Sugar Art!

[Leslie]

I need help! I'm working on my senior project for school, it determines weather or not I will graduate this May. Anyways, I had to choose a topic that goes along with my field of study (pastry arts). The topic I was assigned is Sugar Art. I don't know much on the topic and was wondering if anyone knew anything about sugar art that could possibly help me.

It would be very much appreciated!

Leslie by the way, this is how i feel right now with this project. lol.

[Blade55440]

What exactly do you need to do for your project? Just make a sugar piece? Write a paper on it?

Any guildlines you could offer would help clarify what help could be given.

[Leslie]

All that this project really is, is research. Anything on the history of sugar art, who came up with sugar art and where it's going in the future. If you know of any good websites, that would help a lot as well. Any information will work.

[panini]

There is plenty of information right here on ChefTalk. Use the search option. There is also a huge amount of info on the internet. May want to start in China.
Pan

[chrose]

Leslie we can certainly help you with the technical issues of sugar as art, also toss out some of the modern day proponents of the art. As far as history goes like Panini said, start with China. In terms of more modern culinary showpiece work look up Marie-Antoine Careme
Moving a little closer to modern day look ito of all people, believe it or not Dewey Wilton! http://www.wilton.com/recipes/articl...ryofwilton.cfm

If you can find an old Wilton Candy book you can see how he made his pulled sugar. Quite a far cry from Ewald Notter, but very interesting still.
2 big names to look up would also be Ewald Notter and Gabriel Paillasson.

[cakerookie]

Harold McGees book "On Food and Cooking" has an excellent section on the history of sugar as well as sugar art. Ancient Arabs first begin to experiment with (malt syrup) what we would now consider spun sugar. Its not something that just showed up on the culinary horizon its been around for a while. The Egyptians had sugar art on their feast tables as early as the 10th Century. Our syrup temperature chart was created around the 1700s. I could go on and on but you get the drift. Check Ancient Egypt for information on sugar work. The Arabs have a history of it as well. The very first candy recipe was found in an Egyptian Tomb written in hieroglephs around 3500BC! Hows that for ancient! Go to www.pastrychef.info a site ran by Chef Martin Chiffers theres an article there that might be of interest to you. Heres an Ancient Egyptian recipe:
Asbusa

Ingredients:
2lbs cream of wheat
2.5 cups sugar
3/4 lb. butter
16 oz. plain yogurt
slivered almond halves

Instructions:
Bring all ingredients to room temperature. In a large bowl mix sugar and cream of wheat. Add butter, mix by hand, rubbing the buuter, sugar and cream of wheat between your palms for 10 minutes or more until the mixture is very well blended.

Add the yogurt and mix with your hands until the dough feels smooth in your hand. If it feels dry add one tablespoon at a time of water so when you hold it in your hands it feels like pie dough.

Butter a 13x9x2" pan and pat the dough into the pan with your hand. With a sharp knife slice the dough in 2 x 2 inche squares or into diamond shapes.

Press one almond half onto the surface of each piece. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

I love Ancient Egyptian history and I thought this was a neat recipe. Have not tried it yet. It comes from

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/H...egyptfood.html


Rgds Rook