http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/ma...ood-t-000.html


December 7, 2008

Recipe Redux

1879: Peppermints

By AMANDA HESSER

"Peppermints were a popular European candy as early as the mid-19th century.
"Brandy balls," a sweet made with peppermint and cinnamon - "all the spices
that warm the tongue, like brandy does," explained Francine Segan, a food
historian - were sold on the street in London in the 1850s. And peppermint
candies in all forms were found throughout Europe by then.

But until Wrigley's spearmint gum was introduced in America in 1893 and
peppermint LifeSavers appeared on the market about a decade later, mint
candy was something you mostly made at home. Making candy was one of those
things that every woman seemed to know how to do, like recaning a chair and
boning a lamb. A recipe for peppermints, which ran in The Times in 1879, is
a surprise in that it actually gives precise measurements for all of the
ingredients, not always the case in the newspaper's 19th-century recipes.

Without any personal candy-making expertise, however, I quickly ran into
trouble: I boiled a pound of sugar and a little water for about 5 minutes,
at which point the mixture began to caramelize. Off the heat, I added
peppermint extract and followed the instructions to beat the mixture until
it thickened. But even if I'd beaten it with an airplane propeller, the
mixture was determined to remain loose and glistening, so I gave up and
poured the caramelized sugar onto a greased baking sheet.

Once cooled, the candy looked like a shiny, amber inkblot, attractive,
certainly, but not terribly promising. It wasn't candy as we know it. Then I
tasted a piece and suddenly understood why you would in fact want to make
your own candy at home. The caramelization of the sugar gave it an
unexpected buttery flavor and bitterness, and the peppermint was alive in a
way that you would never find in store-bought confections. Plus it took me
all of five minutes to whip together. I like that the candies are a dark
caramel color and that the mint comes as a surprise to all who try them.

I knew immediately whom to send this recipe to: Claudia Fleming, the pastry
chef and an owner, with her husband, Gerry Hayden, of the North Fork Table
and Inn on Long Island. Fleming is known for giving familiar desserts
distinction, a style epitomized in her chocolate-caramel tarts dusted with
fleur de sel, which she made while working as the pastry chef at Gramercy
Tavern. "It was supereasy, superfast," she said of the peppermint candy,
"but a little, just . well, it is what it is."

True, but what's wrong with a simple candy? (I guess I don't have to agree
with every chef in this column.)

Fleming continued: "I'm not a candy-cane fan, I'm not a hard-mint fan. So to
make most candy palatable for me, I think chocolate."

Now we were getting somewhere.

She mentioned pudding, and my mind leapt to chocolate-mint pudding, but
Fleming went in a much more interesting direction, proving why she is well
known for her work. She began with a caramel pudding, made by caramelizing
sugar in a pan, then adding cream and milk and thickening the mixture with
egg yolks and cornstarch (the difference between custard and pudding). To
accompany this, she created a peppermint-infused white-chocolate cream,
essentially a ganache that you whip like cream, and finished the dessert
with shavings of chocolate-sesame halvah. All the flavors of the candy are
there - the butter, the bitter, the peppermint - and there's the familiarity
of pudding. But the impression of each is compellingly skewed. We can
certainly agree to agree on that.


RECIPE:

1879: Peppermint

This recipe appeared in an article in The Times.

Oil for greasing

2?1?4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon peppermint extract.

Oil a baking sheet (preferably nonstick) and set it near the stove. In a
small, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and > cup water and boil over
medium-high heat until the syrup caramelizes. When the syrup turns the color
of a hazelnut, remove the pan from the heat and add the peppermint extract.
Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet, tipping the pan to spread it evenly
and thinly, and let cool. Then break it into pieces. Makes 2 to 3 cups of
candies...


RECIPE:

2008: White-Chocolate-Mint-and-Caramel Parfait

By Claudia Fleming, the pastry chef and co-owner of the North Fork Table and
Inn on Long Island.

Fleming recommends using Boyajian peppermint extract, which is $5 for a
1-ounce bottle at Amazon.com.

For the caramel pudding:

1?2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1?4 cup heavy cream

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1?4 teaspoon salt

3?4 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

1?2 teaspoon vanilla

For the white-chocolate cream:

4 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

6 ounces heavy whipping cream

1?4 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 ounces chocolate-sesame halvah or regular halvah.

1. In a small, heavy saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 cup of
the sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar turns a medium
caramel. Remove from the heat and let it continue cooking to a dark caramel,
then add the cream and whisk to combine.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, 1 teaspoon sugar, cornstarch,
salt and a splash of the milk.

3. Return the caramel to the heat and add the remaining milk. Bring to a
boil. Whisk well to be sure all the caramel is incorporated. Slowly whisk
the boiling caramel mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. Return the mixture to
the pot and, while whisking, boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and
whisk in the butter. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and whisk in the
vanilla. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding to
prevent a skin from forming. Chill until set, at least 6 hours.

4. Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a boil,
pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the
chocolate. Whisk well. Add the peppermint extract and whisk again. Lay a
piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill at least 6 hours.

5. To assemble the dessert: Using a vegetable peeler, shave the halvah; set
aside. Transfer the white-chocolate mixture to the bowl of a mixer. Whip
until soft peaks form. Chill briefly. Meanwhile, remove the pudding from the
refrigerator and whisk a bit to loosen. Use a pastry bag with a large plain
round tip to pipe the pudding into 8 small bowls or tumblers. Top each with
a dollop of white-chocolate cream, then sprinkle each with about a
tablespoon of shaved halvah. Serves 8..."


</>

Gregory Morrow wrote:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/ma...ood-t-000.html
>
>
> December 7, 2008
>
> Recipe Redux
>
> 1879: Peppermints
>
> By AMANDA HESSER
>
> "Peppermints were a popular European candy as early as the mid-19th century.
> "Brandy balls," a sweet made with peppermint and cinnamon - "all the spices
> that warm the tongue, like brandy does," explained Francine Segan, a food
> historian - were sold on the street in London in the 1850s. And peppermint
> candies in all forms were found throughout Europe by then.
>


Thanks for the interesting read. I love learning about the anthropology
of food (to include candy!)

Goomba wrote:

> Gregory Morrow wrote:
> > http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/ma...ood-t-000.html
> >
> >
> > December 7, 2008
> >
> > Recipe Redux
> >
> > 1879: Peppermints
> >
> > By AMANDA HESSER
> >
> > "Peppermints were a popular European candy as early as the mid-19th
century.
> > "Brandy balls," a sweet made with peppermint and cinnamon - "all the
spices
> > that warm the tongue, like brandy does," explained Francine Segan, a
food
> > historian - were sold on the street in London in the 1850s. And
peppermint
> > candies in all forms were found throughout Europe by then.
> >
>
>
> Thanks for the interesting read. I love learning about the anthropology
> of food (to include candy!)

Peppermint is something that is now so ubiquitous that it was interesting to
read this article...

Wrigley's Spearmint gum is mentioned in the article as being introduced in
1893, this was done for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Other foods
introduced at that fair include IIRC Crackerjacks and Aunt Jemima Pancake
Mix...

World's fairs at that time were showcases for new foods, IIRC both the
modern hamburger and hotdog were introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World's
Fair...maybe even the waffle ice cream cone, too. Belgian Waffles were a
big hit at the '64 - '65 NY World's Fair. Some prominent French
restaurateurs who were hired by the French gov't. to cook at the French
pavilion at the '39 - '40 NY World's Fair were stranded here by WWII, they
stayed and opened famous French restos in Manhattan, thus starting a trend
towards fancy Continental cuisine in the US
..
I'm fascinated by the history of air conditioning, apparently one of the
first uses of modern mechanical air conditioning was by candy and
confectionary manufacturers, a/c provided a stable temp and humidity
manufacturing environment and it helped to prevent chocolate "bloom". Other
industries that first adopted a/c were textile mills, pharma manufacturers,
and printers. IIRC the first modern a/c system was built by Willis Carrier
in 1902 for a Brooklyn printing plant, they were having trouble lining up
the color for the printing of Sunday newspaper supplements and comics. A/C
insured that the printing results were uniform, in - line color - wise, and
trouble - free...it helped eliminate that pesky color "bleed".


====>>> full of useless facts tonight


--
Best
Greg

On Sun, 7 Dec 2008 18:20:34 -0600, "Gregory Morrow" >
wrote:

>small, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and > cup water and boil over

Daft question perhaps, but how much water would that be? My son loves
pepermint candy...

M.

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