For the period sweet tooth (pt. 3)

[Dutch Limbach]

One last group of period sweets,

Apricot Leather
(An old Southern plantation delicacy)
1 lb. dried apricots
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps. grated lemon rind

You can soak apricots (start in one cup of boiling water) in a covered pan 8-12 hrs. Or you can cook the apricots over low heat until they are soft. Add sugar and mash. Stir in lemon rind. Spread mixture 1/16 inch thick on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 200°F. 2 1/2-3 hrs. Mixture will be almost dry and resemble leather. Roll it like a jellyroll and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Slice thin.

(Notes- You can also use applesauce or any other puréed fruit to make fruit leather. Also this can also be made using a dehydrator instead of an oven.)
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Candied Fruit Peel
(Orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit)
2 cups of peel (cut into thin strips)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Powdered sugar

In a heavy saucepan combine peel and water. Bring to a boil. Cook over low heat about 10 minutes. Drain off water. Replenish water and repeat process three more times. This destroys bitter taste of peel. Combine the one cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Add peel and cook until syrup is absorbed and peel is transparent. Do not cook over too hot a fire or peel will caramelize (230°F. on candy thermometer). Roll fruit strips in powdered sugar and spread on rack to dry.

Special note: Citrus fruits were a very special treat in the days before refrigeration and large-scale commercial citrus growing. An orange or a lemon was a rare treat in Charleston, Boston, New York, or Philadelphia. Dried peel was almost the only part of citrus fruit that people in the hinterlands knew about.
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Horehound Candy
1 cup dried horehound leaves
1 cup dark cane syrup
1 qt. water
1 Tbs. butter
3 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Simmer dried leaves in the quart of water approximately 30 minutes. Cover and let steep 20 minutes. Strain the liquid and discard leaves. Add sugar, syrup, and butter. Cook until mixture reaches hard-crack stage (300°F). Pour into a greased pan or stoneware platter. Let cool. Cut into small drop-like pieces.

Note: Horehound is an herb that was often used for medicinal purposes in pioneer days. Sometimes the "candy" made from horehound leaves was used as cough drops.