---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

     Title: BASIC FONDANT
Categories: Candies
     Yield: 1 Servings

   3/4 c  Boiling water
     2 c  Sugar
   1/8 ts Cream of tartar

 Recipe by: Los Angeles Times Heat water to boiling in 2- or 3-quart
 saucepan and remove from heat. Add sugar and cream of tartar. Stir with
 wooden spoon until all sugar dissolves, 6 to 8 minutes, taking care not to
 splash mixture on sides of pan. Place syrup mixture over medium-high heat.
 Heat almost to boiling. Cover pan tightly with lid and remove from heat.
 Let stand 3 minutes. Uncover, return to heat and boil briskly. Do not move
 pan or stir during this time. While syrup cooks, wash any crystals that
 form on sides of pan by wrapping damp cloth around tines of fork and wiping
 crystals out with upward motion so that no crystals fall back into syrup.
 Continue cooking until syrup reaches soft-ball stage, exactly 238 degrees
 on candy thermometer, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand very
 few minutes, or just until bubbles disappear. At once, pour onto marble
 slab or large, shallow platter. Do not scrape pan. Let cool undisturbed
 until slab or bottom of platter feels comfortably cool to palm of hand
 (about 105 degrees), about 50 minutes. Now start turning edges of candy in
 toward center, using spatula or wooden spoon. As candy turns creamy and
 crumbly, gather mixture up in your hands and knead as you would for bread
 until you get smooth, white ball of fondant. Wrap fondant in plastic and
 store in glass jar covered with tight lid. Let fondant mellow 24 hours to 3
 days. Remove fondant ball from jar and form into small balls. Makes about
 3/4 pound.

 Adapted from ZaSu Pitts'"Candy Hits" Copyright Los Angeles Times

-----