Working with Caramel
How to make sugar garnishes….
We do a lot of work with sugar caramel in the restaurants, they are an inexpensive but effective way of finishing a dessert and their versatility alows us to flavour and shape them whichever way we wish.
I’ve attached a couple of photographs to show you how we make a ’sugar spiral’. What we do is make a caramel with equal quantities of caster sugar and water which is cooked together until lightly golden brown. A lot of chefs take it to a darker colour but we find that even when we placethe caramel pan in cold water to halt the coking it will still continue to colour for a short while.
The key is to get the thread right. Take a round object, we use knife sharpening steel rubbed with olive oil to work the caramel around. Now take a spoon of caramel and wait for it t run off the spoon into a fine thread….
Waiting for the thread
When you have a steady trickle quickly wrap it around the steel (if using) starting towards the base and working away from you…
Spinning the sugar
Try and keep the loops close together by keepng the spoon close to you, it takes practice but it’s worth it in the end. You can keep them in the freezer until needed. Patience is certainly a virtue!
A Sugar Spiral
Chef,
great how to do idea especially useful is the step-by-step guide in pictures.
I don’t want to sound stupid but is this exactly the same thing as is referred to as spun sugar ?
Best
Rod
July 30, 2010 @ 7:52 am
MilesLawrence,Never look at your favourite blog too early or before coffee time…. I read Working with Camels
A chance to see our host sporting his best tea towel in the dunes was intriguing thought I but we’ll go along with it 
Anyway, on with the caramel. I agree with Rod it’s good to see photographs of each step. I do occasionally try my hand at spinning sugar with mixed results. I’ve noticed that sometimes by the end of the evening my swirly caramel swirls are melting a bit…. could be the humidity or perhaps they’re too thin in the first place? Think we’d all agree they do finish a dessert with a flourish.
Cid
July 30, 2010 @ 10:22 am
Hi Miles:
Lovely post and great photos as well!
The caramel looks a bit like the spun glass I’ve been seeing a lot of lately!
Be back on line soon. . .
Laura
July 30, 2010 @ 9:05 pm
Rod,
Nice one
Yep, same thing indeed just a little more refined.
Miles
July 30, 2010 @ 9:24 pm
Cid,
Like it! Humidity can kill them but so can a freezer which is too cold. Might sound daft but you have to try placing them in different parts of your freezer, that’s what we do.
Miles
July 30, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
Laura,
Nice to hear from you, look forward to your next post. Have a breather first!
Miles
July 30, 2010 @ 9:27 pm
Cid,
.
I did just the same and had to do a double take
Anne
July 31, 2010 @ 5:26 pm
Miles,
I have never seen this done before and unlike Cid, have not even tried. It always seemed something only professionals could do.
I love the way you captured and demonstrate the art of this.
Anne
July 31, 2010 @ 5:28 pm
Anne,
My efforts with red hot caramel are well known and chaotic…. two forks madly waving about with ribbons of sugar everywhere. Think I must have seen someone quickly weave a web around a gateau which looked easy enough at the time. The beautiful, smooth controlled winding of the strand above bears no resemblance to my own frenzied attempts
Looks like we could do this Anne, we could produce fabulous ringlets with a bit of practice.
Cid
p.s. my only tip is to fill the caramel pan with water afterwards and boil until the residue melts off… I’m good at that bit
July 31, 2010 @ 10:13 pm
Anne,
On second thoughts, best leave it to the professionals
Miles
July 31, 2010 @ 10:22 pm