Violet Boutonniere.—From violets, preferably cocoanut, boutonnieres very attractive for favors can be fashioned. Have ready a supply of the violets, candied cress leaves, violet, green or tinsel foil, lace paper mats,—small paper doilies may be substituted,—and number twenty-two wire. It is well to cut wires six inches long for they can later be trimmed or bent to form a stem of from three and one-half to four inches long. With a fine needle puncture the back of a cocoanut violet and insert the end of a piece of wire. To make the union firm, place a drop of thick syrup at the point at which the wire enters the mixture. Seven violets so treated will be sufficient for one boutonniere. In a similar manner, wire one less of the crystallized cress leaves. Put all the wires through the center of the mat. Group the violets about one placed in the center. As nearly all mats come with an even number of designs in the edge, it is much easier to arrange the boutonniere if the row of flowers next the mat contains an even number also. The leaves should be so arranged in a row underneath the flowers. Before an attractive arrangement can be made, some little experimenting may be necessary. Wrap the wires with tissue paper and cover with foil. The making of the boutonnieres is not so difficult as it sounds, though some knack is required for the best results.
See the illustration opposite page [72].
III. FROM POTATO FONDANT
Uncooked Fondant.—Potato fondant is another base—even more useful than potato paste—upon which many confections may be built. There are two kinds—cooked and uncooked. To make the uncooked, boil or steam Irish potatoes, drain, and force them through a fine sieve. In all candy-making with potatoes, these directions are of the utmost importance. Unless the potato is carefully forced through a fine sieve, the candy made from it will have hard and gluey spots after it has dried out. Mix one-half cupful of the potato so prepared with the unbeaten white of one egg. Add gradually confectioner's sugar until the whole mass assumes the consistency of bon-bon cream. Several uses for potato fondant will be described below, but it may be substituted for French fondant in any of the confections of which that is a part.
Cooked Potato Fondant.—With one-half cupful of potato, prepared as for the uncooked fondant, very thoroughly mix two cupsful of sugar and thin with two-thirds of a cupful of milk. Place the mixture on an asbestos mat over the fire and cook until thick—to the sticking point. Pour the mass on a cold, damp marble and "cut in" like plain fondant. Knead small quantities at a time until the whole batch is smooth. Pack in tins lined with wax paper.
The fondant can be used without additional sugar and does not stick to the hands. It is particularly useful as a covering.
Modeled Candy.—Modeled candy is easy to make, good to look at and good to eat. When shaped to imitate fruit or vegetables, it is useful as table decoration, and is always welcome for children's parties. Indeed, there is no sort of candy that is surer of a warm welcome by young or old!
The difficulty has been, however, that modeling with almond paste requires the use of ingredients that are very expensive and very often difficult to obtain. This has made experimenting in modeling rather expensive for the unskilled home candy-maker. Potato fondant, on the other hand, is inexpensive and so easily obtained that the amateur need not count the cost of failures while she experiments. By following the directions carefully very little practice in the modeling will give her a facility that removes her from the class of unskilled modelers. If she prefers to use almond paste, the home candy-maker may do her practicing with potato fondant. Moreover, many young women have studied clay modeling and to them the modeling of candy is indeed simple. While the modeled candy that is sold in candy stores often—though not always—contains harmful substances, potato fondant is absolutely wholesome.
Potato fondant shows particular superiority over the almond paste in the making of small objects and all fine and thin work. The results are as attractive to the palate as to the eye, although candy modeled from potato fondant does not have the peculiar oily richness of the products fashioned from almond paste.
For one batch take as much of the uncooked potato fondant as the work in hand calls for. Into it work all the sugar that it will take. Stop the kneading just as soon as the mixture shows a tendency to crumble. Model it into any form desired. It is best not to make the pieces too large. The modeling may be done with the small clay modeling tool now common in kindergartens and technical schools, or with a clean orange stick.