[937.] Boiled Chocolate Glaze.— Place a small saucepan with ½ pound sugar, ½ pound grated chocolate and ½ pint water over the fire and stir and boil till it forms a thread between 2 fingers; remove from fire and stir until a thin skin forms on top of glaze; then use it at once; spread it evenly all over the cake and set for a few minutes in a cool oven. If the glaze should become too cold before it is all used return it to the fire and repeat again. The glaze when done should shine like a mirror.
[938.] Transparent Glaze.— Boil 1 cup sugar with ¾ cup water until it forms a thread between 2 fingers; remove it from fire, stir for a few minutes and then quickly use; dip small pieces of cake into the glaze, pour over large pieces and spread it apart; let it dry in an airy room which is free from dust.
[939.] Rose Glaze.— Boil 1 cup sugar with ½ cup water till it forms a thread between 2 fingers; remove at once and add 2 tablespoonfuls rose water and a little prepared cochineal, to color it to a delicate pink; stir for a minute and then pour it over the cake. Small cakes may be dipped into the glaze and set in a dry place which is free from dust to dry.
[940.] Spinning Sugar.— Put ¾ pound loaf sugar in a small copper kettle, add sufficient cold water to half cover the sugar and stir until it is melted; then place the kettle over a strong fire and boil the sugar to a crack (the 6th grade); add a few drops vinegar, remove the kettle, dip it for a few minutes into cold water and let it cool off a little; if the sugar is spun when too hot the threads will be too thin and lumps will form; then place the kettle in a pan of hot water, or on the side of stove, to keep the sugar warm; take a large knife in the left hand and hold it out straight before you; take a silver spoon in the right hand, dip it into the sugar without touching the bottom of kettle and let some of the sugar run off from the spoon; then spin long threads back and forth over the knife from right to left; after a considerable amount of sugar is spun in this way take it from the knife, lay on clean paper and spin the rest in like manner; when all is spun form the sugar into pompoms, garlands, bouquets, etc. Half the sugar may be colored with cochineal to a delicate pink. The sugar should be spun in a place free from draughts and in clear and dry weather. This sugar is used for decorating and trimming dishes.
[941.] Boiling Sugar.— Put 1 pound sugar into a kettle with ½ pint water and let it stand for a few minutes; then put it over the fire to boil; while the boiling is going on dip a small brush into cold water and wipe off the sides and edge of kettle; the different grades the sugar goes through in boiling are as follows:—1st grade, broad run; 2d grade, small pearl; 3d grade, large pearl; 4th grade, the small blubber; 5th grade, the large blubber; 6th grade, to a crack; 7th grade, caramel; boil the sugar for a few minutes and dip the point of a spoon into it; if the sugar falls in large drops from the spoon it has reached the 1st grade; continue the boiling for a few minutes longer; dip your first finger into it and press the finger against the thumb; then open the fingers and if the sugar forms a thread between the 2 fingers it has reached the 2d grade; after boiling a little longer dip in a spoon and if a pearl hangs onto a long thread of the spoon the sugar has reached the 3d grade; after a few minutes longer boiling take a little in a spoon, blow it and if the sugar falls from the spoon in blubbers it has reached the 4th grade; after a few minutes longer take a little of the sugar between your fingers and quickly dip into cold water; if the sugar can be formed into a ball it has reached the 5th grade; after a few minutes longer dip the finger into the sugar and then quickly into cold water; if the sugar can be broken it has reached the 6th grade; then set the saucepan in cold water; if it boils a few minutes longer it will have reached the 7th grade, or caramel. The principal care in boiling sugar is to use the exact amount of water. With too little water the sugar will curdle before it has boiled enough. If too much water is used the sugar will have to boil too long and will turn yellow. It should boil quickly and only for a short time. It will then stay white.
[ APPENDIX.]
[ CAKES.]
Cheese Torte.— One pound fresh pot cheese, ½ pint sour cream, 1½ ounce sweet almonds, 1½ ounce bitter almonds, 1 cup seedless raisins, 2 tablespoonfuls flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoonful butter, 6 eggs, ¼ teaspoonful salt. Blanche and grind the almonds fine or grate them on a nutmeg grater; stir sugar, butter, and yolks to a cream, add all the ingredients, and last the beaten whites; mix well and set aside till following paste is made: Sift 1 pint of flour with 1 teaspoonful baking powder into a bowl, add 2 tablespoonfuls sugar, ½ teaspoonful salt, and 1 tablespoonful butter. Rub the butter fine in the flour, add 1 cup of milk and 1 egg, mix together into a firm dough, work it lightly on a board till it does not stick to the hands, then roll it out thin. Butter a large cheesecake pan, dust it with flour, and line the pan with the dough; pour in the cheese preparation, and bake in medium-hot oven till nearly done. In the meantime stir the yolks of 2 eggs with 3 tablespoonfuls granulated sugar to a cream, add 1 teaspoonful lemon juice and little grated rind, add the 2 beaten whites, and stir the whole 10 minutes; add last 3 level tablespoonfuls flour. When the cake is firm to the touch remove it from the oven, pour over this last mixture, and bake till done. Serve cold, dusted with sugar. The bitter almonds may be omitted if objected to, and the cake pan may be lined with puff paste or fine pie crust.
Pistachio Torte.— Four ounces almond paste, 4 ounces ground pistachio nuts or almonds, the yolks of 16 eggs, the whites of 8 eggs, 3 ounces flour, ½ pound sugar, ½ teaspoonful extract of pistachio; rub the almond paste with the white of 1 egg fine; add the 16 yolks and sugar; stir 15 minutes, then add the ground pistachio nuts or almonds; continue the stirring 10 minutes; add the extract; beat the whites to a stiff froth; add the yolk mixture to the whites while beating constantly; beat the whole together 5 minutes; add the sifted flour; stir the flour in lightly; butter 2 large deep jelly-cake tins and dust them with the flour; fill in the mixture and bake in a slow oven. Filling: Boil ½ cup of sugar, with ½ cup water to a caramel, then add it slowly to the beaten whites of 2 eggs; beat until cold; add ½ teaspoonful vanilla sugar, ½ cupful fine-cut candied pineapples, ½ cupful fine-chopped pistachio nuts or almonds; spread this filling over one layer, put on the remaining layer. Ice the cake with pistachio icing made as follows: Mix 1½ cup sifted powdered sugar with 3 tablespoonfuls boiling water and a little green coloring and pistachio flavoring; pour over the cake and let stand till firm.