Tomato Marshmallow.—Very often marshmallows—even the sort sold in candy stores of the better class—contain gums and glucose which the amateur would find difficult to handle even if she felt no scruple in their use. Tomato marshmallows, however, are pleasing in consistency and more attractive in flavor than the old-fashioned kind. Moreover, they are easy to make, although it is necessary to give more detailed directions than would be required in the description of the process with which the home candy-maker is more familiar.

Dissolve three tablespoonsful of granulated gelatine in one cupful of hot water. Cook and strain ripe tomatoes; to one-half cupful of the strained tomato add one cupful of sugar and cook the mixture to two hundred and thirty degrees. Have ready in a deep saucepan, three cupsful of sugar, moistened with one-quarter of a cupful of water. Upon it strain the tomato syrup, stir well, thin with a cupful of water, and cook to two hundred and forty degrees. Set the mass off the fire, add the gelatine water previously prepared, mix thoroughly and strain into a fresh bowl. Have ready the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth. With a French egg whip or a common wooden paddle, beat the cooked mass hard until it is white and does not separate. When it becomes foamy and spongy, gradually add the beaten egg whites and keep beating until the whole mass is very stringy and will almost set on the paddle. Sift upon the mass one tablespoonful of corn starch; stir well. Pour the candy between candy bars on a marble well dusted with XXXX sugar. Leave ten or twelve hours, cut into squares, roll well in XXXX sugar, spread the other side up and dry off. Instead of pouring the marshmallows between candy bars, they may be molded in corn starch. Store in a tight box.

The receipt sounds more laborious than is the process. The repeated boilings are necessary to perfect the product. The acid of the tomato destroys the granularity of the sugar. Straining the mixture eliminates the particles of tomato which, not having blended thoroughly into the syrup, would cause trouble by sticking to the bottom of the saucepan in the later higher cooking.

Chocolate Marshmallow.—Marshmallows, made as directed above, are the basis for them. Dip them in coating chocolate; the method of treatment is the same as with ordinary chocolate marshmallows.

Vegetable Nougatine.—Mix two cupsful of sugar, one-third of a cupful of corn syrup, one-third of a cupful of strained honey, and one-third of a cupful of strained cooked tomato; boil the mixture to two hundred and sixty degrees. Beat three egg whites very stiff, and remove the mixture from the fire. Until about one-half of a cupful has been so used, dip a spoonful at a time on the eggs, beating the mass continuously. From this point on, use an asbestos mat under the pan. Return the remainder to the stove. This time cook the mass to two hundred and ninety degrees. Pour it over the eggs, again beating continuously. Thereupon, set the mixture on the stove once more. The mass should cook slowly until, when tried in water, a sample of it has the consistency that is desired in the finished candy. Some people like the vegetable nougatine soft, others like it "chewy," and still others want it to be hard. Stir in one-half of a cupful of almonds, blanched and cut into small pieces, and one-half of a cupful of garden "ginger" also cut into small pieces.

Line a shallow straight-sided pan with wafer paper. Pour in the candy, and press a sheet of wafer paper onto the top. Let the mixture stand over night. The next morning remove the candy, paper and all, from the pan and place it on a marble slab, slightly oiled. With a long, thin knife, cut it into strips one and one-half inches long, and three-eighths of an inch thick and deep. Do not attempt to cut directly through the candy, but use a sawing motion. Immediately wrap the pieces in parchment paper.

Wafer paper, be it noted, is made from rice. It is easily soluble in water and may be eaten with impunity.

Chocolate Nougatines.—If the nougatines are desired for chocolate coating, the process is very simple. Instead of pouring the mass into the pan, lined with wafer paper, it should be poured onto a greased marble, between greased candy bars, so placed that the mixture will completely fill the rectangle formed by the bars. As before, cover with wafer paper. Over the paper place a board, kept in place with a heavy weight, in order to make the mixture more solid. As before, cut into small pieces. The process of coating is the ordinary one.

Nut Burs.—Cook one-half of a cupful of strained tomato and one cupful of granulated sugar to two hundred and thirty degrees; add two cupsful of sugar, one-half of a cupful of water, and two teaspoonsful of butter. Let this mixture boil up once only; then strain. Place it in a three quart saucepan, return it to the fire, and cook to two hundred and forty-two degrees.

Take one-quarter of a cupful each of preserved garden "ginger" and spiced beet, drain the syrup off and cut very fine; spread upon a wet marble.

Over beet and "ginger" pour the cooked mixture, and "cut in." Form the mass into balls, flatten them slightly, roll in confectioner's sugar, and let dry.

With a sharp knife, cut on a board blanched almonds, pecan, and pistachio nut meats into small, pointed pieces.

This is the method of using the nuts: Have the nuts spread thinly upon a plate. Melt coating chocolate, and let it stand until cool. The principles laid down in Chapter VI, "Chocolate Coating," should be followed. Into the chocolate dip the dried balls and roll them over the nuts. Make sure that the nuts adhere to all parts. Dry upon racks.

The brown, green and cream of the almonds, pecans and pistachios against the dark chocolate background make a very attractive color scheme. The nuts may be used alone, however, or different combinations may be substituted. Other nuts may be drafted into effective service. If peanuts are used, be it noted, they must not be combined with any other nuts; the peanut flavor is overwhelming.

See the dish at the right of the illustration facing page 118, and No. 21 of the frontispiece.