervescence; after it has subsided, pass it through a flannel bag, according to the directions for clarifying sugar. The filtered syrup will be fit to use for any purpose, and may be boiled again to the crack or caramel degree as well as if no acid had ever been mixed with it. Let the pan it is dissolved in be capable of containing as much again as there is in it, or the effervescence will flow over.
CRYSTALLIZED SUGAR, AND ARTICLES CRYSTALLIZED,
COMMONLY CALLED CANDIES.
Crystallized or Candied Sugar.—Provide a round mold, smaller at the bottom than the top, of any size you may think proper, made either of tin or copper, with holes pierced round the sides about three inches asunder, so as to fasten strings across in regular rows from the top to the bottom, leaving sufficient room for the sugar to crystallize on each string without touching, or it will form a complete mass; paste paper round the outside to prevent the syrup from running through the holes. Have the mold prepared, and let it be clean and dry; take sufficient clarified syrup to fill the mold, and boil it to the degree of crystallization or the feather, and add a little spirit of wine; remove it from the fire, and let it rest until a thin skin is formed on the surface, which you must carefully remove with a skimmer; then pour it into the mold, and place it in the hot closet, where you let it remain undisturbed for eight or nine days, at 90 degrees of heat, or half that time at 100; then make a hole, and drain off the superfluous sugar into a pan placed below to receive it; let it drain quite dry, which will take about twelve hours; then wash off the paper from the mold with warm water, place it near the fire, and keep turning it to warm it equally all round; then turn it up and strike the mold rather hard upon the table, when the sugar will relieve itself and come out; put it on a stand or sieve in the closet, raise the heat to 120 degrees, and let it remain until perfectly dry.
Particular attention should be paid to the heat of the closet, which must be kept regular and constant, and this can easily be accomplished at a small expense with many of the patent stoves which are now in general use, and also without causing any dust. A Fahrenheit's or Reaumur's thermometer should be so placed that the heat may at all times be ascertained.
This may be colored with prepared cochineal, or other liquid color, or by grinding any particular color with the spirits of wine, and adding it to the syrup before it comes to the feather.