Sculpture is something of a ‘dying art, with very few chefs having the skills and the patience necessary for blowing and pulling sugar into elaborate and decorative master pieces. And masterpieces they are , Attractively complimenting patisserie displays, or standing as table centerpieces in the dining room, making a delicious introduction for the feast to follow. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the heights I want to reach in the Culinary world. I’m finding that the more I work with sugar, the more I want nothing else! But sugar craft seems to be taken less seriously these days, and in many cases completely overlooked. It takes years of dedication and perseverance to  master this art, not to mention “a few burns” along the way. Since childhood, I have had this embedded in my mind that, perfection- in all that I do & make is my forte! And it is this quality of mine, which has helped me to take up this profession which requires a lot of artistic ability& innovativeness. A glimpse of how the sugar is prepared will show the technical artistry involved in sugar work.. good quality sugar in granulated form is boiled with water  and glucose to a caramel. It is at this stage that tartaric acid and food colors are added. The sugar is then cooled a little and with this hot mass of sugar, the artist goes to work molding, pulling and blowing the sugar into the shapes he requires.

A part from this, pastillage & nougatine are also popular sugar works. Pastillage is made using icing sugar, egg white, gelatin & lemon juice, which is pliable enough to be molded & made into beautiful & intricate center pieces. Nougatine is easier to work with as its basic ingredients being sugar & almonds, it can be made & cut into a template & then brought together using royal icing. Royal icing is used to dainty & delicate filigrees which impart a sense of beauty and finesse in every centerpiece.  

Unfortunately, it seems the art of pastry is quickly becoming a lost art form. This is because it requires a lot of initial investment in setting up, with equipments which have to be imported from abroad at exorbitant prices. Also, there is a lot of hard work that goes in making a sugar sculpture, by putting in time, money & labor. Being  a pastry freak. I find this to be quite disturbing, & I along with my team are making efforts to bring back this dying art, through the curriculum we impart to students in the Culinary Academy of India, which aims at creating individuals who are creative, inventive & discoverers.   



Thanks to Culinary Academy Of India for contributing this article to our Culinary blog:

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