BARBERRY COMFITS.--Pick the barberries from the stalk, and dry them in a hot stove on sieves; when dry, put about two pounds into the comfit-pan, and proceed as for almond comfits, giving them first a charge of gum and flour, and finish as others. Make them of a good size and quite smooth; finish with very white loaf sugar with syrup.
BATH CARAWAYS.--These are made in the same way as Scotch caraway comfits, but only half the size.
CARAWAY COMFITS, PEARLED.--When the comfits are about the size of Bath caraways, dry and pearl them as cinnamon.
CARDAMON COMFITS.--The seeds should be kept in their husks until they are required to be used, as they lose much of their flavor and virtues when deprived of them. They are often mixed with grains of paradise, but these have not the aromatic taste of the cardamon, and are more hot and spicy. Break the husks of the cardamons by rolling them with a pin; separate the skins from the seeds, put two pounds into the comfit-pan, and proceed as for Scotch caraways. Make them a good size, and quite smooth.
CELERY COMFITS.--Put one pound of celery seed into the pan, and proceed as for Scotch caraway comfits, working them up to the size of a large pin's head. Dry and pearl them as cinnamon.
CHERRY COMFITS.--These are made from preserved cherries dried. Roll them in your hand to make them quite round, dust them with powdered loaf sugar, and dry them again; then proceed as for barberry comfits. Any other preserved fruits may be made into comfits after the same manner.
CINNAMON COMFITS.--Cinnamon is the bark of a tree, of which there are two sorts. The inferior quality is that usually sold for cinnamon, and is otherwise known as cassia, or _cassia lignea_. This breaks short, and has a slimy mucilaginous taste, is thicker, and of a darker color than the cinnamon, which is the inner bark. This breaks shivery, and has a warm aromatic taste, and is of a reddish color.
Take one pound of cinnamon bark, and steep it in water for a few hours to soften it, cut it into small pieces about half an inch long, and the size of a large needle. Dry it in the stove. Put your pieces, when dry, into the comfit-pan, and pour on them a little syrup, as for Scotch caraways, proceeding in the same way until they are one-third the required size. You must not use your hand for these as you would for caraways, as they are liable to break in two. Dry them in the stove, then suspend the pearling pot or cot from the bar of the pan or ceiling, so as to hang over the center of the pan; boil some clarified loaf sugar to the large pearl, and fill the cot; put some of the prepared comfits in the pan, but not too many at a time, as it is difficult to get them to pearl alike. Keep the syrup at the boiling point; open the spigot of the cot so as to allow it to run in a very small stream, or more like a continued dropping; swing the pan backwards and forwards gently, and keep a stronger fire under the pan than otherwise.