Our sweet-toothed web editor Debra Waters took a candy making class in London to learn how to make confectionery favourites, including fudge, marzipan and Turkish delight.
The key to creating sweets – a proviso as important as the ingredients – is a sugar thermometer. Without one your fudge will be sauce, your nougat runny, your Turkish delight a disaster. So explains Mexican pastry chef Vanessa Antoli at the beginning of a candy making masterclass at The Kitchen in pretty Parson’s Green.
The brainchild of Thierry Laborde, former head chef at Le Gavroche, and vivacious general manager, Natalie Richmond, their combined skills make them the ideal team to run this café-cum-cookery-school. Lessons are conducted by Thierry and other top chefs from London’s best kitchens, while classes range from Japanese Home Cooking to a range of Michelin Star Cookery Experiences, such as canapés, dinner party menus and barbecues. It’s a professional enterprise that maintains an intimate charm. The Kitchen, explains Natalie, is “accessible, it’s on a high street and really involved with the local community.” The duo is determined that every class should be a hands-on experience, and their aim is to bring people to the table to eat meals produced with “high-end results.” Judging from the calibre of teacher, that goal has been reached.
Everyone loves sweets, yet the number of people making them at home has declined. Whereas the boom in artisan chocolate makers has meant we’re spoiled with a plethora of weird and wonderful ganaches, the art of homemade treats such as marzipan, nougat, fudge and Turkish Delight has been neglected. Although it’s convenient and sometimes less expensive to buy candy, making them is remarkably simple. To learn traditional processes you can pass on, and to demystify the alchemic process of converting sugar into moreish substances, is worth every minute of the two-hour class.
Vanessa’s knowledge of different types of sugar (fructose, glucose, liquid, powder) were enlightening, and her tips such as adding lemon or a similar acid to prevent sugar crystals forming invaluable. We started with chocolate fudge, a time-honoured favourite that’s made with surprisingly cheap ingredients. We were aiming for a soft ball consistency, achieved when the mixture is at a consistent temperature of 110-116°C. It’s at this stage the chocolate goes in unmelted (the hot caramel does the job for you), then the mixture is set outside the fridge, one of the simple tips Vanessa taught us that’s fundamental to getting the desired result.
Next was Turkish delight, a sweet of such sugary intensity that it’s been known to melt the heads of men. Not really, but it is like marmite – you either love it or hate it: the gooey texture; the fragrant taste; the squeaky coating. There’s something intrinsically magical about making this particular delicacy because the ingredients seem so insubstantial; mainly water, sugar and rose water. The secret lies in getting the liquid bubbling at the right heat (115°C). If it doesn’t set, the right temperature wasn’t reached. It’s an inspired choice because Turkish delight is relatively inexpensive to make and the high sugar content acts as a preservative, so it last for weeks.
We then tried our hands at marzipan. No cooking is required; homemade marzipan is effectively raw, a paste of ground nuts, sugar and eggs. Vanessa proffered more expert tips – white marzipan is made from egg whites; golden from yolks; if the dough gets too sticky, dip your hands in icing sugar. For a decorative touch we made little eggs rolled in edible glitter to give away as gifts. Milk and mint pastes are made in a similar way; all are pliable, raw doughs that make perfect lollies or sweets dipped in chocolate. As we left with a bag full of sweets and a head full of knowledge, Vanessa reminded us that with most candies, being stored in a cool place is preferable to being kept in the fridge. This didn’t pose a problem – mine were wolfed down in minutes.
Pros
Small, hands-on classes
A really knowledgeable teacher
You take away your own sweets
Cons
There wasn’t enough time to cover all the recipes. Students may be better served with a two-part course.
Candy Making classes:
18 May, 11am
7 July, 7pm
Cost is £89 per person, including all your goodies to take away.
Sugar Craft classes:
3 June, 11am
11 July, 2.30pm
Afternoon tea classes, the Michelin star way:
8 June, 2pm
27 June, 2pm
15 July, 2pm
To book go to: www.visitthekitchen.com
For more information about Vanessa, see Bespoke Pastry