Redacting Victorian gumdrops

With a little time on my hands while my laundry dries, I decided to attempt a redaction of the previously posted Victorian gumdrop recipe.  At the start of the recipe we have:

Dissolve about one pound of the best quality of granulated gum-arabic,

The first thing to know is there are several grades of gum arabic on the market.  One must find culinary- or food-grade gum arabic, not the stuff sold at an art supply store or an incense store.  I have found about 4 or 5 on-line sources for food-grade gum arabic, which I will post after I have made a test batch of the recipe.

in three gills of water,

A gill in the US is equivalent to 1/2 cup.  I will need to find out if this recipe comes from the US or Britain, as British volume measurements differ from US volume measurements.  Here is a link to a great resource showing the differences.  Until I determine the recipe's nationality, I will assume US and go with 1-1/2 cups (12 fl. oz.) of water.

by heating it over a moderate fire,

I am searching for a meaning of "moderate fire."  To this point, I have found one reference stating moderate heat is 350°F.  Once I remove the firefighting definitions, moderate fire is at least hot enough to boil something.

stirring constantly.

Okay, that seems simple enough.  However, I would recommend using a wooden spoon and a non-reactive kettle, such as stainless steel or graniteware.

Do not allow to boil.

That kind of goes against "moderate fire", doesn't it?  So, we need heat hot enough to melt gum arabic but not hot enough to boil water.

Strain,

Since the recipe is using granulated gum arabic, I would think either a fine mesh sieve or a coffee filter to keep out most of the undissolved gum.

and after you have washed out the kettle, return the liquid gum, and add twelve ounces of pulverized sugar, and two gills of water.  

Again, for gills we replace 1 cup of water.

Let this boil down to a very thick liquid (evaporation being the safer way, however), page 59, so thick that it will pour only very slowly from the kettle. Stir constantly, being careful not to allow it to burn.

This seems to be a honey-like consistency.  The evaporation process mentioned here is using a double boiler and a "slow" fire.  This takes more time, and one still has to stir constantly to prevent burning.

Then remove from the fire, flavor and color (if desired) and put it aside to settle.  

No measurements are given for flavoring or coloring

Meanwhile, prepare the moulding trays,

The moulding trays mentioned here are cornstarch molds.  Here is a link to an Instructable on how to make cornstarch molds.

and make indentations of the usual form for all gum-drops,

I figure a thimble will work fine for gumdrop shapes.

and when the contents of the kettle are cold, and honey like, carefully skim the surface of the solution, and fill the moulds. When they are all filled, sift a little fine sugar or starch powder over the tops, and put them away to harden.  Do not disturb them for two or three days, then remove from the powder, and if they are sufficiently firm to bear the handling, put them into a hair sieve,

A hair sieve is a sieve with a hair-cloth bottom rather than wires.  This is so that the wires don't scratch up the candy.  I'm thinking maybe a regular sieve with cheesecloth lining might work.

and gently shake until the particles of powder are removed.  Then brush them with a broad, and very soft brush.  When thoroughly dry, they may be crystallized,

For gumdrops, this just means rolled in sugar.

or left plain.  The usual flavors are Lemon (yellow), Rose (red), Wintergreen (uncolored).

At this point, we have the following -->

Ingredients:
1 lb. granulated gum arabic
1-1/2 cups water
12 ounces (by weight) granulated sugar
1 cup water
flavoring
coloring
cornstarch, enough to fill the mold

Equipment:
Non-reactive kettle
pan deep enough to hold cornstarch
ruler or other leveler
thimble or rubber glove to make impressions
wooden spoon
fine mesh sieve or coffee filter
hair sieve or cheesecloth

Procedure:

Place gum arabic and 1-1/2 cups water in a saucepan over moderate fire.  Dissolve the gum arabic, stirring constantly, and do not allow to boil.  Strain mixture through fine mesh sieve or coffee filter.  Pour gum mixture into a clean pan.  Add sugar and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.  Reduce to a point where it "pours very slowly from the kettle."  Remove from heat.  Add desired flavorings and colorings.  Stir, and allow to sit while you prepare the molds.

Fill the pan with cornstarch.  Use a ruler to level the surface of the cornstarch.  Make impressions in the cornstarch that resemble gumdrops (use a thimble or a gloved finger).  When the syrup has cooled, skim the surface.  Then spoon the syrup into the impressions.  Allow the candy to sit at least 48-72 hours.  Remove gumdrops from cornstarch.  Please in a cheesecloth-lined sieve and shake to remove excess cornstarch.  Use a very soft brush (pastry brush?) to brush away remaining cornstarch.  Allow to air dry.  When thoroughly dry, roll in granulated sugar.  Allow to rest and crystalize before devouring.


How's that?  At least I now have a blueprint for when I try to make these puppies.  Well, laundry calls!