Under the Sea (of Sugar)

To explain what this is you're looking at: In my last post, I whined about burning my thumb trying to blow sugar for the final piece in the advanced patisserie class. I expressed doubt that like trig, calculus and algebra, blowing sugar would ever be useful in life.

I'm fortunate that two other classmates were less dismissive of the concept. They helped pull off the "Under the Sea" assignment of presenting four different sugar techniques. What you see here is a bit of a tossed salad, but we were working against extremely humid conditions, and pieces either melted or shattered, depending on sugary temperament. In other words, it was stick it together and go like aces before the blame thing cracked.

If you look to the right in the photo, you'll see a mermaid sitting on a piece of orange sugar coral. Here's how you get the coral: Heat up a pot of isomalt sugar with a touch of water in it, then pour this over a large container of ice cubes. As the sugar cools, it drizzles down through the ice for a rather cool effect. The mermaid, the work of a crafty friend, is made of pulled sugar pieces. How do you get pulled sugar? Same approach - heat up the isomalt and water to about 329 degrees, have a heat lamp standing by and a Silpat (fancy rubber sheet). Pour out the sugar onto the sheet, and when it is malleable under the heat lamp, start pulling it like taffy. This creates shine and an ability to mold the sugar - but did I mention wearing three pairs of gloves? This is ghastly hot work.

Also in our showpiece, there are two blown fish and a jellyfish (not blown by me, but I did overcome my revulsion to it), also wavy frondy things and some bubble sugar not quite visible in the back of the ring. Doing the bubble sugar is a snap. Just pour some isomalt (no heating!) onto a Silpat, cover with another Silpat and place in the oven at about 350 degrees. Wait the length of a cup of tea, and you'll get a melted, bubbly effect that is visually seaworthy.

The blue ring and the base this creation is sitting on are made of "cast" sugar, that is, heat it up, pour into a cake ring (or one ring inside of another to get the cylinder effect) and within an hour, remove the rings.

You glue pieces together by using the heated sugar like hot glue. Works, sticks, gets a little messy but keep going.

Should I say how we got the colors? The white coral was done with white food coloring - yes, white food coloring. The other elements were done in the same way - just heat the isomalt and the water about halfway to 329, say around 265ish. Add color at that stage, then continue boiling the sugar until you've reached the top temp. If you don't pull the sugar, the mixture will remain colored but clear enough to see through. By pulling the sugar, you achieve shine, oxygenate the crystalline structure and end up with an opaque piece in your thrice gloved hands.

Check out Pastry Chef Central if you want to buy isomalt. Don't try anything I just said above at home unless you're clever, creative and fear nothing at high temperature. A burn is a burn is a burn.