favorite glaze for mousse cakes?

[annie]

In my apprenticeship, we glazed cakes from a big bucket of Patisfrance apricot jelly/glaze. The glaze would have a nice texture, but coffee/apricot tastes strange, and lemon/apricot looks strange.

My friends and I have tried apricot or raspberry jam or jelly, - but it's gloppy, slimy, slippery,too sweet, just not the professional finish we want - let alone the flavor problem intensified.

Has anyone every used clear-jel, instant or not? what do you think of pectin in a glaze? or gelinap, advertised in the European Connection catalog as "powdered glaze. Makes a firm, consistant, transparent, and shiny glaze which is reversible (no waste)." If it sounds too good to be true, it must be 1) too expensive to use, or 2) too good to be true!

[W.DeBord]

Although I'm personally not into using glazes on my mousse cakes I always thought if I did I'd use Pierre Herme's clear glaze recipe. Do you have his book?

[annie]

Yes, - I do love that book, more than the chocolate desserts one that's nominated for the Beard award - Pierre's coffee syrup is delicious.

In his glaze recipe he calls for a package of Oetker clear glaze mix. Even if I knew where to buy the stuff, I'm betting it would be very expensive. So when I made the recipe, I used a couple of tablesppons of instant cler-jel powder mixed with the same amount of sugar. And it was easy to see ways to change and play with Pierre's yummy basic mint/lemon glaze.

Do you think Oetker's is made of clear jel (modified food starch)? Sometimes I get a pasty, uncooked startch flavor using the --- uncooked starch - and I wonder if there's a way to avoid that?

[CompassRose]

The packages of Oetker stuff, glazes and cream stabilizers and instant mousse and vanilla sugars and all sorts of other whatnot, are available at all my local supermarkets in the baking section, and are quite reasonably priced -- that is, consistently with any other sort of timesaving food in a package.

Don't know if that would be "reasonable" from a professional point of view, but certainly anywhere I've ever been (in Ontario, mind you) they've never been hard to come by.

If they're not available in your area, I could go look at an ingredient list for you if you like...

[m brown]

I have used the powder instant gels from Germany, France and Switzerland and they are all good, easy to use and don't taste like anything really. because you can remelt them they make a good economic choice.

you can also use gelatine and seedless jam or jelly for your glaze. make sure you strain out all the bumpy bits for a smooth product.

[Isa]

Wendy couled you please share the Pierre Herme's glaze recipe?


Thanks!

[annie]

Hi Isa - here's the recipe from Desserts by Pierre Herme:

Transparent Glaze

1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg. Oetker Clear Glaze for fresh fruit tarts or cakes
1-1/4 cups water
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1/2 orange - both zests cut into strips
1/2 vanila been, split lengthwise and scraped
1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon jiuce
5 fresh mint leaves

Mix the sugar and glaze together, and set aside. In a large deep casserole, heat the water, zests, and vanilla bean (pod and pulp) until jsut warm. 104o F Remove casserole from the heat, and add the sugar/glaze mixture in a steady stream, stirring all the while. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a boil. Allow the glaze to boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add teh lemon juice and bring to boil again. Remove the casserole from teh heat, add mint, cover the pot, and let the mixture infuse for 15 minutes. Strain the glaze into a container and let it cool to room temperature.
The glaze can be used as soon as it cools, or it can be stored inthe refrigerator or freezer. If the glaze has set (at which point it will mound and jiggle like Jello) liquify it again by heating it carefully in the microwave on low ower - the glaze should never be heated above 104o F .

I looked in the local supermarkets, and couldn't find Oetker's. Since this is boiled, maybe it's clear jel, not instant clear jel - although the method of mixing is the same. CompassRose, if it's not too much trouble, the next time you go to the store, could you look at the ingredient list? I used 2 Tbs. instant clear jel in place of the Oetkers, and just brought to a boil and added the mint leaves - and used vanilla extract instead of the real bean, cheapwad that I am. It was yummy!

Thank you all,

[Isa]

Thanks for the recipe Annie!

[pjm333]

annie
I glaze lots of mousse cakes at work..raspberry, passion, peach, cassis etc. I use apricot glaze thinned with very little water
1 8 oz ladle apricot glaze-boiling
4 oz fruit puree..bag or frozen kind
1/4 cup glucose or corn syrup--about

pour boiling glaze over puree and glucose ..strain and glaze cake.Or add food coloring to the glaze and omit the puree. If your doing large amounts..do a test of the glaze on a cold surface in the walk in to see if you like it..For coffee glaze i use clear gel with some coffee extract 'trablit"

pat

[CompassRose]

Hiya - I checked, and the pertinent ingredients in the Oetker unflavoured coating gel appear to be carrageenan and locust bean gum.

[annie]

Thanks for checking! Gee, I don't know when the last time was I bought a big jar of locust bean gum
I think that I will keep with the clear jel and powdered glazes for fruit puree, and bite the bullet and buy a bucket of apricot jelly/glaze suggested by pjm333 - maybe my classmates will share with me!
I can't tell you how much I appreciate everyone's help.
Thanks!