Not Logged in.
Book Jacket

News of the World


A brilliant work of historical fiction that explores the boundaries of family, ...
Summary and Reviews
Excerpt
Reading Guide

Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Created: 07/25/17

Replies: 22

Posted Jul. 25, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that you had when you were young but are rarely eaten now?


Posted Jul. 30, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
elainew

Join Date: 08/28/15

Posts: 15

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Divinity is my favorite candy, my Aunt and Mom use to make it. It's not an easy candy to make. You don't want to make it on a humid day, have the bowl, beaters etc. chilled etc.etc. Lots of family rules for this one.


Posted Jul. 30, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Carol Rainer

Join Date: 09/03/15

Posts: 89

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

No - I have never had or heard of Divinity candy. I do, however, remember fondly a Canadian French pastry enjoyed at Christmas time called Raisin Pie. To taste it is to go back to a simpler more innocent time.


Posted Jul. 30, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Marcia S

Join Date: 02/08/16

Posts: 505

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

I have had it and also made it. I think back to my childhood on the farm and the use of lard in many baked goods and to fry meat and potatoes. I don't think that's done much anymore!


Posted Jul. 30, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
rebeccar

Join Date: 03/13/12

Posts: 548

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

My mother and maternal grandmother made it. I love homemade sweets, but Divinity was one of those that looked better than it tasted as far as I was concerned. It definitely seems to be an old fashioned treat, and I know it takes quite a bit of work. The fact that Mrs. Gannet made it shows the extent to which she worked to create a pleasing and soothing atmosphere.


Posted Jul. 30, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
lesleyf

Join Date: 05/14/11

Posts: 119

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Oh my gosh. Raisin pie! I was thinking of my mother's buttertarts even as I was reading about the raisin pie and Divinity. And I'm from Canada as well. Buttertarts are getting to be famous like poutine - and that Halifax concoction I keep hearing about - as very Canadian!!! I had forgotten about raisin pie in Quebec! Thanks for the memories.


Posted Jul. 30, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Cynthia

Join Date: 06/07/17

Posts: 76

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Divinity is one of those food items that takes you back to another era of your own. For me, it evokes childhood memories of my aging grandmother, a stoic woman of few words, a product of her times who quietly deferred to her husband, my grandfather. Not prone to physical affection, Divinity was for us, a delicious expression of her love, as was "dream" salad of pineapple and marshmallows, peanut butter fudge, and pinwheels of baked dough filled with sugar and cinnamon.


Posted Jul. 30, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Suzanne

Join Date: 04/21/11

Posts: 281

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Divinity was one of the special Christmas candies my mother made only once a year. Fudge was a companion. She made cookies with us kids helping. And Christmas fruit cake after Thanksgiving. After baking she'd wrap it in cheesecloth, down into the cool basement it would go to age with brandy spooned over it every day. Fruitcake is still my favorite.

Mom made raisin pie from a recipe from my dad's mother. It was always for his birthday or whenever he had a hankering for a piece. I took over when I married but usually only for Dad's birthday. It's made with raisins, marmalade, sugar, water, pinch of salt and cornstarch and poured into a crust with a top to bake. I've never seen the same offered anywhere.


Posted Jul. 30, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Maggie

Join Date: 01/01/16

Posts: 434

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

My aunt made divinity every Christmas as did a coworker when I worked at the library. A very special treat that I have never made. My maternal grandmother was from Slovakia and she made wonderful pastries during the Christmas season.


Posted Aug. 02, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
sallyg

Join Date: 05/14/11

Posts: 21

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

I am 75 years old my mother and my grandmother made the DIVINITY candy. I loved it and it must have been in labor intensive, a big mound of a big spoon full of meringue flavored with nuts and vanilla melted in your mouth. I never made it myself but wish I had
D


Posted Aug. 02, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
ColoradoGirl

Join Date: 05/16/16

Posts: 149

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

I had divinity a few times growing up made by a family friend. I recall that it looked a lot better than it tasted. It looked like a marshmallow but was crunchy. I haven't thought about it in years.


Posted Aug. 02, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
labbelee

Join Date: 04/29/11

Posts: 26

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

I've never tasted divinity candy. But speaking of old dishes it reminds me of my mom's French Meat Pie. She was French, originally from Canada and she always made it only at Christmas. My husband makes it every Christmas, using her recipe.


Posted Aug. 05, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
dianaps

Join Date: 05/29/15

Posts: 460

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

My grandmother made divinity every Christmas and it was the only time I had it.


Posted Aug. 06, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Rosieglitter

Join Date: 10/16/16

Posts: 40

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

My mother makes the best divinity in the world. She doesn't make it very often because it is so difficult to make and the weather conditions have to be just right. She usually makes it around Christmas time. It would have been a huge treat for Johanna because it is delicious! My mother and aunt also used to make butter mints, caramel popcorn balls and my grandmother had a delicious recipe for fudge that she poured out onto a platter and cut it when it cooled.


Posted Aug. 06, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
caroler

Join Date: 01/12/16

Posts: 24

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Some may know this candy as sea foam. I have made it and it is not an easy candy to make. Every batch I've made turned out differently. I have wonderful memories of my grandmother making it much the same way Mrs. Gannet must have made it: over a wood stove, a teacup with a broken handle nearby filled with cold water. As the syrup boiled, a teaspoonful dropped in the cold water and carefully watched as it hit the water to see if it was at a hard crack stage. Then furiously beating the egg whites to a stiff peak and pouring the syrup into them. Then more beating til the mixture dulled and could hold a peak. Not an easy candy to make even with the best of appliances.


Posted Aug. 06, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
josephinej

Join Date: 05/11/15

Posts: 95

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

I've never had Divinity. I was reminded though, of candy I haven't seen since I was a child - rock candy and button candy. Are they even still around?


Posted Aug. 07, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
juliaa

Join Date: 12/03/11

Posts: 276

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

I know what Divinity is, but I don't think I've ever had it. The author, through Captain Kidd comments about how difficult it is to make, and the comments above bear that out. My Mom used to make a candy called "Penuche" which was delicious, sort of like the homemade fudge she used to make, but brown sugar-based, not chocolate at all. I loved the penuche and haven't had it in years, nor have I seen it sold anywhere, and to be honest don't know anyone who makes it. Maybe it was peculiar to my mother's generation. If my mother had been Mrs. Gannet, she would probably have made penuche for Johanna.


Posted Aug. 07, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
debbielmc

Join Date: 01/19/16

Posts: 7

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

I love divinity and have made it. It is basically sugar and stiff beaten egg whites, an almost marshmallow texture. I killed a mixer on my first attempt. The fact that she made this sweet time consuming candy for Johanna shows a depth of love for a lost little girl. So many older things we have lost to progress. I love pasties and mince pie and the traditions that come with those flavors.


Posted Aug. 12, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
flute4u

Join Date: 08/14/13

Posts: 50

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

My grandmother also made Divinity and it was sugary sweet. The use of a sweet to make a connection to a child reminded me of the role of Turkish Delight in "The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe". The White Witch used the candy to befriend Edmund. Children are drawn to sweets and adults have used them for generations to befriend children.


Posted Aug. 12, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
deeh

Join Date: 03/03/12

Posts: 239

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

My best friend's father liked to make and eat Divinity and it was always a really big deal. We had to wait for the right weather for him to make it and then we would gorge ourselves on the sweet treat.


Posted Aug. 13, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
ScribblingScribe

Join Date: 02/29/16

Posts: 189

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Yes, I have had Divinity and have even made it typically around the holidays. It is like a lot of my old recipes from my grandmothers who both lived in the South, including Texas. There are so many old-fashioned treats and dishes that are no longer common, but comforting. Divinity is like that--a sugary hug.


Posted Aug. 14, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
tswaine

Join Date: 09/14/11

Posts: 94

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

I have never made divinity. I think my grandmother made it but I only tried it once and really didn't like it. It is not on my list of favorite candies. I do relate it to a treat that is made around Christmas. I think peanut brittle is something that isn't made or eaten very much these days. My mom used to make her own peanut brittle during the Holidays and she would sit at the stove and stir and stir it until it was ready to be put on waxed paper and pulled. She doesn't make it anymore as she is in her 90s and it is a lot of work!


Posted Sep. 02, 2017 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
taking.mytime's Gravatar
taking.mytime

Join Date: 03/29/16

Posts: 364

RE: Mrs Gannet makes a candy called Divinity for Johanna. Have you ever had it or made it? Did it remind you of any other old dishes or treats that are rarely eaten now?

Divinity is a Christmas candy that I make every year. I also make peanut brittle - which is another long time older candy that you don't often see or hear about now.


Reply

Please login to post a response.