Email to Stella      

Recipe Categories: Stella's HOME PAGEAPPETIZERS BAKING_SITES BBQ BEAUTY BEEF BEVERAGES BIOGRAPHY BREAD BREAKFAST BROWNIESandBARS BUTTERS_SPREADS CAKES CANDY CANNING_PRESERVING CASSEROLES CELEBRITY CHEESECAKES CHOCOHOLICS_ANONYMOUS COMFORT_FOOD COOKIES COOKING_FOR_2 COPYCAT CRAFT_RECIPES CROCKPOT DESSERTS DIABETIC DIETS ENTERTAINING ETHNIC FISHandSEAFOOD FONDUE FREEZER_FRIENDLY FROSTINGandFILLING FRUIT FUDGE GIFT_BASKET GIFT_JARS GLUTEN_FREE GRILL HINTSandTIPS HOLIDAYS HOMEMADE_PRODUCTS ICE_CREAM JAMSandJELLIES KIDDIE_MENU LOWFAT LOW_CARB MARINADES_RUBS MINUTE_MEALS MUFFINS OAMC PASTA PASTRIES PET_FOOD pHBalance PICNICandCAMPING PIES PIZZA POLITICIAN_FAVORITES PORK POULTRY PRESSURECOOKER QUANTITY_COOKING SALADandDRESSING SANDWICHES SAUCES SEWING_CRAFTS SIDE_DISHES SNACKS SOUPS_STEWS_CHOWDER_CHILI SOUTH_BEACH_DIET STATE_RECIPES TOP_TEN VEGETABLES VEGETARIAN

Fragrant Ornaments




Source of Recipe


Bobbie Taylor


Recipe Introduction


During the Middle Ages, sugar was the stuff of sculptures—a plentiful resource that was commonly mixed with water and gum tragacanth, then molded into elaborate figures of fruit, flowers, and animals. But by the sixteenth century, as sugar became increasingly scarce, only a select group of wealthy hosts continued the tradition, commissioning sugar-paste statues for ornate displays designed to impress discerning party guests. Fortunately, by the eighteenth century, sugar was again in abundance and, as such, was used as the sweet medium for a variety of creations, from simple flowers to intricate figurines to the artful Christmas decorations known as tragrant ornaments. Today, Bobbie Taylor, of Jeromesville, Ohio, shares her technique for making these charming, old-fashioned ornaments.



As Bobbie explains, the gum paste is easy to make, calling for only four basic ingredients: confectioners’ sugar, glucose, tragacanth, and water. In fact, you can choose to omit the glucose completely, but it does make the dough more malleable. According to Bobbie, the dough can be prepared well ahead of time and stored, refrigerated in an airtight plastic bag, for at least a few weeks. As long as the ornaments are decorated with a food-coloring mixture, they are technically edible, although it’s doubtful they would taste very good, so they’re probably better left on the tree. After you’ve shaped the dough using molds and added wires for hanging, it’s time to decorate the ornaments using food coloring—a great opportunity for curious children to learn about the history of sugar and to express their creativity.



Recipe Link: http://www.marthastewart.com

List of Ingredients




TECHNIQUE
Making Tragrant Ornaments
Makes about 24 small ornaments

Medium bowl
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon glucose
6 teaspoons water
3 teaspoons gum tragacanth *
Plastic airtight container
Damp cloth or paper towel
Decorative molds
Pounce pouch
Cornstarch, for molds
French rolling pin or standard dowel
Pastry cutter or paring knife
1 1/2-inch pieces of fine wire
Gum arabic
Stainless-steel splatter screen
Food coloring
Egg yolk (optional)
Artist’s palette (optional)


Recipe








1. In a medium bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar, glucose, water, and gum tragacanth using your hands to achieve a texture that resembles that of clay or porcelain. (The dough should be heavier and denser than cookie dough because it contains no butter or shortening.) Place the dough into the container, and cover it with a damp cloth or paper towel (it’s important to keep the dough moist).



2. Using a pounce pouch, add a little cornstarch to the molds. When you’re ready to work with the dough, roll a small section out onto a mold using a French rolling pin or a standard dowel. Remove the dough from the mold almost immediately, then trim any excess from the edges of the ornament with a pastry cutter or paring knife.



3. Fold the wire pieces in half. With the points first, stick the wire into the top of the ornament, to create a small loop. Add a touch of gum arabic mixed with a little water to make it more stable. Let it dry for at least 24 hours on a fine, stainless-steel spatter screen placed on top of a drying rack. The ornament should dry in a place where there is ample air circulation.



4. Paint the ornaments with food coloring; for extra shine, you can add a bit of egg yolk to the paint using an artist’s palette. Let the ornaments dry, and hang them on your tree. After the holidays, store them in a cardboard box with tissue paper, and be sure to keep them away from moisture so they don’t get moldy.






* Gum tragacanth
Gum arabic
New York Cake and Baking Distributors
56 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
212-675-2253 or 800-942-2539
Fax: 212-675-7099