Text 12014, 100 rader
Skriven 2007-02-18 19:54:00 av JOAN MACDIARMID (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Candy question 66
=========================
 Hi, Michael,

 SD> Title: Moravian Mints
 SD> 3 c  Powdered Sugar
 SD> 1 c  Boiling Water

 JM> I am not picking on you personally, but
 JM> wanted  to raise the question, if the
 JM> sugar is to be dissolved and melted,
 JM> why does it need to be powdered sugar in
 JM> the first place?

 ML> I wonder how strictly accountable we're to be held for
 ML> recipes that we post. I'm not sure that all of us would
 ML> be able to stand a high level of scrutiny all the time.

 Really and truly, I was curious, not holding
 anyone's feet to the fire. I figure much of what
 Sean includes would have come from other sources
 like the MM files JimW shared with him. And I
 suspect you did answer my question below.

 ML> But jumping in, I see two possibilities why the cited
 ML> recipe might really mean what it says. Neither of this
 ML> is a dead cert., but one or the other might provide an
 ML> adequate explanation.

 ML> 1. The amount of sugar to water bespeaks a relationship
 ML> different from that implied by dissolving and melting. I
 ML> think that the product of the mixing would be more of a
 ML> slurry or even dough in which the original structure of the
 ML> sugar bits was preserved to some degree (imagine the creamy
 ML> texture of many commercial mints, with the sugar in tiny
 ML> crystals, as opposed to "hard" candy made from dissolved
 ML> or melted sugar, where the sugar becomes of one structure).

 I considered this, but the instructions involve
 cooking to some stage like "hard ball", so the
 sugar is definitely being melted. Then it is
 beaten while cooling, so either incorporates air
 or recrystallizes into microcrystals.

 ML> 2. As this is an American recipe of a certain age, I'd bet
 ML> that "powdered sugar" refers not to superfine or caster
 ML> (castor) sugar but to confectioners' sugar, which contains
 ML> 3 percent cornstarch. This may be an important factor. As
 ML> I'm not much of a confectioner myself, I can't say.

 AHA! And that was why I put the question to our
 learned panel! I thought I might remember something
 about additives to certain sugars from earlier
 discussions. Cornstarch would be exactly logical for
 this, too, as it could "gel up" the hot sugar mixture
 a bit to help shape the candies as they were poured.

 Thanks, Michael!

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

      Title: Marzipan (Candies)
 Categories: Candies, German
      Yield: 2 servings

      1 lb Almonds, shelled, blanched
      1 lb Confectioners' sugar
      1 ea Egg white, unbeaten
      3    Or 4 Tbsp rosewater or
           -orangewater

  Nothing expresses the German love of edible art more succintly than
  marzipan candies, which are shaped into piglets, cats, poodles,
  flowers, fruit and all sorts of other objects. They are delicious to
  eat, too.

  Carefully dry the shelled almonds, then grind to a powder in an
  electic blender, if you have one. Blend almonds, the sugar, the egg
  white and just enough rosewater or orangewater (available from
  pharmacies) to make a pliable stiff dough. Knead with fingers, then
  place on board dusted with confectioners' sugar and form into desired
  shapes, to resemble miniature apples, peaches, strawberries or, if
  you have an artist's touch, little pigs or birds. Tint with food
  coloring. Balls of marzipan may be rubbed in chocolate dots or
  colored sugar. If dough becomes too stiff, work in a little lemon
  juice, rosewater or orangewater, adding drop by drop.

  When candies are shaped, dry thoroughly in a cool, airy place for 24
  hours, then wrap separately or place in a container (such as a little
  straw basket for fruit) and cover completely with Saran or other
  plastic wrap.

  Makes 2 pounds of candy.

  From: The Art of German Cooking, by Betty Wason

  Shared by: June Hoffman, 9/93

MMMMM
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30 [NR]
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)