From Sugar to Plates

Wow! I'm already a week into my third class this semester. I must admit, I am ready to be finished already. Last year I was enjoying the student life all over again. But now, I just want to finish and get out into the world! There is so much to do, see, and experience! Graduation is only two months away, but two months too long!

These last two months can be summed up in one perfect little word: stressful. This semester started off with sugar class. If you've watched Food Network, you may have seen some sugar sculpture competitions. Yup, that's what we were doing! Shaping molten sugar into delicate flowers, fruits, and other shapes, attaching them together, and the whole time, praying it doesn't all come crashing down.

Pouring boiling sugar out to cool a little

Moving the sugar around so it can cool evenly

I apologize for not having many action photos. The class was so busy that I didn't even have time to take a water break!

First we made blown sugar fruits. The apple, pear, and banana are basic shapes that can be used for a variety of other fruits and even birds.

The second pieces was Swan Lake themed with a combination of cast sugar pieces, a blown swan, and a pulled sugar flower and ribbons.

A blown sugar swan!

Abstract pulled flower with pulled ribbons

This showpiece required a variety of skills, even the basic pouring skill. When casting large pieces, it is very important to pour the sugar in a steady stream and not to get too close to the edges of the mould. If it touches the sides, then the cast piece gets weird jagged edges that are really hard to fix. Also, if you pour the sugar when it's too hot, the edges won't come out nice and rounded. So many little details to pay attention to.

The finished piece

The back

I had to recast many many pieces which is why I had a couple different colors in my final piece. I even took the time to make a second small bird and another flower with a bud, but the second flower broke! I was so sad! Also, ribbons are hard!

Throughout this class, showpieces broke. Fruit bowls fell apart, swans fell over, flowers fell off. Almost everyone in the class shed a tear, either for their own broken disaster or for another's. This third showpiece made me cry a little.

The theme was an Asian inspired with bamboo, orchids, and a water lily in a rock garden.

An orchid

Water lily

I had a lot of trouble building the water lily. To attach the petals to each other, you had to heat the bottom of the petal in front of a flame, but that would often start melting the petal and cause it to mishappen. And even after you try to squish the petal on, it doesn't stick and falls off. Or while you attach one petal, you chip another, or plain rip it off. Very very frustrating and time consuming!

The finished piece

What really made me cry was that while I was attaching the top flower, the last thing, it fell off, taking the water lily with it. Both flowers broke. Did I mention it was also marking day? I was so frustrated, I didn't even take time to mourn the loss, I sniffled and plowed right on, rebuilding them as best as I could with what few spare pieces I had. (I had used up most of my spare pieces mending the flowers from earlier.)

I have to admit I am embarrassed to post the photos of the above showpiece. The swirls coming out of the flowers are so thick! Somehow, I got the idea into my head that those pieces should be big, when sugar pieces are always about thin thin thin! Everything else on that piece was thin and dainty, and then there are those huge honking pink things! Argh!

I put that piece up for marking and didn't even bother taking pictures of it on the nice white pedestal that was set up for picture taking and marking. I was so done with it.

But oh, how I was wish I was done with showpieces. Too bad for me, the next three weeks was all about showpieces (sugar and chocolate). Weee! But that's enough for now. Just writing this post made me get all wound up again.

I am currently in wine pairings and plating and it is a lot more fun. Who doesn't have fun when a daily wine and dessert tasting is part of the learning experience. :)

Wine and sticky toffee pudding, anyone?

I don't really drink, but I love the idea of wine - the rich colors and aromas. I don't have a developed palate for wine so I like the sweeter ones, like the moscato (white) and Ben Rye (amber) above. Do you drink wine? If so, what's your favourite?