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Candy

Aniseed Brittle Chewing Balls Fruit Candy Herb Candy Horehound Drops Horehound Toffee
Candied Sweet Flag Coriander Butterscotch Ginger/Honey Lozenges Horehound Candy Horehound Lozenges Lavender Truffles



on this pageAniseed Brittle
Ingredients
4 heaped tbsp honey
1 tbsp crushed anise seed

Bring the honey slowly to a boil in a heavy pan and simmer steadily for about 30 minutes, OR until a drop in cold water becomes immediately hard. Stir in the anise seed. Pour onto an oiled marble slab or baking sheet. Mark into squares and store when cool.



on this pageCandied Sweet Flag

Select fully ripe flag roots. Clean, cut into squares and boil gently in water to cover for 2½ to 3 hours. Drain. Boil for 30 minutes in equal parts of sugar and water till syrup becomes candied. Drain off syrup and place roots on wax paper to dry.



on this pageChewing Balls

The original recipe was taken from a very old apothecary book. The product equates to today's chewing gum.

The powdered ingredients were added to white wax and formed into balls. As most of these botanicals are strongly flavored there is very little of them needed for the chewing balls. Following are 4 different versions.

  1. Equal parts of Gum Mastic and Ginger
  2. Equal parts of Cubebs and Nutmegs
  3. Equal parts of Ginger, Rhubarb, Mastic, Pellitory and Orris
  4. Angelica root alone



on this pageCoriander Butterscotch
Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 and 2/3 cups brown sugar
juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds

Melt butter in heavy pan. Add sugar and lemon juice and stir over low heat to dissolve. Boil fast till drop becomes brittle in cold water. Stir in coriander seeds. Pour onto oiled marble slab or baking sheet. Mark into squares and cool.



on this pageFruit Candy
Ingredients
2 cups each dried figs, dates, prunes and apricots
1 cup wheat berry sprouts
water

Chop fruit into small pieces. Put fruit and sprouts through a food grinder. Add enough water to make a thick paste. Roll the paste into balls. The balls can be rolled into coconut, caro powder, wheat germ, sesame seeds, etc. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate or freeze.



on this pageGinger and Honey Lozenges
Ingredients
1 lb dark honey
1 lb walnuts shelled and chopped
½ tsp powdered ginger

Simmer honey over low heat and add walnuts and ginger. Stir for 45 minutes over low heat. Butter a large platter and pour candy. Put in cool place and let stand a few hours. Cut into pieces with a wet knife.



on this pageHerb Candy

Use herbs of peppermint, spearmint, horehound, orangemint, applemint, wintergreen, lemon verbena; or seeds of fennel, anise, caraway, coriander, star anise. The method also works well with other herbs and spices.
Ingredients
4 cups boiling water
2 cups leaves with stems and blossoms or ¼ cup seeds
3 cups each white and brown sugar
½ tbsp butter

Pour boiling water over herbs or seeds and steep for 10 minutes or longer for stronger tea. Strain. Add sugar and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook till syrup hardens when a small amount is dropped into cold water. Pour into buttered shallow pan. Score into squares before it sets or break up into pieces as soon as hard. Wrap each piece in waxed paper and store in airtight containers.



on this pageHorehound Candy

Version 1:

Boil a handful of fresh horehound in 1½ cups water. Strain liquid. Use 4 tbsp of the infusion to 2 lbs of brown sugar. Add 1 tsp of honey. Boil for 30 minutes. Candy is finished when a teaspoonful hardens in cold water. Pour into molds or on a slab. Cut when cool.

Version 2:
Ingredients
1 oz fresh or ¼ oz dried horehound
1½ cups water
2 cups honey
1 cup molasses

Boil water in a small saucepan. Add horehound and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Strain into a large heavy 5 quart pot. Add honey and molasses and mix. Cook over medium heat till hardcrack stage (300 to 310°F on candy thermometer). Skim scum before high temps are reached. Do not stir even when foaming up. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch pan and score into pieces before it sets, but as it cools. Refrigerate.



on this pageHorehound Drops
Ingredients
6 tbsp horehound leaves and stems
1½ cup hot water
3½ cups brown sugar

Crush herb and place in a teapot. Cover with very hot water and steep for 30 minutes. Strain and pour the liquid over the brown sugar and mix. Bring to a boil and continue boiling till mixture reaches the hard-crack stage (300°F). Pour into a buttered pan and cut into squares.



on this pageHorehound Lozenges

Version 1:

Combine powdered herb with sugar or honey and slippery elm to form a paste. Roll into rectangular shaped cake on wax paper which is covered with slippery elm or sugar. Cover top with cornstarch. Cut into small squares and let air dry. Put in sealed container.

Version 2:
Boil horehound in water for 10 minutes and simmer for another 30 minutes. Strain and add 1 cup honey or 1½ cup sugar for each cup of liquid. Bring to a boil and stir till it begins to thicken. Pour into buttered pan and cut into squares while cooling. Let air dry and store. Squares can be dusted with cornstarch or powdered sugar to prevent sticking.



on this pageHorehound Toffee
Ingredients
3 sprigs of horehound
2/3 cup soft brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
juice of ½ orange
½ tsp cream of tartar

Pour 1¼ cups boiling water over the horehound and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain, pressing to extract the juice. Pour the liquid into a heavy pan and add the remaining ingredients. Stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil and boil fast till a drop hardens in cold water. Pour liquid onto an oiled marble slab or baking sheet. It will spread out thinly. Mark it in squares with point of sharp knife as it cools. When cool and brittle, break it up and store.



on this pageLavender Truffles
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp dried lavender buds
12 oz bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
1 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa

Bring heavy cream and lavender to a boil. Boil 1 minute and pour it through a strainer over the chocolate in a bowl. Add the Grand Marnier and stir occasionally till the chocolate is completely melted. Chill for 3 hours or till completely set. With a warm spoon, roll the truffle mixture into cherry-sized balls, then roll them in sifted unsweetend cocoa.




©1999 by Ernestina Parziale, CH

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