100 



AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK 134, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



If stirring is stopped, some of the crystals will 

 jji-ow and make the product grritty. 



While being- stirred, the chilled sirup first 

 tends to become fluid and then begins to stiffen 

 and show a distinct tendency to set. At this 

 time the batch loses its shiny surface (fig. 109). 

 If creaming is stopped too soon, that is, while 

 the batch is too fluid, large crystals will form. 



To hasten the creaming process, a small 

 amount of "seed" (previoi^sly made cream) can 

 be added to the glasslike chilled sirup just 

 before beating. The addition of 1 teaspoonful of 

 seed for each gallon of cooked sirup will provide 

 crystals to serve as nuclei for the more rapid 

 formation of crystals. The entire creaming proc- 

 ess may require ft-om 1 to 2 hours, depending on 

 the size of the batch, but the use of seed will 

 often shorten the time by half. 



Holding Cream for Delayed Packaging 



Often it is not convenient to package the 

 cream at the time it is made. In this case, it can 

 be stored or aged for periods from 1 day to 

 several weeks in tightly covered glass or 

 earthen vessels, preferably under refrigeration. 

 Many candymakers believe that aging a fon- 

 dant is desirable because it permits the crystals 

 to equalize in the saturated .sirup. Some pro- 

 ducers age the cream 1 day by holding it in an 

 open pan covered with a damp cloth; they 

 package the second day without rewetting. 

 Other producers remelt the aged cream for ease 

 of pouring and packaging by carefully heating 

 it in a double boiler (99). The temperature of the 

 cream during this reheating must not go above 

 150° F. (The temperature can be controlled by 

 not permitting the water in the double boiler to 

 go above 150°.) If the temperature of the cream 

 exceeds 150°, too much sugar will be dissolved, 

 and large crystals may form when the remelted 

 cream is cooled and stored. 



Packaging and Storing 



Maple cream can be packaged in tin, glass, 

 plastic, or wax-paper cups. Container with wide 

 mouths are best for easy filling. Care must be 

 taken to keep air bubbles from forming, espe- 

 cially when the cream is packaged in glass 

 because the air bubbles are unpleasing in ai> 

 pearance and create the impression the pack- 

 age is short in weight. Furthermore, air pockets 



provide a place where the separated mother 

 liquor can collect, and this also produces an 

 unpleasant appearance. 



Fi-eshly made cream should be packaged im- 

 mediately, before it "sets up" (fig. 110), or 

 within a day if it has been covered and set aside 

 to age. Remelted cream should be packaged 

 while it is still warm and fluid. Since maple 

 cream is a mixture of sugar crystals and satu- 

 rated maple sirup, storing packaged cream at 

 70° F. or above will cause more sugar to be 

 dissolved. The sirup tends to separate as an 

 unattractive, dark, liquid layer on the surface 

 of the cream. This sirup layer also forms if the 

 cream is stored at fluctuating temperatures. 



The cream is best stored at low temperature, 

 preferably under refrigeration and at constant 

 humidity. If the cream is packaged in glass or 

 other moistureproof containers, it can be stored 

 in refrigerators for long periods, with little 

 danger of the saturated sirup in the cream 

 separating. 



Fontlaiit 



Fondant, a nougat-type candy, is known in 

 Ohio as maple cream because of its very fine 

 crystalline character. Fondant is made in ex- 

 actly the same manner as maple cream except 

 that the sirup is heated to a higher boiling 

 point (27° F. above the boiling point of water). 

 The thickened sirup is cooled to 50° and stirred 

 as for creaming. Since there is less sirup left in 

 the fondant, it will set up to a soft solid at room 

 temperatures. Small amounts can be dropped 

 on marble slab, waxed paper, or a metal sheet; 

 or it can be packed into molds. 



Sofl Sn^ar ('.an<lu's 



Next to maple cream the making of soft 

 sugar candies is gaining in popularity. Like 

 maple cream, 8 pounds of soft sugar candies 

 can be made from 1 gallon of sirup. 



Soft sugar candies contain little or no free 

 sirup, so they are stiffer than maple cream. The 

 crystals in soft sugar candies are larger than in 

 maple cream and are palpable to the tongue, 

 but they should not be large enough to produce 

 an unpleasant sandy effect. The candies can be 

 made from any of the top three grades of sirup: 

 U.S. Grade AA (Fancy), U.S. Grade A (No. 1), 



