Recipes

Fondant

• 500g (1lb) White sugar
• 150ml (1/4 pint) Water
• 1 tablespoon Liquid glucose

Cook to soft ball stage. Arrest in cold water to stop further cooking. Pour onto a wet marble slab. Allow to cool until warm, then mix vigorously.

Marshmallow

Cook a sugar syrup including glucose to 127°C (260°F) to the hard ball stage. Dissolve a spoon of gelatin in boiling water. Remove syrup from heat and mix in dissolved gelatin. Allow the mixture to stand until warm to the touch, then whip until light and fluffy with a whisk or mixer at high speed. Oil a tin and dust with icing sugar. When the mixture is whipped, pour it into the tin and allow it to set. Take it out of the tin and cut it into squares or use a cookie cutter for desired shapes. Dust shapes with a mixture of icing sugar and corn flour, (50/50) or dip through chocolate.

Two egg whites whipped to peaks can be added before whipping for a lighter consistency. At this stage flavor/colors may also be added for a desired effect.

Dessert Nougat

• 250g (8oz) White sugar
• 150g (5oz) Clear honey
• 2 tablespoons Liquid glucose
• 125ml (4fl oz) Water
• 2 Egg whites stiffly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla flavor/color
• 300g (10oz) Blanched and toasted almonds finely chopped with some glaze cherries.
• 125g (4oz) Pistachio nuts, skinned and chopped
• Rice paper.

Prepare the sugar syrup with glucose and boil to 138°C (280°F). Warm the honey in a bowl resting in boiling water. Add this to the syrup and boil to 143°C (290°F). Arrest mixture in iced water to prevent further cooking. Whip egg whites in the mixer until firm peaks are seen, then slowly add the slightly cooled syrup, while continuing to gently mix. Place the bowl in warm water (wisps of steam should be seen coming off the water) and continue mixing until the mixture holds to the beaters. Add toasted nuts, fruit or flavor.

Line a tin with rice paper, ensuring that the edges of the rice paper are below the rim of the tin. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and cover with another sheet of rice paper. Sit a second tin of the same size on top of the rice paper, and place a heavy weight, i.e. brick, into this top tin. Allow to set overnight and the nougat will be ready to cut into strips.