[SCA-AE] Full fondant recipe reply (WAS Re: Subject: Help Needed - Fondant

[Pam]

Thank you, both Gillian and Katja, for the compliments!  Much appreciated.  Katja is correct in regards to both fondant and sugar paste.  If you want something that will hold it's shape in heat and humidity, fondant is NOT what you want to use.  Sugar paste will hold up slightly better.

Although I do not personally know Countess Alys Katherine, I know of her amazing works.  I'm sure she can be of assistance.

In Service,
Dubheasa 

--- On Wed, 11/10/10, Katja <katjaorlova at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Katja <katjaorlova at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [SCA-AE] Full fondant recipe reply (WAS Re: Subject: Help Needed - Fondant
> To: discussion at aethelmearc.org
> Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 9:13 PM
> Huh.  My response was seriously cut
> for some odd reason. I never write any replies *that* short
> and sweet....
> 
> Here's what I meant to send:
> 
> >
> <chuckles>
> 
> Yes,
>  Dubheasa is apprenticed to me and yes, she's a phenomenal
> baker who 
> make wicked fondant, but neither of us can give you a
> period uncooked 
> fondant recipe because fondant doesn't appear to be period.
> However, 
> there's something close. :)
> 
> Fondant is a highly moldable and 
> rollable icing made of confectioner's sugar (which contains
> cornstarch),
>  water, sometimes egg whites, and some form of gelatin or
> gum thickener.
>  It's generally cooked to the soft-ball stage before being
> cooled and 
> kneaded. 
> 
> 
> 
> All the uncooked recipes I've seen contain corn syrup or
> glucose as well
>  as oil or butter.  The liquid sweetener and fat prevent
> the paste from 
> drying out, thus making it easier to work with.
> 
> 
> 
> The closest thing in period to fondant is SUGAR PASTE (or
> sugar plate).
> 
> 
> 
> This differs from modern sugar paste (or gum paste), which,
> again, is 
> made with glucose or corn syrup and some form of gelatin to
> prevent 
> drying out or cracking. (And, again, it's almost always
> cooked, I 
> think.)
> 
> 
> 
> Late-period sugar paste is an uncooked icing made with just
> finely 
> ground sugar, rosewater and/or lemon juice, sometime egg
> whites, and a 
> period thickener: gum tragacanth (also known as gum dragon
> -- Dubheasa 
> insists on calling it Trogdor Gum).
> 
> 
> 
> Please note that you CAN NOT substitute gum arabic -- it
> will not give you "period play dough" at all.
> 
> 
> 
> The SCA expert on how to work with sugar paste is Countess
> Alys 
> Katherine, who has a lot of excellent information on the
> subject: 
> 
> 
> 
> www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-SWEETS/Sugar-Paste-art.rtf
> 
> 
> 
> http://home.comcast.net/~morwenna/Banquet/sugarplate.html
> 
> 
> 
> Sadly, gum tragacanth isn't cheap and it isn't in your
> average cooking/baking supplies store.
> 
> 
> 
> However, I've gotten small amounts of good-quality product
> from LorAnn Oils directly or from: 
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/LorAnn-Oils-Gum-Tragacanth-2-7/dp/B00153FXHG
> 
> 
> 
> Here's another bakery supply website that sells it:
> 
> http://www.bakedeco.com/a/gum-tragacanth-for--6196.htm
> 
> 
> 
> Hope that helps? 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> 
> 
> Katja
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