Posted by Steve on December 10, 1997 at 12:48:07:
In Reply to: Re: Sugarcraft posted by Gerard on December 09, 1997 at 17:24:03:
: Great post (glad no-one asked me!)
: Gerard
I think Pam's post is valuable for someone with experience, like yourself, but misses the mark for a beginner, like Susan. There are many different sugar pastes: pastillage, which you're familiar with, and is what most pastry chefs use for their more architectural showpieces; rolled fondant, also called "sugarpaste;" gum paste, also called "flower paste;" and even "Mexican" paste, usually a 50/50 blend of rolled fondant and gum paste. There are as many different recipes as there are books on cake decorating. The last thing a beginner should do is attempt to make any of these from scratch--talk about putting the cart before the horse! Since there are many commercial products available that are consistent, convenient and high quality--Pam mentions Regalice, which I also use--other professionals have their favorite brands-- Swiss, English and Australian rolled fondants each with a distinct personality--there are also some gum paste mixes available that are excellent, albeit expensive. What Susan needs to do before tackling any of this, however, is find herself a good teacher to introduce her to sugarcraft. Among the best teachers that I can recommend from first hand experience are Eleanor Rielander (South Africa), Kerry Vincent (Oklahoma), Nick Lodge (Atlanta), Pat Ashby, Margaret Ford, Steven Benison, Bronwen Mills and Sheila Lampkin (UK). A good place for Susan to start is to look for American Cake Decorating or British Cake Decoration magazines on her newstand and contact either ICES or the British Sugarcraft Guild--I'm not sure where she lives, but either should be able to help her find a local contact. There is an increasing amount of bad sugarcraft around these days, and I think it is vital that students be able to tell the difference.