* 4 cups of granulated sugar
* 1½ cups of cold water
* 3 drops of acetic acid or
* ½ teaspoon of vinegar or
* ½ teaspoon of cornstarch
Instructions
1. Stir the sugar and water in a saucepan, set on a comparatively cool part of the range, until the sugar is melted; then draw the saucepan to a hotter place and continue stirring until the syrup boils; remove the spoon and, with a cloth or the fingers wet in cold water, wash down the sides of the saucepan, to remove grains of sugar that may have been thrown there in the cooking; now add the acid, vinegar or cornstarch, and cover the dish; the steam will melt grains of sugar, if there be any on the saucepan.
2. After three or four minutes remove the cover and, if a thermometer is to be used, set it into the syrup.
3. Let the syrup boil to 240 deg F.
4. In the meantime wet the hand in cold water and with it dampen a marble slab or a large platter, then, without jarring the syrup, turn it onto the receptacle prepared for it.
5. Do not scrape out the saucepan or allow the last of the syrup to drip from it (use the saucepan in making a dish of apple or other sauce), as sugary portions will cause the fondant to be "grainy." When the syrup is cold, with a scraper (such as is used in removing wall paper) or a wooden spatula, turn the edges of the mass towards the center; continue this until it begins to thicken and grow white, then work it up into a ball, scraping the marble clean.
6. When all is collected and worked into a compact mass, lay over it a damp cloth, tucking it in closely; let stand in this way for an hour or more to ripen.
7. Now cut into pieces and pack these closely in an earthen bowl; cover the top of the bowl with a damp cloth and then with heavy paper; the cloth must not touch the fondant.
8. This may be used at once or may be kept, in cold weather, several weeks, if the cloth be wrung out of cold water and returned about once a week. It may be used as a frosting for small cakes, for "centers" of bonbons or for coating centers.
Photo: culinnovation.net
