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

[Ruth Morrisson]

Greetings from Myfanwy!
What she said.
Note that sugar plate is actually really different from fondant (I've worked with 
both rolled and poured fondant as well as sugar plate) in how it handles.  For 
example, sugar plate can be molded into three dimensional shapes -- in period 
it was actually used for making "plates"; I wouldn't begin to try to use fondant 
for that, since it really is more of an icing, even though poured fondant does 
sort of harden (I once used it to cover a rice flour wedding cake torted with 
marzipan for some friends who had all sorts of weird food allergies and 
sensitivities between the two of them).
---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:13:48 -0800 (PST)
>From: Katja <katjaorlova at yahoo.com>  
>Subject: [SCA-AE] Full fondant recipe reply (WAS Re: Subject: Help Needed - 
Fondant  
>To: discussion at aethelmearc.org
>
>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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Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Ruth Morrisson
myfanwy at consolidated.net