We are used to buying many confectionery products in the store. Often this is more convenient than doing them yourself. But, as a rule, the range of industrial confectionery stable. First of all, these are sweets - chocolate, caramel and marmalade, then dry cookies, waffles, gingerbread and biscuit products - cakes, biscuits, cakes. Local food factories (and not confectionery factories!) usually produce different (by name and shape) products from the same - shortbread, puff or gingerbread dough (from shortcakes to cakes), cookies from butter dough and muffins from Easter cake, as well as actually oriental sweets, various halva, Turkish delight, nut products (nougat, kozinaki, churchkhela, nuts in sugar), usually produced only by local poultry plants of the Union Republics of Transcaucasia and Central Asia.
The constancy of such a set is explained both by the features of a large confectionery production focused on the manufacture of a certain type of product, and by the conditions of mass marketing. The industry produces only such confectionery products that can withstand transportation and long-term storage in stock and, in addition, adapted for machine-factory production, for the production of large standard runs. But there are not many such products. Most of the works confectionery art It is designed to be served to the table almost directly from the oven, in any case, they would be eaten on the same day or within two days.
These are, for example, confectionery products made from cottage cheese, curd cakes and cakes, Viennese muffins with whipped cream, Viennese pies air test with poppy seeds and jam, creamy toffees, various fudges, apple and quince pie-pies, fruit and egg cakes, French and Spanish wind, etc., etc.
In addition, a number of confectionery products cannot be adapted to mechanized production, and they still have to be made by hand, and this leads to the fact that their circulation is insignificant and they quickly become scarce. Such, for example, are liqueur sweets. That's why home cooking confectionery, if it does not duplicate the industrial one, it is quite justified and expedient.
However, due to the fact that the traditions of home confectionery production were interrupted during the war and in the first post-war years, the younger generation does not even know about the existence of many simple, easy-to-perform and affordable home-made confectionery products, and even more so about how to make them.
In this chapter, we will focus on the manufacture of only a few such confectionery products, because a story about all or about the majority would require a separate book, since this is a special science, with its own methods and techniques that differ from cookery laws.
Therefore, from time immemorial, a confectioner and a cook were different professions that sometimes required different qualities and talents. So, for example, in Italy and France, people who were good at drawing were accepted as confectioners, and in the process of learning they read a course in the history of architecture and the history of art, taught drawing, ornamentation, drawing, modeling - subjects, as if far from kitchen craft. While the cooks studied zoology, botany, animal anatomy, and thus stood closer to the students of natural biology faculties.
So that our story about the confectionery business is not reduced to a list of recipes that require absolutely precise execution, we will preface them with a general, very brief overview of the confectionery business. Only then will the reader be able to clearly imagine what the confectioner should be doing, what he should be able to do, what his duties are and what share of his skill we can show in this small chapter.
All confectionery business is based on three main processes:
1. Cooking sugar and sugar-like media - molasses and honey.
2. Baking of confectionery products containing and not containing flour.
3. Cooking and casting various fillings and mixtures of chocolate, praline and marzipan types, as well as the production of creamy-egg type creams.
All other processes are either of an auxiliary mechanical nature, or are combinations and combinations of the above.
In accordance with these basic processes, the confectionery industry itself is divided into caramel-marmalade, chocolate and cake (including cookies), and usually a separate factory is engaged in each of them. In the household, such a strict division cannot be made. The hostess has to be a jack of all trades, and therefore a home confectioner willy-nilly must understand all processes, in any case, understand their essence.
The boiling of sugar, molasses, honey, and everything that can be boiled in them, with them, and on them, is the most characteristic feature of confectionery.
The word "confectioner" comes from the Italian verb "candiere", which means "cook in sugar". Only by an accidental coincidence with this verb of the Latin word "confectioner" - a master who cooks food, who knows how to taste it - as the Romans called cooks, explains the fact that in Europe of the 18th century they mistakenly began to call sweets makers not kandiras, but confectioners, or confectioners, for by this time, every nation had long called cooks not by borrowed foreign, but by their own national name: Russians - cook (a person who cooks, cooks), Germans - koch (the one who cooks everything, boils), the French - a cook, or chef de cousin (head of the kitchen, master of the kitchen), Italians - cuocco (boil, fry something on fire).
The art of confectionery itself arose and received the greatest development in Italy, in Venice only with the advent of sugar at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century. Until then, sweets in Europe were bought from the Arabs, the most ancient confectioners in the world, who had known sugar since 850. It is no coincidence that in the East, in the Arab countries and in Iran, the most diverse sweets in the world are still being created. While in Europe the confectionery business was developing in the direction of cakes and biscuits, the Arabs were the first to pay attention to the fact that boiling (or melting) sugar - candling - opens up wide opportunities for preparing a variety of sweet, dessert, confectionery products and dishes.
The first products that began to be boiled in sugar were the juices of berries and fruits, and the berries and fruits themselves. For some peoples, they are ground, turned into a puree, for others they are only crushed, for others they are whole. This is how syrups, marmalades, marmalades, figs, jams, marmalades, Russian jams, Ukrainian dry jams, and Transcaucasian candied fruits appeared.
Cooking sugar by itself, in its pure form, or with minor additions of dyes, spices, nuts, poppy seeds, butter, milk and cream, or grape wine, brought to varying degrees of density, also gave (especially in the East) a number of confectionery products: lollipops, novot, lean sugar, fudge, toffee, toffee, grillage, caramel, nogul, etc.
It was worth introducing a new one into the same boiling sugar food product- starch, flour or dragants (glutinous, glue-like natural plant media - gum arabic, soap root, yantak, etc.), how a new family of confectionery products arose - halva, nougat, alvitsa, Turkish delight, etc. etc. .
Even frying dough products in melted sugar or honey gave peculiar sweet confectionery products - chak-chak, pumpernickels, pipercokes, honey custard gingerbread, teiglahi, bagarji, baklava, etc.
In a word, sugar and its companions, molasses and honey, were the foundation on which and with the help of which confectionery skills began to develop.
Moreover, it was noticed that sugar has its own laws of boiling, melting, ductility, brittleness, etc., and that its behavior in the molten hot form can be even more insidious than the behavior of oil. Therefore, in order to master the confectionery business, first of all, one should study the methods of cooking sugar and its different states during cooking, otherwise it is impossible to competently prepare a single confectionery product.
There is a sugar scale and a special sugar thermometer, with which you can accurately determine the degree of sugar density at any moment and, depending on this, stop or continue cooking syrup, jam, caramel, fudge, etc.
But in the household, the readiness of sugar syrup is determined by characteristic external signs, which confectioners call "samples". There are twelve trials in total. Each of them has not only a number, but also its own name, a name that is usually given without any explanation in cookbooks and confectionery books.
Here's what these tests mean:
1. liquid syrup(15° sugar thermometer).
This syrup has no stickiness, its density, saturation with sugar is almost imperceptible. It is used for filling winter compotes and dried fruit compotes, sometimes for light sherbets (a mixture of hot syrup with fruit juice).
2. Fine thread(33° sugar thermometer). A sticky syrup that, when squeezing and unclenching one drop with your fingers, gives a thin, quickly torn, fragile thread. It is used for jam from dense, hard fruits - pears, quince; dense apples, carrots, and sometimes for pouring winter compotes from soft berries (strawberries, raspberries), for making jelly.
3. Medium thread(approximately 40 ° according to the sugar thermometer).
The thread is thin, but holds a little stronger. The syrup of this fortress is used for jam.
4. Thick thread.
Thick syrup, in which the fingers are separated with effort, forming a strong and rather thick thread that can harden. It is used for all jams from tender berries and for the preservation of most berries and fruits.
5. Weak sweet.
If you drop a small amount of such molten sugar into a glass of cold water, a loose mass is formed, resembling in consistency thick sour cream. This test is a sign that you need to be ready for the sugar to thicken before the next test. Has no independent significance.
6. Fudge.
If you drop such melted sugar into a glass of cold water, then the “drop” solidifies into a piece, similar in consistency to thick butter. This sample is very unstable, it can quickly move on to the next one, therefore, if it is required by the recipe, then the sugar must immediately stop boiling. It is used to make fudge and candy fillings.
7. Weak ball(semi-hard ball).
sugar in cold water hardens to the consistency of breadcrumbs. From it you can sculpt a soft, pliable ball. It is used for sweets, toffees, candy fillings, candied jams, figs, and sometimes for gingerbread (when mixed with honey and flour).
8. hard ball(or a strong ball). Boiling sugar in a glass of cold water hardens into a dense hard ball, after a while losing its ability to crumple. This test is used exclusively for sweets, toffee, toffees.
9. Crack.
Checking the sample is done as follows: boiling sugar is taken on a fork and blown on it with all its might. If the sugar instantly turns into a film or a bubble and flies off the fork entirely, then the “crack” test is ready.
Used for meringue cookies, cakes, decorations and candies.
10. Caramel.
Boiling sugar, poured into cold water, should form a piece, an icicle, which does not stick to the teeth and crumbles into crystals like glass from pressure or impact. Sugar of such a sample is used for caramels - sweets, lollipops, montpensier.
11. Bypass.
The fragility of sugar is the same as in sample No. 10, but the color of the sugar is already yellowish brown. Very often, it is this sample - bypass that is mistaken for caramel, since in many confectionery books and manuals the term “sugar caramelizes” is used, which means yellowing and even slight burning of sugar, its browning and the appearance of a characteristic “caramelized” smell as a result of skipping (bypassing) actual caramel sample.
Bypass is used for some lollipops, caramel sweets, and especially for roasting, as well as for coloring many confectionery products, drinks (including beer) and creams or giving them a special, “caramelized” flavor (for example, punch, zhzhenka).
12. Combustion. Zhzhenka.
Sugar turns brown, and a pungent smoke appears, the smell of burnt. Such sugar is diluted with boiling water to form a sticky syrup and is used to color sweets, candy fillings, gingerbread, icing, kvass, creme brulee ice cream, pastries, cakes, various drinks, and even some soups - beer, bread, egg, berry or sweet dairy.
To go through all these stages and see how sugar behaves in practice, it is advisable to take 400 - 450 grams of sugar and, diluting it in half a liter of water (500 milliliters), put it on a strong fire. As soon as the syrup boils and the foam is removed from it, sample No. 1 will be obtained. Further evaporation of the water will make it possible to visually see the transition of the remaining samples from one to another.
With samples No. 5 and 6, the amount of water will be reduced by half - to 240 - 250 milliliters per 400 grams of sugar.
Cooking sugar has other rules.
Firstly, sugar must always be defrosted before other products are dipped into it.
To facilitate the removal of the foam (confectioners call it “noise”, spoiled from the German word “shaum” - foam), in the confectionery business it is customary to always cook not on granulated sugar, but on refined sugar or crushed sugar.
Secondly, when sugar is placed in water, it must be stirred all the time so that it does not stick to the bottom and does not give a yellow color to the whole syrup. But as soon as the sugar dissolves in the water, the syrup must no longer be touched, it must not be stirred, no object must be lowered, because this will cause the syrup to crystallize, become cloudy or even form lumps in it.
Thirdly, as soon as the foam is removed, it is necessary to wash the edges of the dishes with a special cloth soaked in ice water so that not a single grain of sugar remains on them. This approach - main secret in handling boiling sugar. If the operation is carried out carefully, then the product will succeed much better. Otherwise, sugar will begin to build up at the edges, boil, burn, or turn into a lump inside the pelvis, before reaching the 6th or 7th sample.
Fourth, cook sugar syrups it is always necessary on a strong, even fire, avoiding its fluctuations.
Fifthly, it is necessary to cook sugar and products from it either in thick-walled metal dishes with a convex bottom (hemispherical cauldron), or in special brass or copper basins, where both the shape and material are most suitable for sugar brewing.
Sixthly, in dry confectionery mixes, in dough, in drinks and in cakes, it is best to use powdered, crushed sugar or special confectionery (the so-called "tambour") powdered sugar. Sugar in the confectionery business is not used as a product containing impurities and giving syrup of low concentration.
Proper handling of sugar is the key to success in making at home not only jam, but also simple milk-and-cream confectionery products: fudge, toffee, roasting.
The word "confectioner" comes from the Italian verb "candiere", which means "boil in sugar". Only by an accidental coincidence with this verb of the Latin word "confectioner" - a master who cooks food, who knows how to taste it - as the Romans called cooks, explains the fact that in Europe of the 18th century they mistakenly began to call sweets makers not kandiras, but confectioners, or confectioners, for by this time, every nation had long called cooks not by borrowed foreign, but by their own national name: Russians - cook (a person who cooks, cooks), Germans - koch (the one who cooks everything, boils), the French - a culinary specialist, or chef de cuizin (head of the kitchen, master of the kitchen), Italians - cuocco (boil, fry something on fire).
The art of confectionery itself arose and received the greatest development in Italy, in Venice, only with the advent of sugar at the end of the 15th-beginning of the 16th century. Until then, sweets in Europe were bought from the Arabs, the oldest confectioners in the world, who had known sugar since 850. It is no coincidence that in the East, in the Arab countries and in Iran, the most diverse sweets in the world are still being created. While in Europe the confectionery business was developing in the direction of cakes and cookies, the Arabs were the first to pay attention to the fact that boiling or melting sugar - candling - opens up wide opportunities for preparing a variety of sweet, dessert, confectionery and dishes. The first products that began to be boiled in sugar were the juices of berries and fruits, and the berries and fruits themselves. For some peoples, they are ground, turned into a puree, for others they are only crushed, for others they are whole. This is how syrups, marmalades, marmalades, figs, jams, marmalades, Russian jams, Ukrainian dry jams, and Transcaucasian candied fruits appeared.
Cooking sugar by itself, in its pure form or with minor additions of dyes, spices, nuts, poppy seeds, butter, milk and cream, or grape wine, brought to varying degrees of density, also gave (especially in the East) a whole range of confectionery: lollipops, lean sugar, sweets, toffee, toffee, roasting, caramel, nogul, etc. It was worth introducing a new food product into the same boiling sugar - starch, flour or dragants (glutinous, glue-like natural plant media - gum arabic, soap root, yantak, etc.) how a new family of confectionery products arose - halva, nougat, al-aitsa, Turkish delight, etc., etc. Even frying dough products in melted sugar or honey gave peculiar sweet confectionery products - chak-chak, pumpepnickels, piperkoks, honey custard gingerbread, teiglachs, bagarji, baklava, etc. In a word, sugar and its companions, molasses and honey, were the foundation , on which and with the help of which confectionery skills began to develop. Moreover, it was noticed that sugar has its own laws of boiling, melting, ductility, brittleness, etc. and that its behavior when molten hot can be even more insidious than that of butter. Therefore, in order to master the confectionery business, first of all, one should study the methods of cooking sugar and its different states at this time of cooking, otherwise it is impossible to competently prepare a single confectionery product.
Confectionery products have been known in Russia for a long time. Initially, they were produced on the basis of honey, then sugar. For many years, "sweet" production remained a small craft. In small family workshops, sweets, marshmallows, and jams were made. Gradually, the best of them acquired a permanent clientele, served parties, weddings, and other family celebrations. Later, on the basis of handicraft production, the first confectionery factories began to appear. The most famous of them, perhaps, is the Moscow factory of the Abrikosovs, founded in 1873.
At present, it is JSC "Confectionery Concern" Babaevsky "", the logo of which depicts a red two-story building in the Art Nouveau style, located on the street. Malaya Krasnoselskaya. The history of the Abrikosov family, the founders of the first factory production of confectionery in Russia, is connected with him. The founder of the dynasty of confectioners Stepan Nikolaev was born in 1737. in the family of a serf in the village of Troitskoye, Penza province. From a young age, the boy was fascinated by the confectionery craft, with pleasure he cooked marshmallows and marmalade from the apples of the landowner's garden. In 1804, having begged the mistress to give him freedom, Stepan left for Moscow, where he later organized a small handicraft confectionery production with his sons. Stepan was especially successful with apricot marshmallow. Some believe that thanks to this he received the nickname "Apricot", which later turned into the official surname of the Abrikosov family.
For more than half a century, the family confectionery business has been developing. The whole family worked, they themselves harvested berries and fruits, the children wrapped caramel in paper in the evenings. In 1880 the factory and trade "Association of A.I. Abrikosov and sons" was established. By this time, many confectionery factories were operating in Russia and there was strong competition in the food market. More modern in terms of technology and equipment were the factories "Einem" (now OAO "Krasny Oktyabr" Confectionery Factory) and "A. Siu and K" (Bolshevik confectionery factory). However, the best marshmallow was produced only at the Abrikosov factory. By the beginning of the twentieth century. 1900 people worked here.
For personal merits in organizing a confectionery enterprise in Russia, Alexei Ivanovich Abrikosov, the grandson of Stepan, was awarded the title of hereditary honorary citizen of Moscow. Among the Abrikosovs there were many talented people in various fields: famous scientists, artists, diplomats, artists, lawyers, philosophers. The family was engaged in patronage and social activities and, of course, made a great contribution to the development of confectionery production.
In 1840 in Russia, a confectionery factory of the trading house "N.D. Ivanov and sons" was opened. The development of the industry as a whole was significantly affected by the influx of foreign capital into the country.
In the second half of the nineteenth century. foreigners built the largest factories in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kharkov, Kyiv, Odessa.
For the development of confectionery production, it was necessary to have high-quality raw materials, especially sugar. It appeared in Russia in the 12th century. But only in 1718. By decree of Peter I, the first plant in Russia was built in St. Petersburg, producing sugar from overseas raw materials. In 1801 In the 18th century, a factory appeared that processed domestic raw materials - sugar beets - into sugar, which contributed to the further development of confectionery production.
Present day.
In 2003, a new life began at the Babaevsky concern. He, like other leading enterprises of the country, became part of the largest Russian holding "United Confectioners". Among them are the famous industry leaders - "Red October" and "Rot Front", as well as 14 regional factories.
Combining the efforts of enterprises, taking into account their specifics and advantages, the introduction of a unified system of distribution and purchase of raw materials will increase the holding's share in the domestic confectionery market from 15% (today) to 20%.
Over the next five years, the United Confectioners holding plans to invest over $200 million in the development of production and distribution. About $100 million is planned to be invested in the construction and equipment of the most modern confectionery factory in the country on the territory of the Babaevsky concern, where the production facilities of Krasny Oktyabr OJSC will be relocated. And before the end of this year, about 19 million US dollars will be allocated for the purchase of the latest German equipment for the Babaevsky concern.
Capital investments in production will pay off handsomely, allowing you to open additional jobs and master the production of new types of products.
Today United Confectioners is the largest confectionery concern in Russia. The holding successfully competes with Western transnational corporations, which have already launched their production in our country and produce chocolate and sweets with Russian names.
"United Confectioners" is now practically the only major domestic manufacturer capable of maintaining national trade marks with a long history, to preserve and pass on to posterity the taste of real Russian chocolate, which was enjoyed not only by our fathers and grandfathers, but also by their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
Citrus. The preparation of most desserts is indispensable without citrus zest and juice. It is important to choose fruits that are not treated with chemicals, since harmful substances are concentrated in the peel of citrus fruits. For flavoring confectionery products, the colored part of the zest is used (yellow for lemon, orange for orange and green for lime). With a knife for peeling potatoes, a thin layer of zest is removed from the fruit. The white skin, which gives the confectionery a bitter taste, is removed.
Butter . Butter is churned from cream and contains approximately 80% fat. Due to its excellent taste and delicate texture, the oil is indispensable for making creams and pastries. Important note: only fresh oil is used in cooking. Butter can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, and in the freezer for 3 months.
Cocoa. Cocoa powder consists of pure chocolate and a small amount of cocoa butter (8% to 20%). For the preparation of confectionery, as a rule, bitter cocoa powder is used.
chestnuts. Chestnuts are valued in the confectionery business for sweet taste and flouriness. Chestnuts are boiled, peeled and peeled and mashed. Boiled chestnuts can be stored in a sealed glass container for 1 week, in the refrigerator (in plastic containers with ventilation holes) - 1 month, in the freezer - 6 months. Chestnut puree is stored in a hermetically sealed container in the freezer for 6-8 months.
Chocolate. The Latin name for chocolate (Theobroma cacao) translates as "food of the gods". Chocolate is made from cocoa beans and cocoa butter. High quality chocolate should contain at least 35% cocoa butter. In the confectionery business, bitter, milk and White chocolate, made without the addition of cocoa, but with a high content of cocoa butter. Specialized stores sell chocolate for glazing cakes, which, due to the high content of cocoa butter (up to 50%), melts easily and quickly. Chocolate should be stored in a dry, well-ventilated area at 16°C.
Flour. For baking, soft wheat flour is usually used, which is lighter, with a high starch content. Flour should be stored in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.
Potato starch . Potato starch looks like white powder. It is used to thicken sauces and puddings. When added to the dough, starch is first mixed with flour.
Cheese. Cheeses such as ricotta, mascarpone, English cream cheese (better known as "Philadelphia"), French fromage frais, German quark are famous for their delicate aroma and therefore are widely used in culinary business. Cheeses go well with fruits and are one of the main ingredients of all kinds of sweets. Cheeses are stored in the refrigerator from 2 to 7 days.
Fruits. For the preparation of desserts, fresh ripe fruits are selected. Peeled and sliced apples, pears and bananas are sprinkled lemon juice so that the fruits do not turn black. Boiling water is poured over apricots and peaches to make it easier to peel the fruit. The berries are washed in ice water, and then dried on a kitchen towel.
Dried fruits. One of the main ingredients in the confectionery business. Dried fruits good quality should be soft and have a bright saturated color. Too dry raisins are soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes, and then dried on a kitchen towel.
Gelatin. On sale you can find gelatin in plates and granules. Usually, 7 g of gelatin is taken per 1/2 liter of liquid. Creamy mixtures require more gelatin. Before use, gelatin is soaked in cold water, and then either dissolved in a water bath, or added to a hot cream and stirred until the gelatin dissolves. It is important to know that fresh pineapple contains enzymes that inhibit the jelly-forming properties of gelatin.
Glucose. Grape sugar, which is found in honey and fruits. Glucose is usually sold as a syrup.
Milk. In the confectionery business, cow's milk is mainly used. Desserts are prepared only from fresh milk (watch the expiration date of the milk). For the preparation of some confectionery products, powdered and condensed milk is also required. Fresh milk is stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Yeast
Brewer's yeast (natural yeast) is placed during kneading in a thick, heavy dough. Yeast ferments the sugary substances contained in the flour, decomposing them into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Bubbles of carbon dioxide lift and loosen the dough. The ideal fermentation temperature is 30°C. On sale you can find fresh (in cubes) and dry brewer's yeast. fresh yeast should be stored in the refrigerator.
As a baking powder for biscuits, shortcrust pastry, pancakes and fritters usually use chemical yeast, which includes baking soda and an oxidizing agent (usually cream of tartar). These substances become active when they react with water. Chemical yeast should be added to ready dough, because they act within 10 minutes.
Corn starch. White starch, made from corn kernels, is used in cooking to thicken creams and puddings.
Honey. Different varieties honey differ in color and smell. It is believed that the lighter the honey, the more fragrant it is. The addition of honey gives desserts not only a special taste, but also allows you to keep confectionery fresh longer.
nuts. Almond, hazelnut, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, pine nuts are widely used for the preparation of confectionery. Nuts must be fresh, as rancid nuts will spoil the taste of any dessert. Nuts in the shell can be stored for 2-3 months in a cool dry place, and without the shell - in an airtight closed banks. Nuts can also be stored for 3 to 6 months in the refrigerator and 1 year in the freezer.
coconuts. To test the freshness of a coconut, shake it: a fresh nut contains coconut milk. Grated coconut meat is used to make cakes and puddings, and as a topping. Opened coconut can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week and in the freezer for 9 months.
Walnut and olive oil . In some areas of Italy, olive oil is used to make traditional sweets such as castanaccio (chestnut flour cakes). For baking, it is better to choose high quality refined olive oil. Peanut butter ideal for frying: it does not smell and does not foam when heated. For greasing pudding molds and Cooking hazelnuts, it is best to use light and aromatic almond oil.
Cream. For the preparation of confectionery, only fresh cream is used. Cream can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. However, after being stored in the freezer, they are not suitable for whipping.
Spices. We have listed here the spices that are most commonly found in recipes:
Cinnamon (pieces of cinnamon or cassia bark). In cooking, it is most often used in ground form.
Cardamom. The seeds of this plant of the ginger family are used as a spice. Cardamom is commonly added to fruit desserts.
Carnation (dried flower buds of an equatorial plant). The aroma of cloves (as well as cinnamon) goes especially well with the taste of apples.
Juniper. The crushed cones of this coniferous plant of the cypress family give a special taste and aroma to spicy bread.
Nutmeg and mace is the seed and dried seed of the nutmeg tree.
Vanilla is the fruit of a plant in the orchid family. Since vanilla pods are very expensive, vanilla essence or vanillin, synthetic vanilla, is mainly used in cooking. However, vanillin does not have such a subtle and rich aroma as natural vanilla.
Ginger. In cooking, the rhizome of this tropical plant is used as a spice. For the preparation of desserts, candied ginger and ground ginger are most often used.
Eggs. Only very fresh eggs are suitable for making desserts, so it is recommended to use them within 3 weeks from the date of purchase. In order to check the egg for freshness, it is dipped in water: very fresh egg stays at the bottom the egg, which is 2-3 weeks old, floats vertically; rotten egg - remains on the surface of the water. Whole eggs are stored in the refrigerator; yolks with the addition of a small amount of water - in a hermetically sealed container in the refrigerator; proteins remain fresh for 2 weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer. Thawed squirrels whip just as well as fresh ones.
Yogurt. Fermented milk product. Made in Italy from cow's milk. Fatter and thicker Greek yogurt is made from sheep's milk. Yogurt combined with yeast is often used as a starter for dough.
Sugar. A sweet substance extracted from beet or sugar cane.
We receive many letters with feedback, gratitude, impressions, joy about participating in the gingerbread program. But one of them became a little special. The man shared his story, his feelings - deeply and sincerely.
We hope you enjoy the essays of one of our students, or rather, now a graduate.
- Expectation.
You know how it happens… everyday life, monotony, scheme… And then you decided on something and everything changes, and you don’t sleep at night, in anticipation of when the long-awaited date will come, when there will be a beginning.
This is exactly how I felt before the start of the gingerbread art program “Gingerbread Master”. On the night before the first lesson, I hardly slept, and time moved so slowly. And this night turned out to be the first among the sleepless tasty nights, saturated with the aroma of cinnamon and cardamom, clear lines and tenderness of scales ...
Like many, before this program, I watched the video course "Gingerbread from A to Z" and it hooked me. This course showed that everything is possible, take it and do it - simply, beautifully, easily. The process was fascinating, the result pleased me and my family. And, of course, I wanted more. I wanted to try other dough recipes, learn the secrets of decorating, and I just wanted joy, warmth and light, and I found all this.
The work that captivates us makes us stronger, better, makes us ourselves.
- Magic.
Sometimes the magic begins with a simple, beautiful and clean kitchen. Perhaps many have not noticed this, but it is so important when nothing distracts, when everything is clear and accessible. As they say, "beauty is when there is nothing superfluous."
Each gingerbread dough plays on its notes, and tactile sensations make it clear the melody: honey - foamy, airy, when you knead it, you stand on your toes, you want to fly, goat - viscous, cool, here the organ and pipes play in the background, and the dough according to the recipe of Julia Asher can be call it light, modern and slightly jazzy.
Magic, elusive magic.
Here you are given a set of ingredients, the same set, and step-by-step instruction on application, and the result is always different. The process of preparing gingerbread goat dough is mesmerizing: spices intoxicate your head with their aroma, sugar, during the caramelization process it turns on the “I want to eat sweets” function, when boiling water is added, the heart stops, and how happy the eye is when soda works its wonders, turning the fragrant mass into a double foamy pleasure . You knead the dough and think - what will it be like? This magical process combines everything - mood, ingredients, expectations, thoughts, lunar phases, cosmic energy. And as a result, the dough is always a little special, different, unique: sometimes light and light, sometimes dark and caramel, but always incomparably tasty. Elena said that goat dough brings happiness.
Checked! I now have a lot of happiness in the house)
- Doubt.
I want to do everything at once, and a lot, and more, and longer. No sleep, no eating, but only baking gingerbread and making icing. This "want" comes after the doubt: can I? You look at the insanely beautiful gingerbread, and then at your curves and again in doubt. Oh, they, oh, these doubts are happiness blockers. Away! You just need to step over, and the main thing is to do it - the first, second, fifth, seventh, tenth gingerbread and now an excellent result.
And still doubts overcome when choosing the equipment of a gingerbread master, because you want to buy a lot, everything seems necessary and necessary. The goods market offers a lot of cuttings, nozzles, dyes, stamps, etc., but it turns out that most of this is not needed, or inconvenient to use, or short-lived, and many thanks to Elena, who enlightened and showed everything, and also reduced costs).
Doubts do not let go when sending photos for homework. Everything seems awkward and awkward. Only the support of other students in the facebook group saves. Thank you for the responsiveness and activity of all the students of the school: the “old ones” show where to strive, and the new ones delight with their diligence and zeal.
We are all learning, we are developing, we are not standing still - this is important, and how can we be ashamed of this.
- Relatives and loved ones.
After class on different painting techniques gingerbread you begin to be surprised at the simplicity of creating masterpieces. Probably, everything ingenious is really simple. Favorite techniques appear, they somehow define themselves. And when preparing and decorating a gingerbread, you start thinking about the person to whom you want to give this particular gingerbread. “Lace” will please mom, and uncle will make a “stamp”, nieces, of course, each bear in “volumetric fill”, but beloved grandmother - a heart in the style of “stitch”.
Working with frosting is a little crazy. The icing loves the counting rhyme, and only by the counting rhyme can you understand what it is ready for: to be basic, or filling, or it can become a lady of voluminous figures. Now it’s clear why she is called “royal” - she is naughty. You just need to make friends, let her rest under a damp towel and she will answer you with her generosity and beauty.
There are so many new things ahead, so many discoveries, ideas, ideas, and it's so nice to follow this gingerbread path!
- Opening horizons.
After the third lesson, you begin to believe in yourself and your strengths, you see what beauty you have created, how it surprises your relatives and friends, and it surprises you, and now you want more.
You are ready, you are sure, you can conquer new horizons!
The hand is already confidently drawing the contour line, the eye easily determines how much water needs to be added to dilute the glaze to the desired consistency, the heart beats the rhythm of the desired scales.
Gingerbread postcard! This is the art of patience and the interweaving of lines. And this is also the work of a jeweler: dots and lines, buds and petals, roses and leaves - and all this is subtle and without the right to make a mistake.
3D forms! It's like creating a cartoon. Imagination does not draw strict forms here, but only cheerful, perky and bright.
This is how you do something, you do a lot, and suddenly you realize that your Love is 3D gingerbread shapes.
A fungus-house for the little inhabitants of the forest, and a family of hares immediately falls in love with itself with its fluffy tails). And then the thought is to urgently make other families of animals: chanterelles, bears, hedgehogs .... thoughts add up the stages of work, and the imagination completes the result.
Definitely! It is mine!
- My little dream house.
A lot of people dream of their own home, and so do I. For a long time. A dream is a picture that you create in detail and that you aspire to. What will my home be like? Light, kind, large, iridescent, with flowers and berries, currant and raspberry bushes, the aroma of happiness. And so creating Gingerbread house, you start thinking about your big. Roof color, balcony, smooth walls, door, window - how beautiful.
This is true construction! Small construction, where every detail is important: to process everything, sharpen and check the walls so that they fit perfectly with each other, clean from sweet grains, cook glass from caramel - mmm ... and you understand that this is already a dream from childhood - to live in a sweet home to eat.
With tenderness, you fill the walls with pastel glaze, make a lawn and a path, patiently cover the roof with tiles, a chimney with bricks, and suddenly - a balcony.
Sometimes your ideas about how it's done are just the opposite. You don’t believe that this is possible just like that - a glazed balcony and not a drop of dough.
You understand that every detail of the house requires its own special attention and attitude, a personal approach. You make a door and hear that it starts to creak a little when carnations and a handle appear on it.
And here is my house! So amazing and so uncollected. From excitement, the breath stops, the hands tremble a little ... Calm, only calm. And here is the result, which pleases.
A little crooked, my first, my own gingerbread house!
And one thought - I will not let anyone eat it.
And after a few days, you imperceptibly burst the flowerpot)))
