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.