The Italian Confectioner; or, Complete Economy of Desserts ….
London: William H. Ainsworth, 1827.
Third edition, corrected and enlarged. Engraved frontispiece. 276 pp. 8vo. Contemporary drab boards. Rebacked, foxing to frontispiece and title-page Item #263118
Third edition of a work originally published in 1820. "The book sits within an English tradition of publishing recipes for food and confectionery, but it reveals more about the techniques involved, and about the character of the author, than was usual in the genre. Written when confectionery production was on the point of being industrialised through the activities of such contemporaries as Joseph Terry of York, it represented the high point of artisan skills in the craft, which Jarrin believed could not be improved upon. He devoted several chapters to his speciality of making ornaments for the dessert table using various edible and non-edible materials. Other chapters covered more standard ground including recipes for small confections, preserving fruit, and making ices, but with details which throw light on both his own skills and continental practice. He provided instructions on modelling and wood carving (one wooden confectionery mould signed by him has come to light), and evidently possessed artistic talents, for he signed the two engraved plates illustrating confectionery equipment. Proud of his ingenuity as an inventor, Jarrin described inventions and improvements he had devised for making confectionery. The Italian Confectioner was reprinted at least ten times (the last in 1861, after his death), and was updated with new material on several occasions" (ODNB).
Price: $600.00 Free International Delivery
