What I did today …. not much.
I spent most of the day messing around with sugar. It wasn’t a complete success today but I think I did pretty well on my first day … I mean take a look at the picture above! My first sugar cage. It looks so freaking cool …. totally burnt …. but cool. The pulled sugar looks like a lock of Repunzel’s golden hair, and I did not add a single drop of colouring. I had no idea sugar had such interesting properties before. I am totally hooked! I want to do more with sugar.
Only thing is it’s a pain in the butt to clean up after. It’s so messy to work with and sugar gets everywhere, especially when you are making spun sugar and flicking the fork about wildly. I’ve got sugar strands stuck to my sink … my microwave … my cabinets … the kitchen floor. I have a pair of forks stuck to the bottom of my sink, coated in burnt caramel, totally defying the laws of gravity. Used almost a kilo of sugar today just trying to get the consistancy right. Failed the first two times ~ they both crystalized and were totally unusable. In a panic I wrote to several chef friends and online chef bloggers for answers. I still haven’t heard from any.
Not ready to give up I was determined to get on with another round of caramel. I mean, how is it that sugar and water are beating me?! This time I made sure I DID NOT touch the pan once I put it on the fire; just a couple of shakes here and there. I also left it on the fire for much longer (hence why it burnt) just to ensure that all the sugar crystals had dissolved completely. The consistancy was pretty good but as with all sugary mixtures it continues to cook even when its off the heat. So I stood there in dismay as I watched my pot of caramel turn a deeper and deeper shade of brown until it eventually turned almost black. In the picture the sugar cage could almost pass as chocolate.
In other news, I have been researching butter cream recipes and I am divided between using a Crusting Butter Cream and a Swiss Meringue Butter Cream mixture. I could be wrong here but it is my understanding that the Swiss Meringue Butter Cream is a soft fluffy type, best suited for topping cupcakes (I think). And the Crusting Butter Cream is firmer and dries to form a thin crust, perfect for stencilling on. I am still nowhere near deciding what my colour scheme is going to be. I really have to start making some solid decisions … the 9th of June isn’t all that far away.
In other OTHER news, I am having a logo designed for my website. Have just sent the illustrator some design ideas and we’ll see what she comes up with. I can’t wait!! Once the logo is done, the FoodFlurries.com website will change to suit the look accordingly. So stay tuned for new and exciting things coming your way!
Enough banter …. I need to get started on my butter creams.
To be continued …
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