Showy Sugar (Info)

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From todays Denver Post, something fun for the holidays. Specific recipe

will follow in next post.

 

By Kristin Browning-Blas

Denver Post Food Editor

Wednesday, December 12, 2001

 

* Exported from MasterCook Mac *

 

Showy Sugar

 

Recipe By : By Kristin Browning-Blas, Denver Post Food Editor

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories :

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

-- Showy sugar --

sugar

clear corn syrup (not light)

cream of tartar

water

candy thermometer

 

Roses are red, violets are blue, spun sugar is sweet and not hard to do

 

Sharp sugar shards thrust upward from a piece of cake. Meringues balance

on a caramel teeter-totter. Golden curlicues encircle a creme brulee.

 

Colorful ribbons, corkscrews and shards are just a few of the decorative

effects possible with spun sugar.

These glasslike creations may look like a pastry chef spent hours

shaping them. They could easily be the latest desserts at the trendiest

restaurant, but real-life home cooks can make them in an hour or so.

Most of the time is spent watching the sugar boil - you don't even have

to stir.

 

To make these showy dessert accessories, you need a few special but

easy-to-find tools: candy thermometer, heavy saucepan, pastry brush and

parchment paper.

As far as ingredients, you'll need sugar, clear corn syrup (not " lite " ),

cream of tartar and water. You can use any type of white sugar, but the

new Baker's Sugar from C & H is ideal because it is fine and very clean,

says San Francisco pastry chef Elizabeth Falkner.

 

According to C & H, Baker's Sugar crystals are smaller than regular sugar

and result in a better-quality baked good. If you've ever ground up

sugar in the blender to achieve the same effect, this is an alternative.

 

Before you begin cooking, prepare the work surface. You'll need a

non-stick, flat surface. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and

spray it with cooking spray. Do not use waxed paper - the sugar will

stick. Silicone mats such as Sil-Pat also work. If you plan to make spun

sugar, leave room around your work area for spatters.

 

Mix the sugar, water, corn syrup and cream of tartar in a deep 2-quart

pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and do not stir. Stirring encourages

the sugar to re-crystallize, which results in a gritty, dull spun sugar

instead of smooth and glossy. The acidic cream of tartar also helps the

sugar syrup stay smooth. Once it has come to a boil, wash down the sides

of the pan with a wet pastry brush. This returns any stray crystals to

the syrup and gives you something to do while you watch it boil.

 

The syrup needs to boil for about 40 to 50 minutes to reach the caramel

stage, between 330 and 335 degrees. Altitude will affect how the sugar

cooks, says Carol Schultz, an agent with Colorado State University

Cooperative Extension. The rule of thumb is to reduce the final

temperature by 2 degrees for every 1,000 feet above sea level, she says.

So, if the original recipe says to boil until the mixture reaches 330

degrees, a Mile High cook would boil it to 320 degrees.

 

Once the syrup has reached the caramel stage, remove it from the heat to

a folded towel or hot pad next to the work area. Now the fun begins:

With a simple caramelized syrup, you can make abstract drizzles that

look like messy morning hair, golden Shirley Temple ringlets and amber

" stained glass. " Once you become more adept at wielding the spatula, you

might try making Harry Potter lightning bolts, stars or other designs.

 

To make spun sugar - the easiest version - let the syrup thicken

slightly. Dip a narrow metal spatula into the syrup, letting the excess

drip back into the pan. Then lift the spatula over the work surface and

flick it quickly back and forth. You'll get a thin scribble of crunchy

threads.

 

Sugar cages or bowls are easy, too. Lightly spray the bottom of a bowl

or cup with cooking spray. Go easy; too much will cause the syrup to

slip right off.

 

Drizzle the caramel in a tic-tac-toe pattern to create a basket. You can

add swirls and loop-de-loops around the edges. Wait for the caramel to

harden, from 10 seconds to one minute, then cup your hand around the

basket and lift it off. Set it on the work surface to finish hardening.

 

For glassy shards, pour syrup onto a prepared sheet. (Make sure it is

completely flat so the syrup doesn't pool unevenly.) Sprinkle with

coffee beans or toasted nuts and allow to cool completely. Break the

hardened sheet into shards to use as elegant decorations.

 

Caramel corkscrews take a little more practice. The key here is to let

the syrup cool until it is thick enough to hold its shape, but not so

cool that it hardens right away. " You have to be patient and on top of

it, " says Falkner. " Timing is everything. " Have the work surface close

by to hold the fragile finished spirals.

 

Dip a spoon into the caramel and swirl it until a small amount sticks to

the spoon. Use the spoon to pull a thread of syrup out of the pan. Wrap

the thread around another wooden spoon handle or knife-sharpening steel.

When you get to the end of the handle, push the corkscrew off the end

onto the work surface.

 

Don't give up after the first failed attempts. Once you get the wrist

motion and direction of wrapping down, you'll be having so much fun,

you'll make a box spring's worth of boingy sugar.

 

If the sugar gets too cool, reheat it gently over a double boiler. If

you pour it from the pan into a microwave-safe bowl while it's still

hot, Falkner says you can zap it about 30 seconds in the microwave. Make

extras to allow for breakage and use them to decorate just about any

holiday dessert. Falkner says she uses sugar art with plated desserts in

her restaurant, Citizen Cake Patisserie Cafe.

 

Falkner likes the contrast of the crunchy caramelized sugar with cold,

creamy sorbet or creme brulee. Dress up cupcakes with a spiral or a

lightning bolt. A coffee-bean-studded shard turns a simple piece of cake

into a showoff.

 

Kristen Browning-Blas is The Denver Post food editor. You can e-mail her

at kbrowning.

 

Source: Kristen Browning-Blas, Published in the Denver Post, Wednesday,

December 12, 2001

MC Formatted by Eruna Schultheiss

 

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Per serving: 0 Calories; 0g Fat (0% calories from fat); 0g Protein; 0g

Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 0mg Sodium

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