Day Six

This week we’re making sugar candies at French Pastry School!  Wheee!  I love candy making.  I’ve made marshmallows, peanut brittle, and toffee before, but that’s it.  We’re making some exciting stuff this week. 

We had a busy day and made four different candies.  The picture above is a pan full of luscious, creamy caramel.  Tomorrow we’ll slice the caramel and wrap it up.  By the way, I know you’re just dying to know what I did with the caramel sauce I made on Friday: stirring it into my morning cup of coffee.  I never want to run out of homemade caramel sauce. 

This is a pan of passion fruit-apricot pâté de fruit.  It kind of sounds like pat de fweee if you’re trying to pronounce it.  It’s a fruit jelly candy.  Tomorrow we’ll slice and roll in sugar. 

I can’t wait.  It smells amazing. 



We made vanilla marshmallow, too.  It’s like making Italian meringue; you make a hot glucose syrup and whip it into egg whites.



Then spread the mixture into pans and coat with confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch.



We have lots of slicing tomorrow. 

We also made French pralines, but they’re not done yet.  I can’t wait to show you what they look like!  I think there might be some confusion out there about what pralines are.  When I think of pralines I think of the buttery-sugary-pecan patties you buy in New Orleans.  The French pralines we made are toasted almonds coated in layers and layers of pink sugar syrup.  Just wait!

This week I think I’m finally realizing I’m in pastry school.  It feels real now.  I’m doing this!  I sort of have this peaceful, restful feeling about everything now.  I’ve worked for so long towards this goal.  Now I can rest, enjoy it, and take everything in. 

I’m feeling grateful, and very, very happy.