hered to it easily to be wiped off. Lay the pattern over the
paste, and, with a sharp pointed knife, cut along the edges. Lift the
newly cut forms carefully with a thin knife and transfer them for drying
to an oil cloth or, if this cannot be done, to a waxed paper or a tin
very thinly dusted with confectioner's sugar. Do not move them again
until they are dry. If it is desired to pack the candy, cook a
crystal--a "crystal" is a syrup of one part water and three parts
sugar--to two hundred and twenty degrees and after it has cooled five
minutes, dip the confection into it.

It is not essential that the forms be dipped into the crystal nor is the
crystal absolutely necessary to any of the confections that are often
coated with it. All this is explained in Chapter V--Crystallization.

A knife which is of almost constant use in making decorative candies and
which is particularly satisfactory for lifting small forms is a palette
knife such as artists use for mixing their colors. It is thin, flexible
and sufficiently sharp for cutting fondant. Also the blade lends itself
to use in many different positions because its curved shape allows the
hand a degree of freedom not possible with the ordinary knife. The
palette knife is much better for freeing or lifting forms from a flat
surface than a spatula or a case knife.

The imagination of the candy-maker will suggest special designs for
special occasions. The fancy of the confectioner will suggest many
attractive original forms, besides the traditional red and white hearts
for St. Valentine's Day,--note illustration No. 17 in the
frontispiece--the green shamrock for March 17, and the hatchet for
Washington's birthday. Christmas, New Years, Easter, Memorial Day,
Fourth of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Hallowe'en and innumerable
local holidays, like Bunker Hill day and Patriots' Day of
Massachusetts,--all of these special occasions offer abundant
opportunity to the candy-maker who realizes that from the paste can be
made representations of anything from a firecracker to a regiment of
soldiers. Cooky cutters may also be used indefinitely; what child would
not like candy in the form of stars, dogs, horses, and trees?

=Green Leaves.=--An excellent illustration of the possibilities of
potato paste is given by green leaves. As the basis for them, color
potato paste green, by the use of green coloring paste, of the harmless
vegetable sort, and flavor fairly strongly with peppermint.