Center Pieces; Explanation of Various Figures

These figures as far as the letter I can be used for all pyramids, either of cooked, poured or spun sugar or of gum paste; adjust four to six pieces equally distant, and fasten them together; fill the intersections with arabesques, as in G and H, and surmount the whole with an ornament or bunch of flowers made of web sugar, the same as shown on piece K. On the projections of piece K, LLL rings of poured sugar can be placed, filling the centers with iced fruits; in the empty spaces can also be ranged sticks of poured sugar covered with fruits or small cakes, bonbons, almond paste, etc. The figures F and A show the effect that can be produced by using simpler methods. A is merely decorated with small arabesques, shown in I, in half their natural size; on F small sticks are fastened one to the other. Fig. 728 is made of nougat; the frog to be of green pistachio nougat molded in a varnished and oiled plaster mold; the rushes are green and brown. Fig. 730 represents a cactus on a two-shelved socle made of Parisian nougat; the flower pot is of nougat containing chopped almonds and chocolate; the plant is of green pistachio nougat to imitate the cactus. The lighthouse (Fig. 731) is of gum paste; the chimney on top of the house, from whence arises the smoke, is imitated in wadding; the branches of the tree of very fine wire covered with finely cut paper to represent the leaves, and the trunk to be of gum paste or fine wire covered with silk. The staircase and the boat are of gum paste; the boat lies on a piece of looking glass. The J and M are meant for forming socles for raising the low pieces, such as the frog, etc. J is made in three pieces that can be used independently, so as to make the socle either higher or lower.