Redacting Victorian Gumdrops, oops

Oops.  While cleaning out my storage locker, I made a discovery.  Back in March I purchased some gum arabic to use in the making of incense, which I never did.  Guess what I found today?  A bag of certified organic gum arabic.  I had some all along but did not remember it.  To make a short story long, I am going to check with the seller, Mountain Rose Herbs, to see if this is safe to use for culinary purposes.

Their website, where the product is called Acacia Powder, says the following:  "Safe for internal use as a food and for external use without limitation, although allergies are possible for people exposed to windborne pollen."  It IS safe to use for cooking (Yeah!), but I need to let people know about potential pollen allergies.

I am wondering if I can get a test batch made this weekend or not.  I will keep you posted.

Redacting Victorian Gumdrops, a new thought

I took a trip to Whole Foods to see if they carried gum arabic.  They did not.  However, I noticed on the shelf gum tragacanth.  There was also xanthan gum.  From my incense making, I also know the local Kroeger affiliate (King Soopers) carries guar gum, which is used in making modern store-bought ice cream.  Is it a possibility that one of these readily available gums could be used as a gum arabic substitute?  I am formulating an experimentation plan in my head, but I make no promises at this time.

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!

I Am a Rock (Candy)

Rock candy has existed for a long time, at least 200 years.  However, rock candy as we know it (sugar crystals on a string or stick) seems to have first appeared in the late 1800s.  At that time, it was made with whisky and sold as a cough remedy.  The confection made its first appearance in the very early 1900s.  I will get my sources and update this posting later.

Are gumdrops Victorian?

Although the true history of the gumdrop has been misplaced, gummy candies (more appropriately, jellies) have existed for hundreds of years.  During my renaissance fair days, I made a receipt (ol’ timey word for “recipe”) called White Leach.  This was, in essence, a rose-flavored milk jell-o jiggler.  The gumdrop itself does appear in one of my Victorian recipe books, Candy Making at Home (1884).  It calls the use of glucose to make gum-drops a “cheap adulteration.”  Moulding trays, which are boxes filled with cornstarch or powdered sugar into which impressions are made creating a temporary mould, were used to form the gumdrops.  Here is a cut-and-paste of the actual 1884 gum-drop (yes, it was hyphenated at the time) recipe:

Dissolve about one pound of the best quality of granulated gum-arabic, in three gills of water, by heating it over a moderate fire, stirring constantly.  Do not allow it to boil.  Strain, and after you have washed out the kettle, return the liquid gum, and add twelve ounces of pulverized sugar, and two gills 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.  Then remove from the fire, flavor and color (if desired) and put it aside to settle.  Meanwhile, prepare the moulding trays, and make indentations of the usual form for all gum-drops, 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, 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, or left plain.  The usual flavors are Lemon (yellow), Rose (red), Wintergreen (uncolored).

Gumdrops are mentioned by the translator of the 13^th century Kitab al tabikh fi-l-Maghrib wa-l-Andalus fi `asr al-Muwahhidin, li-mu'allif majhul (The Book of Cooking in Maghreb and Andalus in the era of Almohads, by an unknown author).  A review of the associated recipe, however, reveals a “chewy” candy.  This could be taffy, not a gumdrop.  A chewy gum-arabic candy also appears in this book, but this is neither moulded nor crystallized.  Calling them gumdrops, then, would be a stretch.  These are the only antique mentions of gumdrops I have come across.  If I ever discover a source for culinary-grade gum-arabic, I will try to create redactions.  At present, though, I am left with the modern equivalents.

A search of the recipes for gumdrops on the Internet has turned up two basic procedures for making gumdrops:  The gelatin method and the pectin method.  Each method seems to follow proportional ratios between recipes.  For the pectin recipe, the basic ingredients are as follows:

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

3/4 c liquid (this being either fruit juice or water)

1-3/4 ounces powdered fruit pectin

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Additional colorings and flavorings as desired.

Pretty much every pectin-based recipe I have come across has the same ratio of ingredients, although one fellow commented that the amount of baking soda should change according to the type of juice used.

The gelatin-based ingredients also follow their own radio pattern:

1 level tbsp. unflavored powdered gelatin

1/4 c cold tap water

3/8 c boiling water

1 c sugar

Colorings and flavorings as desired

It is important to note that the colorings and flavorings must be added in very small quantities so as to not dilute the gumdrop and prevent it from setting.  As for the shape of the homemade gumdrops, there are silicone gumdrop moulds available on the Internet, but most of the recipes I have found call for pouring the hot syrup into a loaf pan lined with greased foil and then cutting the drops into squares before rolling them in sugar.

Ordering supplies

I just ordered tartaric acid for making acid drops, which is a type of Victorian-era candy.

Receipt shock

So far, I have found three sources that discuss the grades of chocolate used in candy making.  I have created a spreadsheet to keep track of chocolate brand recommendations.  Anybody can see that chart at this link (which should open in a new window).  So far, four brands come out on top:  Callebaut, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, and Guittard.  There is actually a company that carries all of these brands.  It is Chocosphere (which should open in a new window).  Although the price per pound is very reasonable, one has to purchase 2.2 pounds of each different chocolate.  Depending on the brand, there are as many as seven different chocolates.  That means I would have to spend over $300 just to try all the type of all these brands.  That is why I am writing this blog right now; I am hoping it will break the logjam in my head so I can make a decision as to what to purchase.

Book remarks

Okay, I just scanned through the table of contents for Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats (1832).  While there are many cake (including cheesecake), pie, pudding, and jelly recipes, there are no specific candy-making recipes.

Definitions, definitions

Wow.  Finding out what something is called can be almost as hard as figuring out how to make something.  Here are some terms I have been researching in order to determine whether or not they fall within the Victorian (1830-1900) period.  As some chocolate sites have stated, there is no governing body to make sure the names are used correctly.  Therefore, some misuse has muddied the definitions for certain candy terms.  Here, then, is some of what I have discovered.

Bon-bons are technically a filling "the size of a dollop" that is coated with hard chocolate.
Praline is a bon-bon filled with a nut mixture.
Truffle is a bon-bon filled with a ganache mixture, although the outer coating could be something other than hard chocolate, such as cocoa powder.  This, by the way, is known as a Swiss truffle.
A European truffle is made with syrup, cocoa powder, milk powder, fats, and other ingredients to form an emulsion.
An American truffle is a mixture of chocolates with butterfat and, in some cases, hardened coconut oil.

The bon-bon was created in Italy around 1865.  The praline was created in Belgium around 1912.  The truffle was created in France in 1895.  So, what does all of this mean?

Small chocolate-coated candies existed as early as 1865.  To this point in my research, however, I have not come across any specific Victorian techniques or recipes for dipping chocolate candies.

Books, books, and more books.

I have just spent about the last 2 hours going through links on the internet to download about 40 Victorian-era cookbooks available as on-line facsimiles or pdf files.  The downloads include Art of Confectionery (1866), Candy Making at Home (1884), Complete Confectioner (1844), a different Complete Confectioner (1849), Pastrycook & Confectioner's Guide (1889), and Treaties on the Art of Boiling Sugar (1865).  And to think, I was just trying to do a little research on chocolate truffles.

Merry Christmas to Me.

I just paid my spring 2012 tuition, and it came to about $1000 less than I thought it would, so I decided to treat myself.  I went ahead and ordered some enameled cast iron kettles.  I paid $40 for a 3-quart Wolfgang Puck kettle and another $51 for a 4-1/2-quart FancyCook (which I have never heard of).  We shall see how they last.  Now, I just want to find a 1-1/2-quart saucepan, and I think I will have all the candy-making pans I need.

Acid Drops

I have come across a period recipe for "Acid Drops".  These require tartaric acid, which the local grocery store does not carry.  Between looking for chocolate and other ingredients, I should start a business that specializes in premium and weird candy ingredients.  Anywho, my internet search says tartaric acid is available as a home brewing supply.  Now another decision: Do I just buy from the internet and hope the post office doesn't screw up or do I look around town for a home brewer.

Useless book

I bought The Victorian Kitchen Book of Candies and Confections in order to do research, as it claimed to "reveal the recipes and techniques perfected by the Victorian cook."  Well, almost nothing in this book has anything to do with the Victorian cook.  Nearly all the recipes are modern redactions, and very little is said of actual Victorian technique.  This turned out to be a nearly useless book when it comes to researching Victorian candy making.  Good think I paid less than $1 for it.

Decisions, decisions

I am looking for a slightly smaller granite pan in which to make candy.  I have a 6 quart, but I want something for making smaller batches.  Macy's has an enameled 2-3/4 quart for $44.03, but there is a 4-1/4 quart on eBay for $51.52.  I know the difference is only $7.50, but which pan is going to be better for my purposes.  The eBay pan has 4-1/2" sides; Macy's does not list the dimensions of its pan, and I can't find it elsewhere on the internet.  What to do?  What to do?

According to Macy's, they have it at a mall store about 10 miles from here.  Now, do I take the time to go look at it?  Decisions, decisions.

Well, I came to a decision.  I have a total of $140 to spend on this stuff.  I would rather buy ingredients and work on technique until I can afford the kettles.  Besides, I can keep looking at thrift stores, flea markets, and antique shops for the right stuff.

Chocolate Search 2

I was looking around for where to buy my chocolates when I came on a page at About.com that describes the various types of chocolates (semi-sweet, etc).  It also states that couverture is the chocolate type used by confectioners because of the high cocoa butter content.  So, that pretty much means I should be looking for couverture chocolates.

Chocolate Search

Well, school is ending Sunday, so I will be able to dedicate my study time to Victorian candy research, including making stuff!  In view of that, I started searching for chocolate.  For this break at work, therefore, I am going to go looking for info on high-quality candy-making chocolates.

Okay.  According to Gourmet Candy Maker, the best chocolate is couverture (called "pure chocolate" on this website) by Callebaut, Sharfen Berger, Veliche, and Valrhona.  The next grade down is premium chocolate (or "real chocolate" as they call it) made by Merckens, Peters made by Nestle, Guittard and Ghiradelli.  The remaining grades in descending order are a regular candy bar, a baking bar, baker's chocolate (not really made for candy), chocolate chips, and coco buttons.  At lunch, I am going to search for a source for the pure and real chocolates mentioned by this website.

A further search revealed a list of recommended chocolates at About.com.  They are Belcolade, Blommer, Cacao Barry, Callebaut, Carma, El Rey, Felchin, Ghiradelli, Guittard, Lindt, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, Van Leer, and Wilbur.  Only 5 of these are also on the Gourmet Candy Maker list.

Not abondoned; just busy!

It has been over 3 weeks since my last post?  Dang.  I wanted to do better than this.  Anyhow, my two jobs and full-time school are pretty much taking up my time right now.  Plus, I am still waiting for another book to arrive and the temperature to drop low enough for me to play with food.  I did, however, find out that the local Sam's Club has Ghiridelli (sp?) candy making chocolates!  I never thought of Sam's club as the place to get chocolate making ingredients.  I may have to rethink that.  Well, I just wanted to get something posted so anybody searching knows I am still here.

It's been a week?!?!

Can't believe I haven't posted anything new for a week.  Well, there really isn't much new.  I bought a new thermometer for my apartment, and yes, my apartment is actually 78 degrees.  Now I have to decide how much to spend for cooling.  I still need to try a box fan in the window to see if there is any impact.

School and life have been taking up most of my time.  I just didn't want folks to think I had abandoned this.

Huzzah, or the Victorian equivalent!

I was just researching granite saucepans, because it would be cool to do the recipes just like the Victorians.  Well, my research indicates that granite saucepan is not a saucepan made of granite.  It is what they called enameled cast iron due to the speckled patterns in the enamel that made it look granite-like.  I thought enameled cast iron might not hold up to the high temperatures of candy making, so I didn't even think of using my enameled cast iron.  That means, I HAVE THE RIGHT PAN!  Okay, it isn't a saucepan; it's a casserole.  However, I should be able to use it just like a saucepan.  It will just be very difficult to pour.  That means I am one step closer to actual candy making!  Now, on to "how to cool my apartment" problem.

Getting busy . . .

Wow, my life is getting busy all the sudden.  I am now the treasurer of two different college clubs.  One of them keeps asking me to go to more and more events.  At least I get a free dinner out of one of them.  I've just discovered my cost accounting will be more difficult to get an A in than I previously believed.  I am still looking for a job to pay for food and a proper church to join.  On top of that, I am involved in court cases involving bankruptcy and an ex-wife.

Why am I putting that in a Victorian candy making blog?  It is just to say my entries may not be as frequent as you or I would like them to be.  I have not abandoned the project.  From time to time, my focus may be drawn away.

Be that as it may, here is where things stand right now regarding candy.  I am in the process of downloading a treasure trove of on-line historic cookbooks, including The Complete Confectioner from the 1850s.  I have read two histories of candy with some fascinating results; and from these, I am putting together a candy timeline, a candy temperature chart, and a future reading list.  I still have not found a sugar boiling pan I am happy with.  From all the texts I have read, the pan needs to have a heavy bottom, to be nonreactive, and to have sides at least 4-5 inches high.  I will probably go to the local restaurant supply store soon to see if I can find anything.  I also need to stop at the Home Depot to see if I can purchase some marble scrap as my cooling surface.  My apartment still is too hot to make candy.  I am beginning to wonder if my thermometer is not functioning properly.  I will stop at the Bed, Bath, and Beyond on Saturday to get a new one.  If that still shows my apartment to be 78°F, I will next test a box fan to see if that lowers the temperature.  I have recipes in the waiting for molasses candy and barley sugar.  I found a reference to the use of "perlimpinpin" in barley sugar during the 18th century.  "Perlimpinpin", as far as I can tell, is a French term meaning fairy dust, magic cure, or false medicine (snake oil), depending on the source, although there is a French company that sells a spice blend called "poudre de perlimpinpin."  I am still trying to locate a recipe for this spice blend.

As you can see, I have been busy with everything.  Now, I just have to decide what I like doing and limit my activities to those things.

Chow for now.

PS:  Don't forget about my Suits and Soups Drive, which you can donate to by clicking here.