Naturally they cried “yes” and Elena prepared to make another entry in the Tally.
“Always blanch the almonds or other nuts to be used. I generally keep some on hand so we won’t have to take time for that work to-night. Now some of you girls skin these nuts and some of you can chop them very fine.
“For the nougat, I melt some powdered sugar, using a dessert-spoonful of lemon juice to every pound of sugar. It takes double the weight of sugar in almonds. We have a pound of sugar, so I use two pounds of chopped nuts. They must be hot before dropping them into the sugar-syrup.
“We ought to have regular nougat moulds like confectioners use, but not having them, I have to take the flat tin we use for ginger-bread. That is why I had you chop the nuts very fine—so that the nougat when it is spread in the tin, can be cut with a knife.
“Into this buttered tin, I press the nougat with the lemon skin until it is all smoothed out flat. Then I quickly cut the bars so they can be broken apart when it is cold. If we had regular moulds we could use the nuts in much larger pieces.”
“I always thought that nougat was a dreadfully hard candy to make, but it is as simple as rolling off a log,” declared Hilda.
“I just love it, don’t you?” said Elena, sniffing the odour that rose from the pan of candy.
“You love any kind of candy. Your mother says you have a ‘sweet tooth,’” laughed Nita.
“I’ll show you how to make one other kind of candy and then it will be time for you to go home. It is ten o’clock now,” said Mrs. Hubert.
“Put a cupful of powdered sugar in a bowl and add about a quarter of a teaspoonful of cream, or at least enough to stir the spoon about in the mixture easily. Be careful not to use too much cream, though, as that will make it run and not cream itself. Now add a teaspoonful of lemon or vanilla. We will use the latter for this cream. Next stir the mixture well until all lumps are worked smooth like a paste.