My Maelstrom cake was many things, but I don’t think anyone would call it pretty (I did get "cute" and "adorable, especially the drowning guy" from classmates, though). So, just to show I have balance and all that, the other project I completed Friday was the bonus "make a pastillage box" assignment.
Pastillage, essentially sugar concrete (edible, though), dates way back and really came into vogue when Antoine Careme, arguably the first celebrity chef, started making ridiculously detailed showpieces with it back in the 18th century. I love learning how to do things that have that kind of lineage, even though, nowadays, instead of cornstarch and gelatin, we use gum tragacanth.
Still, the general concept and method are the same: mix, knead, cut and shape, let dry, glue together with royal icing et voila!
Ah! Zut alors, my box, it so pretty and petite and white and not one sea monster in sight! See! I can be dainty!
And inside, there are no surprises! No sharks! No doomed vikings! Boring, yes, but if you need some dainty pastillage, let me know. I promise I will deliver it cephalopod-free.
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