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Candy cookbooks


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A friend asked me if I knew of a trusted cookbook for candy, which I do not.

Are there some tried and true candy cookbooks out there?

Thanks :smile:

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

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ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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I have a copy of the "Candy" volume of the Time Life Good Cook series. It's fairly old school, but has lots of pictures and step-by-step techniques. I've made a few recipes that turned out fine.

Thanks Neil...that is a great series of books.

I know they're out of print but still not too difficult to find.

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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That book is not at all hard to find. Go to abebooks.com and it will turn up. I bought it off there recently after a sneak attack at EBay, where someone scooped it out from under my nose. It mentions a book called Skuse's Complete Confectioner, which has apparently been reissued, and I want it.

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A friend asked me if I knew of a trusted cookbook for candy, which I do not.

Are there some tried and true candy cookbooks out there?

Thanks :smile:

=R=

What type of candy? Lots of stuff on chocolate and related issues that are still published. Most of my other cookbooks for candy are rather old. I like messing with hard and soft crack because you have so much flexibility. But fondant is also interesting to work with in different contexts.

Living hard will take its toll...
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That book is not at all hard to find. Go to abebooks.com and it will turn up. I bought it off there recently after a sneak attack at EBay, where someone scooped it out from under my nose. It mentions a book called Skuse's Complete Confectioner, which has apparently been reissued, and I want it.

That is a good book. covers most of what can be created.

Living hard will take its toll...
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That book is not at all hard to find. Go to abebooks.com and it will turn up. I bought it off there recently after a sneak attack at EBay, where someone scooped it out from under my nose. It mentions a book called Skuse's Complete Confectioner, which has apparently been reissued, and I want it.

That is a good book. covers most of what can be created.

I think this would be exactly what she's seeking--a general overview with specific instructions for intermediate and advanced users. I'll definitely let her know about Skuse's.

In the meantime, I ordered her a copy of the T/L Good Cook - Candy volume.

Thanks for the tips :smile:

Other suggestions still welcome.

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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The "Skuse's Complete Confectioner" Book does not appear to be available yet - scheduled release date according to what I see is September of this year. Price is $110.

Sounds like a good book .....but I know I don't make enough candy to justify that cost! ::sigh::

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I don't have any candy books that I'd say were 'pro' books on the topic. There are easier and hard to work recipes in all the books.

On the inexpensive side I've worked out of 'Candymaking' by Ruth A. Kendrick & Pauline H. Atkinson with alot of success.

I picked up 'The Good Cook Candy' at a tent sale, I highly reccomend this one for it's photographs, it really walks you through the processes step by step with colored detailed photos. Oh shoot, I now see it's published by Time-Life 1981.......oops so thats a ditto of what Neil posted. I haven't made anything from it yet.

Don't laugh, but I also own 'Better Homes and Gardens Candy" published in 1984 by Meredith. The fudge recipe is darn good.

Other places to look that aren't only candy books but contain recipes worth owning.....'Spago Chocolate' and 'Fredrick Bau's book.

I also own, 'Chocolate Artistry' by Elaine Gonza'lez, published by Contemporary Books, inc. 1983. It's not a recipe book but an artistry book on chocolate...although it's not contemporary I think it still contains great info. and is a nice source book. This one will probably be quite hard to find. Since your from Chi town (like me) you might be familar with Eva Meyers of Cora Lee Candies in Glenview....well, Elaine learned ALOT from Eve!! My families bakery used to carry Eva's line, she's exceptionally popular on the north shore, it's a must have at every Bat Mitzah and wedding!! In fact this book is exactly Eva's line of chocolates. NOW if the person you know wants to learn about dipping, etc... I'd run and beg at Cora Lee to work there. P.S. I went to school with her niece and nefew, their b-day parties were HUGE hits with Aunties candies.

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I have a copy of the "Candy" volume of the Time Life Good Cook series. It's fairly old school, but has lots of pictures and step-by-step techniques. I've made a few recipes that turned out fine.

I third (or fourth,) this. Oddly enough, I saw a copy yesterday at the Bookzeller in Naperville for five bucks. I also highly recommend the kinda related "Preserving" volume in the same series.

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

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I have a copy of the "Candy" volume of the Time Life Good Cook series. It's fairly old school, but has lots of pictures and step-by-step techniques. I've made a few recipes that turned out fine.

I third (or fourth,) this. Oddly enough, I saw a copy yesterday at the Bookzeller in Naperville for five bucks. I also highly recommend the kinda related "Preserving" volume in the same series.

Thanks Maggie. I found a couple of them on-line for about $6 and ordered one for myself and one for my friend. I do have most of that T/L series, but the Candy volume wasn't one of them.

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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I third (or fourth,) this. Oddly enough, I saw a copy yesterday at the Bookzeller in Naperville for five bucks.

Sooooooooooooo.......did you buy it Maggie??

Cuz if you didn't ....I know exactly where that is and will buzz right over there to pick it up!! :biggrin:

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I third (or fourth,) this.  Oddly enough, I saw a copy yesterday at the Bookzeller in Naperville for five bucks.

Sooooooooooooo.......did you buy it Maggie??

Cuz if you didn't ....I know exactly where that is and will buzz right over there to pick it up!! :biggrin:

Thanks, Jan! No, I've owned it for years, and paid a whole lot more for it.

(Welcome, West Burber.)

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

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Thank you for mentioning my book, Chocolate Artistry. It's been out of print for some time now but is available on www.bibliofind.com. As mentioned, Eva, at Cora Lee Candies in Glenview, IL, was the person who turned me on to chocolate's creative side and I will always be grateful to her for that. But to suggest that the book is full of her chocolates is not at all true. Eva and I had a a very warm relationship and I supplied her with my line of novelty chocolates periodically over the years. Some of the chocolates that you attribute to her may actually have been mine. The cashew and pecan baskets are similar to those she sold but other than that, there are hundreds of other novelties in the book that I created and sold on the North Shore to Cora Lee and many other outlets for many years. Sadly, Eva passed away a year or so ago and will be missed by many of her old friends.

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Ah, I'm delighted you came and cleared up those points for me/us. AND I'm SO sorry to hear of Eva's passing, she was a neat person. Last I was there, Marianne (her niece I grew up with) was working for her, will she and the family continue the business, do you know? I have lost track of them.

I had no idea she was buying in from you, I'm sorry for spreading mis-information! But I'm glad to have the facts straightened out from the source. She never let on to buying in anything in her line.

I'm thrilled to have a source to dirrect people to so they can still buy an issue of your book, I've mentioned it several times online! I treasure mine!!! It covers aspects I've never seen covered in another book. And for anyone who wants to have their own chocolate shop I think it's a must see. I also own your second book, (of course).......you do wonderful work. I greatly admire you! I've imitated your work several times, to raves.

Have you ever been retail yourself? I'm curious whom else you sell to.... was one the long grove confectionary since they had once upon a time some similar items?

Can I ask.....what you've been up to, since your last book? Do you have another one on the horizon?

Welcome to egullet, it's an honor to have you visit. I hope you enjoy our site enough to visit us regularly. Thanks for straightening out the facts too.

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Chocartist- glad to have your input on this...I too am a great admirer of your work and I always recommend your book Chocolate Artistry, as a great resource..like Wendy I treasure my copy which you so graciously signed, and refer to it constantly. I am so glad you have mentioned a source to get it from..my other copy I gave to a very grateful apprentice who constanly refers to it also, but I have had others say, they can't find it.

So, have got to ask...is there going to be another book in the future?

Portia
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I'm so pleased to know that Chocolate Artistry is in your candy/chocolate library. Even after 21 years, the information is still valid--though, as you suggest--some of the novelties are somewhat dated. Still, the techniques are as timely today as they were then. I no longer decorate my chocolates with Royal Icing, but if you do, you'll want to check out my recipe. People often tell me its worth the price of the book.

The chocolate novelties in Chocolate Artistry represent the things that I was making for parties all over Chicagoland in the late 70's and early 80's. Eva Myers at Cora Lee Candies would sometimes call me to help when somebody ordered something a little fancier than she was accostumed to making. I was happy to help but always did so anonymously. The company is now owned and operated by Eva's son. And their English Toffee is still the best!

Though I did a number of special events for Long Grove Confectionery over the years, I never supplied them with chocolates. At one time I did most of the special orders for Northbrook's Candy Depot (now closed) and for many local party/wedding consultants. I stopped taking orders when Chocolate Artistry was released in 1983 and since then have devoted my time to teaching, lecturing, and writing. The Art of Chocolate, my current book, will be my last.

As for candy books that I like, there is the Wilton Candy book (now out of print, but available on the internet, I'm sure) which contains a marvelous chapter of recipes by Chef Lutz Olkewicz. When I taught the chocolate course at Wilton, I often used recipes from that book, including the one for making hard candy dishes that look like "cut-glass" and dipped, fondant-covered maraschino cherries.

Old-time Chicagoans may remember the Pope Cooking School--now long gone. Antoinette wrote a candy cook book that I like very much. I'm not sure what it's called--The Antoinette Pope Candy Book, perhaps.

I'll check my library for more recent titles and get back to you with them later. Unfortunately, I know of no definitive candy book.

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Here are some of my favorite candy books:

The Complete Wilton Book of Candy, 1981

Out of print but available www.bibliofind.com and other sites

I love the chapter on Continental Chocolate Candies for Connoisseurs.

Antoinette Pope School New Candy Cookbook

Antoinette and Francois Pope

MacMillan, 1967

Out of print but available on the internet

Per usual, Antoinette's recipes are meticulously written.

Belgian Chocolates

Roger Geerts

Chocolate World, Antwerp, Belgium

In English

Available Tomric Plastics (I don't have their website handy)

716-854-6050

Swiss Confiseur

Richemont Craft School

Technical candy books:

Sugar Confectionery and Chocolate Manufacture

Lees and Jackson

Chemical Publishing Co., NY 1975

Available through Manufacturing Confectioner Magazine www.gomc.com

Choice Confections--Manufacturing Methods and Formulas

Walter Richmond

This is the classic candy industry book.

Manufacturing Confectioner. See ordering source above.

The Science and Art of Candy Manufacture

Claude D. Barnett

Magazines fod Industry, Inc.

Subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishing Co. 1978

Confectionery Problems

Stroud Jordon

National Confectionery Association

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Thanks very much chocartist, for joining in here. Your expertise is sincerely appreciated. It's wonderful to see how you've inspired others in your field. I also want to thank you for providing the list of additional titles. Wow! Thanks again. :smile:

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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I'm sad to hear you won't be writing any more books!

Where are you teaching, is this private classes or group? We've had many people come here (egullet) looking for advice to enter the chocolate profession....seeking advice on where and with whom to learn, do you have any suggestions or opinions? If you were starting over where would you begin (knowing now, what you didn't know then)?

Thank-you for sharing your list of picks!!

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