Abigail R. Gehring - Classic Candy: Old-Style Fudge, Taffy, Caramel Corn, and Dozens of Other Treats for the Modern Kitchen

Old-Style Fudge, Taffy, Caramel Corn, and Dozens
of Other Treats for the Modern Kitchen ABIGAIL R. GEHRING Skyhorse Publishing Copyright 2013 by Abigail R. Gehring All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes.

Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com. Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gehring, Abigail R. Gehring. pages cm Includes index. pages cm Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-62636-005-1 (paperback : alkaline paper) 1. Candy. I. Title. TX791.G44 2013 641.85'3--dc23 2013013717 Printed in China

G rowing up, we rarely had candy in the house. Pies and cookies on special occasions, yes, and chocolate chips stashed in the cupboard, but I honestly can't remember seeing a candy wrapper in the house for the first twelve or so years of my life.

Probably because of that, I seldom craved candyexcept chocolate, lots of chocolateas an adult. That is, until I tried making candy at home. While the occasional store-bought candy I tried tasted fake and uninspired, the confections that came from my kitchen surprised me with their rich flavors and satisfying textures. Peppermint patties that had the fresh, crisp bite of a wintery morning; salted caramels that dissolved in buttery bliss on my tongue; candy corn that actually had flavor! I had discovered a whole new, delightful culinary genre. The only problem was that at the same time that I was discovering the joys of homemade candy, I was also discovering that my body does not respond well to dairy or sugar (I had long since discovered that gluten was a problem). So there I was, in the middle of writing a cookbook on candy, and trying my darndest to avoid all sugar and dairy products, which meant depending almost entirely on family and coworkers to taste test my creations.

As I lamented this ironic situation to friends, more and more folks told me that they, too, were unable to properly digest and metabolize sugar, gluten, dairy, or some combination of those things. I decided it was time for a little further experimentation. As a result, you'll see that many of the recipes in this book include notes for ways to make these candies dairy-free, and/or gluten-free, and I've included a section on alternative sweeteners (page xi). That said, people don't eat candy to be healthy! Candy is an indulgence, a celebration of life's sweetness, and for many people a reminder of childhood pleasures. I hope that the candies in this book evoke memories of colorful candy shops, carnivals, and birthday parties. Abigail R. Abigail R.

Gehring It is the sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones after all. Laura Ingalls Wilder

T he recipes in this book are of the old-fashioned sortsimple, classic recipes that dont require fancy equipment or even any special molds. You should be able to make anything you see here with the tools you already have in your kitchen. There are a few tools that will make some of these recipes much easier, though. If you dont have them, they may be worth investing in. Double Boiler Because chocolate is very sensitive and only likes to be melted very slowly, double boilers are a helpful tool.

If you dont have one and dont feel like getting one, you can devise your own by placing a heatproof glass bowl over the top of a saucepan with a little water in the bottom. Just make sure the water doesnt touch the bottom of the bowl. Candy Thermometer You dont absolutely have to have a candy thermometer to succeed in candy-making, but for about $10 you can take most of the guesswork out of the process. For hard candies, taffy, toffee, and many of the other recipes in this book, youll need to heat sugar mixtures to a fairly specific temperature to achieve the desired consistency in your final product. Your grandmother may have used the hard ball/soft ball method to determine candy temperatures without a thermometer, and certainly you can, too (see chart on page xxi). But you could also buy a cheap thermometer and save yourself the hassle of sticky syrup dripped all over your countertop and the stress of guesstimating the relative density of a ball of liquefied sugar.

Food Processor Though more of an investment than a candy thermometer, a food processor is also good for many more kitchen purposes. Once you own one youll find yourself using it for almost anything you prepare, from pie dough to chopped salads to homemade nut butters. In terms of candy, its wonderful for recipes that call for chopped fruit or nuts. If you dont have one you can, of course, use a knife to chop dried fruits. For nuts, you can put them in a plastic bag and run a rolling pin over the bag to crush the nuts into small pieces. Parchment Paper vs.

Waxed Paper Parchment paper is coated with silicone, whereas waxed paper is coated with wax (duh). When waxed paper gets hot, the wax melts and can seep into your food. Thus, I recommend using parchment paper instead of waxed paper for most recipes. Try to find unbleached parchment paper (available at many health food stores, or see online resources on page 111), since the bleach used in the white parchment paper is mildly toxic. Okay, so its not going to kill you... but you might as well be as healthy as you can be (while eating candy)!

Y ou wont have a hard time finding the ingredients you need for these recipes in your local grocery store. but you might as well be as healthy as you can be (while eating candy)! Y ou wont have a hard time finding the ingredients you need for these recipes in your local grocery store.

But read these notes anyway if youre interested in learning a bit more about whats going into your delicious treats. Warning: this section may make you think about certain ingredients in a new way that will be rather inconvenient. Yes, I know, this is a candy book, not some sort of hippy, earthy, crunchy health food book. But I happen to think that health-conscious folks should be able to enjoy sweet treats, and one of the advantages of making your own candies is that you can choose ingredients that are healthier than what youd buy off a candy shelf at the store. Sugar Youll find granulated sugar, brown sugar (light and dark), and confectioners sugar in the recipes that follow. If the recipe just says sugar, I mean regular old granulated sugar, which could be the white stuff youre used to or the unbleached raw granulated sugar.

Either will be just fine. If youre in the middle of making a recipe and discover youre all out of brown sugar or confectioners sugar (also called powdered sugar), you can make your own using these equivalents: