Pastillage

Introduction to Pastillage

Pastillage is a sugar-based dough used for decorating and creating decorations for pastry, showpiece work and decorative molded forms. The dough is much like clay or play-dough where you can knead it and roll it out.

Pastillage is worked then allowed to dry, setting up to a hard, sugar-based decoration. Depending on the mix, pastillage can be formed and sanded to remove any rough spots after it has completely dried. There are many, many recipes out there and most have the same ingredients: powdered sugar, gelatin, and water, with some recipes calling for an acid like vinegar or cream of tartar.

Pastillage

·         Made from icing sugar, glucose, gelatin and a few drop of lemon juice.

·         Can be store in plastic bag in refrigerator untill 1-3weeks.

·         Can be used for modeling decorative

Ø  Building

Ø  Represent small replica

Ø  Cake stand

Ø  Place card at dining setting

Ø  Greeting card

·         

      Dries more quickly (hard and brittle as plaster when it dries and nearly as tasteless)

·         Normally left pure white, although it may be colored in pastel shades

Origin

·         Invented in Britain at 17th century [British created royal icing, pastillage and rolled fondant, since they major sugar importers and when sugar icing was invented, it was used to decorated wedding cakes]

·         Became popular in 19th century, when Queen Victoria’s wedding cake was decorate with sugar dough.

·         20th century – invention such as chemical, tools and machinery pastillage become artistic

e.g: used wooden wood make intricate sculptures of building , towns, people, decoration andbasket.

Classic & Modern

·         Classic – no stretch (unsuitable making edible flower)

·         Modern – lot of stretch (give the pastry student or decorator more options)

Ingredient

·         Icing sugar and cornstarch – as a drying agent

·         Water and cream of tartar – to help preserve whiteness

·         Gelatin – as a stiffening and stabilizing agent

·         Glucose – to soften texture