!TIMEI DIH® BOOKS Other Publications: LIBRARY OF HEALTH CLASSICS OF THE OLD WEST THE EPIC OF FLIGHT THE SEAFARERS THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COLLECTIBLES THE GREAT CITIES WORLD WAR II HOME REPAIR AND IMPROVEMENT THE WORLD'S WILD PLACES THE TIME-LIFE LIBRARY OF BOATING HUMAN BEHAVIOR THE ART OF SEWING THE OLD WEST THE EMERGENCE OF MAN THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS THE TIME-LIFE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDENING LIFE LIBRARY OF PHOTOGRAPHY THIS FABULOUS CENTURY FOODS OF THE WORLD TIME-LIFE LIBRARY OF AMERICA TIME-LIFE LIBRARY OF ART GREAT AGES OF MAN LIFE SCIENCE LIBRARY THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES TIME READING PROGRAM LIFE NATURE LIBRARY LIFE WORLD LIBRARY FAMILY LIBRARY HOW THINGS WORK IN YOUR HOME THE TIME-LIFE BOOK OF THE FAMILY CAR THE TIME-LIFE FAMILY LEGAL GUIDE THE TIME-LIFE BOOK OF FAMILY FINANCE This volume is one of o series thot explains and demonstrates how to prepare various types of food, ond that offers in each book on international anthology of great recipes. --------------------THEG OOD COOK------------------- TECHNIQUES & RECIPES ~andy BY THE EDITORS OFT IME-LIFE BOOKS -----------TIME-LIFE BOOKS/ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA--- ------ Cover, A plump grope, half-covered with snowy fondant ond dusted wtth sugar, is lilted from a dish of dipped confections. Many different sweets con be dipped in fondant caramel or chocolate lor a smooth finish. The chocola'te-cooted selection here includes morzipons, caramels, nut clusters and fondants. Time-Life Books Inc. CHIEF SERIES CONSULTANT in London. He specializes in food and still-life pho is a wholly owned subsidiary of Richard Olney, an Ameri tography, undertaking both editorial and advertis TIME INCORPORATED can, has lived and worked ing assignments. Founder: Henry R. Luce 1898-1967 for some three decodes in Editor-in-Chief: Henry Anatole Grunwald France, where he is highly INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS President, J. Richard Munro regarded as on authority GREAT BRITAIN: Jane Grigson has written a number of Choirmon of the Boord: Rolph P. Davidson on food and wine. Author books about food and has been o cookery corre Executive Vice President: Clifford J. Grum of The French Menu Cook spondent for the London Observer since 1968. A/on Choirmon, Executive Committee: James R. Shepley book and of the award Davidson o former member of the British Diplomat GVEdircoietou Crpiha Val iicDremi rPeecnrte:os Arid:re Rthnoutl,rp BTho eGomkrsop:lve Je osa n D. Manley wFoinodn, ihneg hSaism aplsloe cFornetnricbh tich eS efrovuinc~d,e irs othf eP aroustpheocrt o Bf osoekvse,r awl hciocohk sbpoeockisa laizneds uted to numerous gastro in scholarly publications about food and cookery. TIME-LIFE BOOKS INC. nomic magazines in FRANCE: Michel Lemonnier, the cofounder and vice Monoging Editor: Jerry Korn; Executive Editor: David France and the United president of Les Amities Gostronomiques lnterno Maness; Assistant Monoging Editors: Dole M. Brown States, including the influential journals Cuisine et tionoles, is a frequent lecturer on wine and vine (planning), George Constable, Martin Mann, John Paul Vins de France and La Revue du Vin de France. He yards. GERMANY: Jochen Kuchenbecker trained as a Porter, Gerry Schremp (acting); Art Director: Tom Suzukt; is o member of several distinguished gastronomic chef, but worked for 10 years as o food photogra CAPhrhnoieotofl dgor fCa Rp. ehHsyeo:a lRrecoyhwb:e eDrltal ;G vAi.ds Ms Lis.a tHasnoatnr Cr;i shAoisensfi; so Dtfa inRrtee cAsteoratr r Dcohifr: e Cctaorro: lyn l. Vsoinc,i eLtaie sC,o innfcrleurdiein dge Ls' ACchoedveamlieier sl ndtue rTnoostitoenvionl ea nddu hpihse or winn sreevsetaraulr aEnutr oinp eHaonm cbouurngt.r iAesn nbee fBorroek eompeeineirn igs Sackett; Assistant Director of Photography: Dolores A.. La Commonderie du Bontemps de Medoc et des the co-author of a number of cookbooks. ITALY: Littles; Production Editor: Douglas B. Graham; Operottons Groves. Working in London with the series editori Massimo Alberini is a well-known food writer and Manager: Gennaro C. Esposito, Gordon E. Buck al staff, he has been basically responsible for the journalist, with a particular interest in culinary histo (ossistont); Assistant Production Editor: Feliciano Madrid; planning of this volume, and has supervised the fi ry. His many books include Storie del Pranzo oll'lta Quality Control: Robert L. Young (director), James J. Cox nal selection of recipes submitted by other consul liana 4000 Anni o Tavola and I 00 Ricette Storiche. ((aassssiosctaiantte),s )D; aAnrtie Cl Jo.o MrdciSnawtoere:n Aenyn, Me Bic. hLaaenld Gry.; W Ciogphyt Stoff: htaanst sb. eTehne rUenviisteedd Sbtya tethse eEdditiitoonrs o of fT Thiem Ge-oLiofed BCooookks TbHoEo ~kEsT aHEnRdL AhNisO Sre: cHipugehs Jhaonvse haapsp peuabrelids hine ds ecvoeorka l BSousbabni eB C. G. Paallroawdiasye ,( cCheielifo), BNeaanttciey; BPeicrtmuraen D, Teoponr ntmo eGnitb: ert, to bring it into complete accord with American cus Dutch magazines. THE UNITED STATES: Judith Olney, Alvin Ferrell; Traffic: Kimberly K. Lewis toms and usage. author of Comforting Food and Summer Food, re ceived her culinary training in England and France. Chairman: John D. McSweeney; President: Carl G. Jaeger; Executive Vice Presidents: John Steven Maxwell, David J. CHIEF AMERICAN CONSULTANT In addition to conducting cooking classes, she reg Walsh; Vice Presidents: George Artondi (comptroller); Carol Cutler is the author of o number of cook ularly writes articles for gastronomic magazines. Stephen L. Boir (legal counsel); Peter G. Barnes; Nicholas books, including the award-winning The Six-Minute Benton (public relations); John L. Canova; Beatrice T. Souffle and Other Culinary Delights. During the 12 Dobie (personnel); Carol Floumenholt (consumer affairs); years she lived in France, she studied at the Cor James L. Mercer (Europe/South Pacific); Herbert Sorkin don Bleu and the tcole des Trois Gourmondes, (production); Paul R. Stewart (marketing) and with private chefs. She is o member of the Cercle des Gourmettes, a long-established French THE GOOD COOK food society limited to just 50 members, and is also TThime eo-rLiigfein Ianlt evernrsaitoionn oafl t(hNise bdoeorlka nwda)s B c.Vre. ated in London for a charter member of Les Domes d'Escoffier, Wash Correspondents: Elisabeth Kraemer (Bonn); Margot European Editor: Kit von Tu lleken; Design Director: Louis ington Chapter. Hopgood, Dorothy Bacon, Lesley Coleman (london); Klein; Photography Director: Pamela Morke; Planning Susan Jonas, Lucy T. Voulgoris (New York); Moria Director: Alan Lothian; Chief of Research: Vanessa Kromer; SPECIAL CONSULTANTS Vincenzo Aloisi, Josephine du Brusle (Paris); Ann Chief Sub-Editor: lise Gray; Production Editor: Ellen Brush; Richard Sax, who was responsible for many of the Notonson (Rome). Quality Control: Douglas Whitworth step-by-step demonstrations in this volume, was for Valuable assistance wos also provided by: Jonny Hovinga (Amsterdam); Judy Aspinall (london); Bono Schmid Stoll for Condy: Series Editor: Gillian Boucher; Series two years Chef-Director of the test kitchens for The (Milan); Carolyn T. Chubet, Miriam Hsio, Christina Coordinator: Liz Timothy; Text Editor: Norman Kolpos; International Review of Food and Wine. Trained in Lieberman (New York); Mimi Murphy (Rome). Anthology Editor: Josephine Bacon; Stoff Writers: New York and in Paris, where he served on ap Alexandra Corlier, Solly Crowlord, Jane Hovell, Thom prenticeship at the Hotel Plozo-Athenee, he has run ~ 1981 Time-life lnternollonol (Nederland! B.V. Henvey; Designer: Mary Staples; Researchers: Margaret o restaurant on Martha's Vineyard, contributed ar ~ 1981 Time-life Books Inc. All rights reserved. Hall, Deborah Litton; Sub-Editors: Kathy Eason, Charles ticles to o number of publications and conducted INroon ipco ortr o mf tehcish obmoocokl mmaeya bnes , retnpcrloudduincge din ifno ramnayt fioornm s otorr bagye a nayn de lerec·· Boyle, Aquila Kegon, Solly Rowland; Design Assis(ont: Solly cooking courses. trievol devtces or systems, w1thout prior written permission from the Curnock; Editorial Deportment: Steven Ayckbourn, Kate Pat Alburey, o member of the Association of Home publtsher, except that bnef passages may be quoted for reviews. Conn, Debra Dick, Philip Garner, Theresa John, Lesley Economists of Great Britain, has wide experience in F1rst pnnt1ng. Kinahan, Debra Lelliott, Lindo Mollett, Molly Sutherland, Published stmultoneously 1n Canada. Julio West, Helen Whitehorn, Sylvia Wilson preparing foods for photography, teaching cook School and ltbrory dtstr~buhon by Stiver Burdett Comp ony, ery and creating recipes. She was responsible for Momstown, New Jersey 07960 U.S. Stoll lor Candy: Series Editor: Ellen Phillips (acting); making candies for o majority of the step-by-step Designer: Ellen Robling; Chief Researcher: Barbaro Fleming; demonstrations. TIME-LIFE 1S a trademark of Tome Incorporated U.S.A. Picture Editor: Christine Schuyler; Text Editor: Mark Steele; For mformotion obout any Ttme-Ufe book, please write: SPtaotfrfi cWior iKteimrs :(t Leecshlinei qMuaerss)h. Kalal,r iFnr Kanin Mneoys h(aonst;h Roelosegayr)c;h Aersss:is tant PHOTOGRAPHER R54e1a dNeor rItnhf oFramirabtaionnk,s T Ctmoue-rtl,i fCe hBicoaogkso . Illinois 60611 Designer: Peg Schreiber; Art Assistant: Robert Herndon; Tom Belshaw was born near London and started his Editorial Assistants: Brenda Harwell, Patricio Whiteford working career in films. He now has his own studio library of Congress CIP data, page 176. ----------------------CONTENTS·---------------------- INTRODUCTION 5 Frivolous fare I Sugar syrup: The elemental ingredient I Using a candy thermometer ITa ctics for handling nuts I Additions far flavor and color I Chocolate: A sumptuous resource I Creating a miniature piping bag I Choosing and preparing molds I An adjustable frame of metal bars BOILED-SUGAR CANDIES 21 1A dazzling spectrum I Bright-hued disks of hardened 2 syrup ITw isted sticks of barley sugar ITw o ways to create patterned taffies I Flavored creams from melted fondant I Fondant: A versatile paste of kneaded syrup I A nut packed brittle I Caramel I Fudge I Marshmallows I Nougat FRUIT CONFECTIONS 45 Exploiting intrinsic sweetness ITu rning fruit into moldable pastes I Grinding a mixture of dried fruits I Cooking to 3 concentrate fresh fruit I Sparkling jellies based on fresh juice I Impregnating fruit with sugar I A dry, glittering coat I A smooth glace finish I Citrus peels simmered in syrup NUT AND CHOCOLATE PASTES 55 Binding diverse ingredients/ A simple nut mixture that needs no cooking I Marzipan: A cooked almond paste I A complex checkerboard design I Concentric circles of calor I Appealing finishes for nut pastes I A fine coating of sugar crystals ITr uffles: Chocolate-and-cream confections DIPPING AND MOLDING 6~ A choice of splendid finishes/ Applying a lustrous coat of fondant I Glossing confections with sugar syrup I Walnuts sandwiched with marzipan /The special demands of chocolate/ Inducing a liquid to farm its own container I Molding an Easter egg I Fashioning soft-centered chocolate cups ANTHOLOGY OF RECIPES 87 Simple boiled-sugar candy 88 I Enriched boiled sugar candy 94 I Foamy candy 124 I Candy jellies 130 I Candied fruits, nuts and vegetables 132 I Candy pastes 134 I Assemblies 156 I Dipped candies 158 I Standard preparations 166 RECIPE INDEX 168 GENERAL INDEX I GLOSSARY 171 RECIPE CREDITS 173 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND PICTURE CREDITS 176 - - - - - -- -- INTRODUCTION Privolous Pare "Go on to the Useless Presents," an audience of children asks the much of the world. As prehistoric cave paintings attest, Stone narrator in Dylan Thomas' lyric memoir, A Child's Christmas Age hunter-gatherers sought and stole the honey of wild bees. in Wales. The storyteller replies with an enchanting catalogue By 2500 B.C., the Egyptians not only had tamed bees, but also of the candies of his own childhood, from "bags of moist and had developed various molds and other equipment needed to many-colored jelly babies" to "hardboileds, toffee, fudge and form the yield ofthe hives into primitive confections. allsorts, crunches, cracknels, humbugs, glaciers, marzipan, India, however, had another source of sweetness-sugar and butterwelsh for the Welsh." Useless presents, indeed-and cane, a tropical grass whose sap could be turned into a sweeten therefore wonderful. Candy is a frivolity whose only purpose is er much more versatile than honey. A method of extracting and delight. Because of this, candymaking, more than any other evaporating sugar-cane sap to make sugar was known as early branch of cookery, includes a vast array of decorative and fanci as 3000 B.C., and the Indians of that period made boiled-sugar ful preparations- crystal-clear lollipops, dense and creamy candies such as nougat and nut pastes such as marzipan. From truffies, and fluffy marshmallows, to name only a few. India, sugar cane and candymaking gradually spread east into Even the most elaborate of these confections is within the Indochina and west into the Arab countries. During the Eighth reach of the resourceful cook. Some candies are simply and easi Century A.D., Arabic influence extended the cultivation of the ly made- uncooked nut pastes (pages 56-57), for instance, or cane along the shores ofNo rth Africa, to Sicily-still famous for· balls of dried fruit and honey (pages 46-47). Many other candies its candies- and even to the South of France. require precision and dexterity in their preparation. Boiled Sugar nonetheless remained rare and expensive in the sugar candies, for example, demand hot syrups that must be Western world throughout the early Middle Ages: Access to it cooked to exactly the right temperature and handled with due was confined to the rich and powerful, and its very appearance caution. And it takes practice to get good results when dipping on a table signified that the owner was wealthy. Among the candy centers in coatings of syrup, fondant or chocolate. But most inspired exploiters of this "white gold" were the cooks of none of these skills is difficult to learn. the papacy, which in the 14th Century established a court at This book offers a comprehensive guide to the making of Avignon so extravagant that the poet Petrarch called the city candy. It begins with explanations of the properties of basic "the Babylon of the West." Papal cooks made bonbons (literally, ingredients-sugar, nuts and chocolate-and guidelines for se "good goods") by candying the abundant fruits of Provence in lecting flavorings and colorings. The introductory section con sugar syrup. Then they took the excess syrup, pulled it to ·make cludes with instructions for preparing various molds used to it thick in much the same way taffy is pulled. today (pages 26- contain candies while they set. 29), and cut it into short lengths resembling gold ingots. The Four chapters follow, the first three dealing with broad cate candy thus formed was called berlingots and, like candied fruit, gories of candy. Chapter 1 covers confections made from boiled it remains a specialty of southern France (recipes, pages 91-92). sugar syrups-nut brittles and chewy caramels, creamy fon Books devoted to the opulent art of making candy and other dants, and hard candies such as lollipops. The second chapter sweet confections began to appear in France in the 15th and focuses on fruits-explaining how to candy pieces of fruit by 16th Centuries. Among the earliest was The French Confection saturating them with sugar syrup, and how to produce firm fruit er, by a Provenr,;al physician and astrologer named Michel de pastes or clear fruit jellies. The third chapter deals with confec Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus. He called his tome tionery pastes formed from nuts or chocolate, including two an "Excellent and Most Useful Book Necessary to All Those classic candies: marzipan and chocolate truffies. In the fourth Who Desire to Know a Few Exquisite Recipes." These recipes chapter, you will learn the techniques of dipping and molding. included clear instructions for the cooking of sugar syrups and Having mastered all these lessons, you will be able to prepare various candies, such as candied fruit and marzipan, all of any of the 253 recipes in the anthology that begins on page 87, as which, the author emphatically warned, were "both expensive well as to create a myriad of confections of your own. and difficult to make." Renaissance cooks used-and improved upon- the recipes The confectioners' art of Nostradamus and his contemporaries, and the work of one of Candy is by its nature sweet. The word itself comes from qand, these innovators served to preserve his patron's name in candy. Arabic for sugar, but honey was long the primary sweetener for The chef of Cesar du Plessis-Praslin, a 17th Century French 5 INTRODUCTION general, had the happy idea of toasting almonds, then coating the United States. Another source of sweetness is the maple them with sugar. The general presented the confections to the tree, whose sap produces the pale brown sugar used to give some ladies of the court ofLouis XIII; they promptly honored the giver candies a distinctive mellow sweetness. Corn, too, yields a valu by naming them praslines. The word-minus the s-now has a able range of sweeteners: The long, chainlike starch molecules number of meanings. Throughout continental Europe, for in that make up corn kernels are broken down to yield sugars and stance, praline refers to any candy with a coating. In English syrups of various strengths and degrees of purity. and American cookery, the term usually means a nut brittle All these sweeteners, along with honey, have much in com (page 35) that is crushed to a fine powder, then used as an mon in terms of chemistry. Ordinary white sugar- technically ingredient in other preparations. In New Orleans, praline de known as sucrose-has a molecular structure consisting of two notes a rich candy often formed from brown sugar and nuts distinct parts, glucose and fructose, joined by a chemical bond. pecans being the favorite (recipes,pages 99,103,119 and 120). Each part can exist as an independent sugar. Fructose is sweet During the late Renaissance, sugar became widely avail er than sucrose, glucose less sweet than either. Corn syrup is able, even to the common man. This was due at least in part to mainly glucose; in fact, liquid glucose, which can be bought at Christopher Columbus, who on his second voyage to the Ameri pharmacies and candymaking-supply stores, is made from corn. cas in 1493 carried cane seedlings to Santo Domingo, launching Honey owes its sweetness to fructose. Maple sugar, like cane the sugar-cane industry of the West Indies. By the 16th Cen and beet sugar, is composed chiefly ofs ucrose. But, unlike white tury, sugar refining had become a commercial process and can sugar, maple sugar and brown sugars are not pure sucrose; it is dies began to appear in bewildering variety, to no one's displeas the small proportion of substances other than sucrose that gives ure. "Let it hail kissing comfits and snow eringoes," Falstaff maple and brown sugars their distinctive flavors. shouted enthusiastically in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Sugar can be treated in many ways to produce a diversity of Windsor. Comfits (the name came from the French confit, or candy textures. The fundamental skill of the candymaker lies in confection) were candied spices; Elizabeth I was said to have chewed them constantly in her later years to sweeten her breath. Eringoes were candied sea holly, thought to be an aphro disiac. Both were among the many "banqueting conceits" -or assortment of decorative and edible confections that followed a meal- prescribed by Gervase Markham in his cookbook The EnglishHous-Wife, published in 1615. Markham offered recipes for candying fruits and vegetables of all kinds (his technique differs little from the modern method shown on pages 50-51) and he also gave instructions for creating a variety of paste candies. In the years that followed, candy became a treat not just for banquet guests, but for everyone who had a few pennies to in dulge in a treat. It could be made at home, and it could also be bought at the proliferating confiseries (confectionery shops) of France, the Zuckerbacker (sugar bakers) of Germany, and the sweet shops of England and America. The ever-increasing pro the handling of a sugar syrup- a solution of sugar in water. If duction of cane sugar was chiefly responsible for this abun you add enough water to sugar to dissolve it completely, the dance, but during the 18th and 19th Centuries, sweeteners from result is, of course, a liquid. However, if the syrup is boiled to other sources were discovered. All of these serve the purpose of drive off most of the water, the syrup will solidify at room tem the contemporary candymaker. perature. Depending on how much water you allow to remain in the sugar syrup, you can produce textures ranging from soft Understanding sugar to extremely brittle. No ingredient used in candymaking is more important or more A sugar syrup has a strong inclination to return to its origi widely used than cane sugar, made by extracting the juice of nal crystalline structure, forming relatively large, jagged gran sugar cane, processing it until it crystallizes, then whirling it in ules. This tendency can be the bane of cooks. Some candies, such a centrifuge to separate the liquid from the crystals. The results as lollipops, are meant to be clear and glassy, with no crystals at are dark brown granules of raw sugar and thick, syrupy molas all. Others, such as fondant, are crystalline- but the crystals ses. The raw sugar may then be refined to make white granulat must be tiny if the confection is to have the desired smooth ed sugar, and these crystals in turn may be ground to produce texture. To inhibit the formation oflarge crystals, a sugar syrup easily dissolved superfine sugar or powdery confectioners' sug is normally boiled with certain additives that are known as ar. Granulated sugar flavored with molasses is sold as moist, interfering agents. light brown or dark brown sugar, depending on the proportion of The logic of adding an interfering agent is that, before crys molasses it contains. tallization can occur, molecules must line up in an orderly pat Granulated sugar can also be made from sugar beets; it tern; any foreign molecule that gets in the way of the sucrose tastes the same as white cane sugar but is not as widely used in molecules will make it difficult for the sugar to crystallize. A 6 sugar other than sucrose will perform the interfering function ing the drink soon became favorite meeting places throughout well: Corn syrup, liquid glucose and honey are all good choices. Europe. It was not until the 19th Century, however, that proc Present in small quantities, these sugars result in the formation esses for preparing chocolate for use in confections were devised. of fine, small crystals; in high concentration, they can prevent When that occurred, the candymaker's larder was complete. crystallization entirely. Other substances, particularly fats such as butter or cocoa fat, can also serve as interfering agents: Essential candymaking equipment They inhibit crystallization by making the syrup thicker. And The prime requisites for candymaking are a dexterous pair of acids such as lemon juice or cream of tartar will also control hands and a cool, dry atmosphere: Heat and humidity can inter crystallization, because they break sucrose down into its glu fere with the preparation of many boiled-sugar confections and cose and fructose components (a mixture often described as "in prevent the proper setting of chocolate. As for required equip vert sugar"), thus providing an interfering agent at second ment, the list is short. First of all, 'you need a cool, smooth work hand. It is largely through the assistance of interfering agents surface for working with hot candy mixtures; marble is ideal, that candymakers can ensure that their lollipops will set clear but you can use a metal baking sheet. Good-quality, deep pans and brittle, their fudge fine-grained and creamy, and their cara are necessary, particularly for cooking sugar syrup. Heavy ves mels smooth and chewy. sels of aluminum or unlined copper are best, because they will cook syrups evenly and will safely withstand the high tempera An irresistible ingredient tures involved. If the syrup contains acidic ingredients-fruit If sugar is the staple of confectionery making, chocolate is the juice, for instance-use a pan made of nonreactive material ingredient that, for many people, symbolizes the luxury of can such as stainless steel to prevent the syrup from discoloring due dy. Its smoothness, its richness and its intense flavor can be to chemical interaction. The volume ofthe pan should be at least appreciated in chocolate coatings, molded confections, and com four times that of the syrup you are making so that there is no binations of chocolate with cream. It is perhaps surprising to danger of the liquid boiling over the rim. To measure syrup find that this archetypal confectionery ingredient derives from temperatures accurately, buy the best candy thermometer hard and extremely bitter little beans that became available to available; it should be clearly marked for ease of reading. candymakers only in comparatively recent times. Well-stocked kitchen-equipment shops or candymaking The beans grow in pods on the cacao tree, a native of the supply stores carry more specialized equipment, but you can equatorial regions of the Americas. After harvesting, they are easily improvise from materials readily at hand. To dip delicate allowed to ferment for several days, a process that tempers their candy centers in chocolate, for example, most professionals use bitterness and turns them a light brown color. The beans are specially designed forks (page 69), but you could do some dip cleaned, then dried, roasted and ground to a thick, fatty paste. ping with an ordinary table fork. For starch-casting-a process Rich in the aroma of chocolate though the beans may be at used to form thin, hard sugar shells around liquid centers this point, they are neither sweet nor smooth. The smoothness candymakers have special trays, molds and pouring equipment. will be conferred in part by extra cocoa fat-obtained by press As shown on pages 80-83, however, you can achieve professional ing other batches of beans. To make chocolate, the pale yellow results using a baking pan, some wood and a modeling com cocoa fat is combined with the cocoa bean paste; the mixture pound, a kitchen funnel and a wooden spoon. A set offour steel may be sweetened with varying amounts of sugar, or made bars (pages 18-19) to enclose candy mixtures as they set will milder in taste by the addition of milk. Further refining and save guessing about volumes- but you will produce an accept molding turn the paste into perfectly smooth chocolate, ready to able result with a baking tray. eat or to use in the preparation of confections. In Central and South America, the cacao tree was cultivated Small delights more than 3,000 years ago by the Mayas, Toltecs and Aztecs. There was a time when candies were believed to have medicinal They used the beans as currency and consumed chocolate in the value. Marshmallows, for example, were originally made with form of a thick, slightly bitter drink. Columbus brought cacao an extract oft he roots of the marshmallow plant, sold by apothe beans back to Spain after his fourth voyage in 1502, but it was caries as a remedy for chest ailments. The 19th Century French his fellow countryman, Hernando Cortez, who recognized the epicure Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin observed that partak commercial potential of the plant. Cortez was introduced to ers ofc hocolate "enjoy unvarying health, and are least attacked drinking chocolate at the court of the Aztec emperor Montezu by a host of little illnesses which can destroy the true joy of ma in 1519, and he sent back to Spain not only beans but also living." The millionaire American gourmand of the Gilded Age, recipes for the preparation of chocolate. The Spaniards sweet Diamond Jim Brady, always ate two pounds of chocolates after ened the drink, and in this form it gained high esteem. his gargantuan meals; he said it made the food "set better." Chocolate was introduced into Italy during the first decade None of these beliefs is warranted. Candy is not particularly of the 17th Century, and it became popular in France after the good for the body: Eaten in large quantities, it can be bad for the marriage of the Spanish princess Maria Theresa to Louis XIV in teeth and for the figure. Candy is, however, good for the spirit. 1660. At about the same time, chocolate was gaining popularity Offered in modest amounts-as a grace note at the end of a among the wealthy in England-the beverage is mentioned in meal, for instance, or as a reward for a virtuous child-it proves the diary of Samuel Pepys in 1664-and chocolate houses serv- the most delightful of treats, food provided for pleasure alone. 7