How to Make Fondant

Fondant is that sweet, shiny glaze which appears on many pastries and baked goods. Its creamy texture melts in your mouth and it also helps to keep baked goods moist. It's fairly easy to make and will store indefinitely at room temperature in a sealed container. You can also pour a thin layer of water on the surface to prevent it from drying out and forming a crust.

To make approximately 1.5 cups of fondant, you will need the following ingredients:

500 grams granulated sugar
250 ml water
50 grams glucose

To begin, use a very clean pot and bring the water and sugar to a boil until it reaches 113º C (235º F). Skim off any foam/impurities that may rise to the surface. This should take at least 10-15 minutes. Once the sugar reaches that temperature, add the glucose and continue to boil until the temperature reaches118º C (244º F). Immediately take the pot off of the heat and place into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Carefully pour the hot syrup onto a marble or granite counter top. Using a bench scraper, move the sugar around to bring down the temperature. 

As you continue to agitate it, it will go from a clear syrup to a milky-white consistency.

As you work the sugar, it will eventually become crumbly.

When you have reached this stage, begin to knead the sugar, as you would dough, until it is nice and smooth. You don't have to knead it this far, but you can see that it becomes soft again.

Once you're done, transfer the mixture to a container. The fondant can be stored indefinitely and can be used a bit at a time.

To use fondant:

To use the fondant, you'll need to warm it slightly. Place the amount you're going to use into a bain marie over low heat. Bring the temperature up until it's just above body temperature. Whisk in 1-2 teaspoons of egg white and a few drops of lemon juice.

For flavoring, I added a bit of lemon zest to match the flavors for my baked goods, but you can use any flavoring or extract, and even add food coloring. It's also nice to keep it plain.

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How to Make Candied Almonds

For my last blog post of 2007, I want to share an interesting technique I learned back in Maryland. These candied almonds are completely addictive - you can't stop at just one. They slowly toast as the sugar caramelizes, and once hard, they clang together like tiny pieces of glass. Candied almonds are the extent of my contribution to the holiday goodies this year. And if I would have had the time, these go over the top when individually dipped in chocolate.

This technique is one of my favorites. After everything you learn about working with sugar and do everything to avoid its crystallization, you now go against the grain. Here you want to force crystallization, a technique called sablage (which literally translates to gritting from French).

10 ounces whole blanched almonds
4 ounces sugar
2 ounces water

Blanched almonds can be very expensive, so blanch your own. Simply place the skin-on, whole almonds into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for one minute, then drain and rinse with cold water. You'll be able to easily pop the nut out of its skin. Let the almonds dry completely overnight.

Preheat your oven to the lowest setting. Set up a silpat or sheet of parchment paper, along with a bit of vegetable oil and two forks. Place the nuts onto a baking sheet and into the oven - just enough to take any chill out of them. Do not toast. Place a large, stainless-steel fry pan over medium-high heat and cook the sugar and water to softball stage. Softball stage means cooking sugar to approximately 235°F to 240°F (118°C-120°C). You can use a candy thermometer to test the temperature. Be careful, as this sugar is extremely hot and can badly burn you.

Once the sugar has reached the proper temperature, add the almonds and stir. Turn the heat to medium-low. At first, they will look glossy.

As you continually stir, the sugar will turn milky and start to crystallize. This is called sablage and here you can see the almonds look sandy.

Continue to cook the almonds. Slowly, but surely, the sugar will start to melt again. The almonds will gradually toast from the heat of the pan, and the sugar will start to caramelize.

  

Be careful not to overtoast the nuts or burn the sugar.

As soon as all of the sugar has melted and caramelized, pour the nuts directly onto the silpat and immediately pull apart using oiled forks. They will be extremely hot. If you can't separate them quickly enough, you can also flatten them out and, once cool, just tap the ones that are glued together and they will fall apart.

Let cool completely before transferring to a serving bowl. I candied 4 kilos of almonds in the last 2 weeks, so make lots. These make a great snack at any party. They are even a nice addition to cheese trays. Click here for more pictures.

Finally, I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and here's wishing you a spectacular new year!

Tagged as: [ almonds candied chocolate howto pastry ]

Celebrate Thanksgiving with Rouxbe

Since living in the U.S., I have become very fond of their Thanksgiving holiday. I like the timing of it, as it really gears you up for Christmas and the New Year. You are able to indulge in over a month of parties and superb, comforting dinners - the ones where calorie-counting is forbidden. And who doesn't like a four-day weekend, which includes parades and a shopping extravaganza? I loved it.

Being that I, once again, live north of the border, I really missed the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday last year. This year is different though - I feel especially connected this time around, and have already eaten more turkey in the past six weeks, than I have in the last 8 years! Why? Well, over at Rouxbe, we have been extremely busy testing 8 traditional Thanksgiving recipes. So busy, that I can't believe a month has passed since my last blog entry. But we've been working hard to perfect each one, so we can help you create an entire Thanksgiving meal with ease. Cooking for 12 this holiday season? No problem.

Aside from learning 8 new recipes, and the skills and techniques behind them, we have created the world's first-ever multi-task recipe player, showing you how to manage 8 dishes from start to finish. Cooking like a pro is all about being organized, so over the course of 3 days, these players walk you through the recipes, step-by-step. We have done the organizing for you - from printable shopping lists all the way to checking the turkey and how to carve it. Rouxbe's multi-task player is free until the end of the year, but make sure to check out Rouxbe's membership options and get sponsored!

What can be better than having a multi-task player, showing you how to cook multiple dishes at the same time? Hmmmmm...let me think. How about an online cooking school? At Rouxbe, we're already filming the first series of the Rouxbe Cooking School. Here, you'll learn all the skills and techniques that you would learn if you enrolled in culinary school...but all at your pace, in the comfort of your own home. How cool is that? Two of my most favorite chefs in the whole world, Tony and Christophe, are working alongside us to bring you the best-of-the-best instruction. Soon, you'll be able to understand recipes and not be a slave to them. 

You'd think I'd be sick of turkey by now...but I'm not. I've already planned to brine a turkey and cook Rouxbe's entire delicious dinner for my family this holiday season. Stay tuned for more exciting news through Rouxbe's blog.

Tagged as: [ culinary howto nwcav pastry rouxbe school videos ]

Food Porn at Rouxbe

I cringe when a bagger at the market places heavy items on top of fragile produce. I admit I'm totally anal when it comes to picking out unblemished fruits and vegetables, but after spending the time and money to find that perfectly ripe tomato or pound of strawberries, my heart stops when cans wind up weighing them down. It, unfortunately, happens more often than not. A cashier was once so brutal with a bag of apples; one fell out of the bag, bounced like a tennis ball, and rolled to another till. She nonchalantly picked it up, put it back in the bag, and continued. She seemed surprised when I told her I didn't want to take that one. She replied, saying it couldn't possibly be bruised.

My breathing temporarily stops when I see customers slam down and toss their own items onto a conveyor belt. I could be wrong, but these people can't possibly be foodies...boxes are squashing bread, which is squashing lettuce. No care is taken. For someone like me, I couldn't be happier to take my own reusable grocery bags to the market and bag my own.

I thought it may have been a tiny neurotic disorder, but I have discovered meaning to my madness. A few days into my job at Rouxbe, I found myself shopping for a video shoot. My mission: to find the sexiest and freshest onions, shallots, chilies, and red peppers. Since the food is THE STAR at Rouxbe, I was in my element. I had to decide who was going to make the cut, and so the auditions began. Was each item too fat? Too thin? Too old and wrinkly? Too genetically modified? A few vendors smirked when I told them I had to find the sexiest produce possible because it was going to be a supa-star.

So what's sexy at Rouxbe? Sexy is no food styling. The pictures you see are the end result of each dish. Sexy at Rouxbe is honest food and honest cooking. There is no hairspray on set...no glue, food coloring, shaving cream, or blowtorches. Pictures are taken immediately after cooking or baking, as the star of the show waits for nobody. Sure, the odd crumb may be brushed away or a splatter may be wiped up, but the food is never improvised. One of the best things at Rouxbe is we indulge in every dish that we test, pre-produce, and film. Thanks to Rouxbe, I breathe easy as I no longer feel like a psycho for searching out the best of the best.

Tagged as: [ cooking culinary gmo howto instructional pastry rouxbe school videos ]

My New Job at Rouxbe

During these past two months, my blogging has been light. With a hectic schedule and so much to say, it has been difficult to sit down and write.

Back in April, I wrote about a company called Rouxbe. Ecstatic to find out they were based in Vancouver, my first thought was to interview the co-founders Joe Girard and Dawn Thomas. I had started a blog series on Food Industry Jobs and was curious to find out about their journey in the industry. What prompts two Chefs to go from owning and operating a successful film catering company to teaching people how to become better cooks at home through online, step-by-step videos?

As I researched Rouxbe, their business model, vision, and goals intrigued me. This was a company I had to work with and so the stalking began I set up a meeting with them and things serendipitously fell into place. I began working at Rouxbe in July and every day since I have been overjoyed to wake up and go to work. Even though there is a lot to be done, I have a hard time calling it "work" in the traditional sense. For the first time in my life, I can truly say I love what I am doing. In an environment with such a positive and goal-driven team, it's hard not to.

There is so much exciting stuff coming up, I can hardly wait to share more news, along with my behind-the-scenes experiences. To take your cooking skills to the next level, go ahead and check out Rouxbe for yourself.

Tagged as: [ career cooking culinary howto instructional pastry rouxbe school videos ]