Cookery for every household

5. Sandwiches of Genoese pastry spread with clotted cream. Coat with pale yellow fondant or glace, and decorate with leaves of angelica and red berries (bon-bons). These hints may be varied indefinitely, and according to what there is at hand to make the cakes of, but they will perhaps serve as a guide to the beginner, who, after a little practice, will soon launch out on her own account, and be able to make dainty morsels without any trouble or difficulty. Sweet making has become quite a popular home occupation, and many ladies take it up as a hobby, especially those who work for charity sales and bazaars. Home-made sweets always sell quickly if they are well made and daintily packed, and there is often more profit to be made on them than on elaborate sewing and fancy work, which entail so much time and labour. Pure and wholesome sweets have also a distinct value in our dietary, and many of them, besides being dainties, are articles of nutrition as well. It is quite a mistake to think that it is only the professional confectioner who can turn out dainty sweets ; quite a number of pretty and attractive ones can be made quite easily by amateurs, provided that the recipes are followed with care and accuracy. Anyone desirous of taking up the higher branches of sweet making, however, is strongly recommended to have a few lessons from a good teacher, in order to master the mysteries of sugar boiling, fondant making, and such like. In the making of many sweets, success depends to a great extent upon boiling sugar to the right degree, and when this is thoroughly understood, the more elaborate recipes should present no difficulty. This section does not presume to be a complete treatise on sweet making, space does not allow of so much attention being given to the subject, but a fairly representative selection of the different kinds of sweets has been given, along with many useful hints and instructions, and it is to be hoped that the reader who tries them will be induced to invent other novelties of her own. VARIOUS PRELIMINARIES UTENSILS FOR SWEET MAKING The number of utensils required for sweet making depends very much upon the extent to which the art is to be carried on. Quite a number of simple and pretty sweets, such as toffees, candies, tablets, marzipan sweets, &c., may be made with the ordinary kitchen utensils. If, however, sweet making is to be done frequently, it is much better to have a separate set of appliances, and to keep them for this special purpose only. Sweet making is such a delicate operation, that, unless the saucepans, spoons, &c., are perfectly free from grease or any special odour, the results are bound to be unsatisfactory. Scrupulous cleanliness must be observed throughout. The set of appliances does not require to be elaborate, in fact it is much better for the amateur to commence with the few which are absolutely necessary, and to add others as her art develops.