Sugar Crafting

[Lizzie]

Is anyone out there that does sugar crafting (wedding cakes and the like)? I'm just begining and I want to get some ideas on the type of things that can be easily made, NOT flowers though. If anyone knows of a good site or books lemme know!

 

[Norma]

Lizzie, you picked a good season to start your new craft. Sugar Easter Eggs are beautiful, and probably one of the easiest of the sugar creations. Try www.marthastewart.com She did an episode where she made them, and her site should have instructions. Of course, I'm sure you'll also be able to order her specially made molds at the site too!

 

[gduncann]

Try to find any information you can about Antwan Cerame (sp). He was a French archetct who became a chief and was the grand p[oo-baa of sugar sculpting. There is quite a bit abut him in the Time/Life "Classic French Cuisine," from their international cooking series.

You will probably get a lot of ideas if you find anything on him.

Thre are several forms of sugar crafting. Perhaps the simplest is when you mix a bit of egg white with white sugar and press it into a mold, like the "Panaramic Eggs." The most difficult is "spun or pulled sugar, where you basicaly make a sugar candy that remains plyable while warm and you can sculpt with it, pulling it into flours, bows, and other shapes.

Some times you can verry effectivally cheat by constructing your object out of poster board and then covering it with royal icing.

 

[Norma]

Carême, Marie Antoine [märE' äNtwän' kärem']


Carême, Marie Antoine , 1784–1833, celebrated French cook and gastronomist. He was chef for Talleyrand, Czar Alexander I, George IV, and Baron Rothschild. His writings on the culinary art include L'Art de la cuisine française (5 vol., 1833–34).http://www.cuisinenet.com/glossary/careme.html

 

[gduncann]

He was also chef to The Prince Regent and designed the kitchen at the Brighton Pavillion. It's the only part of the Brighton Pavilion that isn't in abonominably bad taste. "Prenie," did believe in guilding the lilly.

 

[spearmint45]

The book used in the Advanced Patisserie course I took in culinary school is "The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef" by Bo Friberg. There is some good coverage of sugarwork in there. We learned most every technique in the book concerning sugarwork. My biggest piece of advice: be careful...that sugar gets really hot!

Happy Sugarworking!