pastillage

From the recipe files of Renee Shelton.

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. I'm listing two recipes below. The first one I have used professionally, and it is a large batch recipe. It produces a fine pastillage that can be kneaded and rolled out paper thin on a sheeter for thin decorative pieces and is good for pressed items. The second is a good recipe that I use at home. It's simple to make and makes a nice white pastillage. When coloring either one, color the liquid first before adding to the mix to ensure there will be no streaks (but you still can knead in desired colors).

Pastillage

Hot water        10 oz.
Vinegar          3 oz.
Gelatin Sheets   16 sheets
Powdered Sugar   4 # 8 oz.
Powdered Sugar   3 # 12 oz.

Place water, vinegar and gelatin sheets in a bain marie until about 90°C. Pour into a large stand up mixer with a paddle and add the first powdered sugar. Mix smooth, then add the last powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Can color the liquid for large batch colors or knead in desired color to dough. Roll out with cornstarch.

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Pastillage

1 package of plain gelatin
1/2 c water
1 t cream of tartar
5 c powdered sugar
1 c cornstarch

Sift the powdered sugar and cornstarch together. In a small saucepan, place water and cream of tartar in, then sprinkle the plain gelatin over the top. Stir over low heat until dissolved. There may be an amount of cream of tartar that doesn't dissolve, just be sure no amount of gelatin is left undissolved. Remove from heat and add to bowl of stand up mixer, like a Kitchen-Aid. Put on a paddle attachment and with low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing spoonful by mixing spoonful (couple of tablespoons at a time or so) at a time. When all is incorporated, switch to medium speed until mixture is lightened and very white, about 3 minutes. Remove from bowl, wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for half an hour before rolling out. Can be frozen; place in refrigerator overnight to thaw. Roll out with cornstarch.

What is pastillage?
“A paste mixture used for making molded decorations. Works especially well on flowers and leaves used to decorate wedding cakes.”
(I believe that this is actually referring to what I think of as gumpaste – which is more elastic, used in very very thin sheets, and makes excellent flowers)
From Baking 911: “Pastillage is rolled Fondant without any of the softening ingredients (glycerin corn starch or shortening). It is used mainly for decorative ribbons, three dimensional shapes and appliqués because it dries bone-dry and crusts more quickly than Fondant.”
From chefsimon (original in french – my translation here): “It is a paste for decorations composed primarily of confectionary sugar.

There are many recipes depending on the smoothness desired and these are closely guarded secrets! Of course there exists for less exacting among us simple receipes but which prohibit a real work of smoothness or precision.”
Pastillage can be made different ways and of course can be used for pretty much anything you can think of, but generally it is sort of a decorative and structural pastry workhorse. Because it is stable, dries hard, is relatively strong and durable it generally provides bases, supports, ‘skeletons’ of decorative efforts upon which more delicate items are displayed.

Pastillage is often used in conjunction with gumpaste and other sugar work like pulled and blown sugar. It has been used to build petits fours stands, cake stands, containers, long lasting cake toppers, etc--it's also been used to build churches, replicas of airplanes, it can even be sanded, carved and sculpted. While it is often left perfectly white, it can also be colored or painted.
Pastillage, while made 100% of edible ingredients, is what might be termed "technically edible." First of all – pastillage is hard and crisp – essentially like Necco wafers. Depending on the recipe used it could be unpleasant to eat. For instance all the recipes I use involve vinegar. Personally, I have never been tempted to eat any pastillage. I feel that while it might amuse children it's not something you would want to include on your menu for any purposes other than decorative.

Fondant, gum paste, sugar paste, and pastillage are all related but have critical differences.
Fondant (and there are several kinds) remains soft for quite a while and makes a great cake covering – you can use it to make decorations but they lack the finesse and delicacy of décor created from gumpaste or pastillage. Fondant will harden up given time, but essentially remains soft.
Gumpaste recipes also vary extensively but typically involve gum tragacanth. The dough is very elastic and soft – more so than pastillage. Gumpaste can be rolled out thinner than pastillage, as thin as parchment, and it makes lovely flowers and petals. It can be worked longer than pastillage--meaning it is a little more forgiving, you can take longer to do what you want to do with gumpaste before it crusts than you can with pastillage. With pastillage, you have to work very quickly, make your cuts and shape it as quickly as possible. Both will hold up fairly well in humidity, but gumpaste will take on moisture more readily from the environment and other sources (such as buttercream). It is never as sturdy as pastillage.

Check this site to see pictures and information on some very cool historic pastillage creations--and realize pastillage has been used as a decorative medium for hundreds of years. Note the intricate molds. This makes one think about the close association of various artisans in the households of the aristocracy and how the changing social and economic conditions of the world have influenced pastry.
http://www.historicf...r-Sculpture.htm
On this site, you can see a really nice pastillage Taj Majal:
http://www.geocities...cakes/Misc.html
Uses for pastillage
How you use pastillage depends on what you do. For a wedding cake artist, we've already mentioned that pastillage would be used for cake toppers, décor, possibly a cake stand. For a pastry chef in a hotel or restaurant, pastillage might provide the structure for a centerpiece for a buffet table or the stands for petits fours or other mini-dessert items. Unlike chocolate, which could melt, and sugar, which could absorb humidity, pastillage is relatively indestructible. (Pastry chefs often save pastillage for a long time and recycle pieces again and again...)
Pastillage remains somewhat obscure, if not completely foreign, in daily life in America, but you can still see it in competition work. Here are a couple items I have made with pastillage over time - some also employ gumpaste. Multi-media sugar art is a good thing. It gives you variety and depth that is hard to achieve in a single sugar medium

Making pastillage
This is the pastillage recipe that I like most right now. It is from Ewald Notter. I will make a second batch with Light corn syrup instead of glucose and powdered gelatin just to see if that makes any difference.
850g 10x
150g cornstarch
10g gelatin
30g glucose
15g white vinegar
for the second batch
850g 10X
150g cornstarch
2 envelopes powdered gelatin dissolved in 125 g cold water (too much – try 60g)
30g light corn syrup
15 g white vinegar
- Place the glucose (or corn syrup) and white vinegar in a small pan
- Bloom the gelatin in cold water. Start this while you are prepping your sugar and starch so it has plenty of time to soak up water – you want it well hydrated. (For the second recipe with powdered gelatin I used 125g water and I felt that was too much – so I would cut back to maybe 60-80g)
- Weigh and sift your powdered sugar and corn starch together so they are well combined
- Place the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and warm your wet ingredients with the bloomed gelatin and let that melt – but not get too hot

- Gradually pour the melted gelatin mix into the dry ingredients while stirring with the paddle on the slowest speed

- Let that stir until it all comes together then turn it out onto a very clean surface dusted with 10X and knead until smooth

The batch with the powdered gelatin is too soft and sticky to use today because there is too much water - but I think that overnight the starch and sugar will absorb the extra moisture and it will probably be fine. There does not seem to be any difference otherwise - so, we'll see how it behaves after 12 hours. The other pastillage can be used right away.

- If it seems too dry and crumbly moisten your hands and continue kneading – repeat until the consistency is smooth and cleans up the surface
The pastillage dough is something like bread dough but not as soft or sticky.
I typically cut it in half and wrap the halves seperately, then put them in a ziplock bag with a damp towel.

You should soak the bowl and paddle as soon as you scrape out the pastillage dough so that the pastillage remnants don’t harden on them.
Some recipes really need to rest overnight to allow even absorbtion of the moisture, but others work quite well immediately.
If you don’t use all the pastillage – you may freeze it for future use. Upon thawing, the pastillage will be very stiff, sort of crumbly, but some kneading and warming (from your hands but 5 or 6 seconds in the microwave can aid you) will bring it back to a nice workable consistency.
Tomorrow I will demo techniques to roll, cut, and form the pastillage.

One of the great things about pastillage is its simple durability. As long as you don't break it and keep it clean it is always there for you. All those spare extra pieces or rejects can be used later. I always cut out rounds, and demi-circles, cut out circles with holes in the center and keep them on hand. Nickel and dime size flat circles or even thicker aspirin-sized circes are the best. You can almost always use them. Mold off a couple of solid demispheres and keep those handy, too, as legs.
I have swirly tendrils, demi spheres, circles, plans, ribbon loops, curved planks, flat planks, butterfly wings, random shapes, chunks that I have microwaved so they look sort of like coral. Another good item to just keep around are placques - flat rectangular pieces. I prefer gumpaste because it is lighter and nicer, but pastillage is good too - if you need a quick special cake you just grab a bag of royal and pipe a message - embellish with some piping or add a flower and voila!
Just keep your spares and unused pieces safe in a box someplace.

Working with pastillage (rolling, cutting, forming, drying)
Almost forgot the tools
French rolling pin or a clean length of PVC pipe for large pieces. I like a small roller for small pieces.
Xacto knife with a fresh blade
A scalpel is nice if you can get one
Sharp paring knife
Depending on what you are doing – you might want other tools and texturizers (limitless really)
Cutters
Everything you use should be very clean
glass of cold water - to clean knives and to add to pastillage if needed
It is also handy to have a dusting pouch. I made a little bag out of cheesecloth that I fill with cornstarch to dust with while working.

You need to give yourself lead time when working with pastillage since the drying takes about 12 hours – sometimes more depending on humidity, thickness of the dough, and moisture content (the more water you introduce in making it – the more has to dry away).
Don’t roll out too much pastillage since it will form a skin and start surface drying immediately – this will result in wrinkling when you cut it and especially if you are planning to form it, so start off with the least you can possibly get away with and don’t plan on doing too many pieces at once until you get comfortable and know how much time you can have. This is actually a really nice recipe and will last qite a while without suffering from cutting wrinkles but will still wrinkle when curved. I tried getting a picture - but its just very hard to capture.
I cut off a chunk and knead it up (yes – every time) then roll out. If you are working with the pastillage the second day or after thawing frozen pastillage it will take several minutes for it to respond to the kneading and soften up.
It is important to roll the pastillage out consistently/evenly (minimize hills and valleys – and try to roll out all pieces to the same thickness/thinness. I have to admit – I really never go to any particular lengths to ensure this – just go by feel – and run my hand over the surface to test for smooth evenness. When it matters though - you can use guides.

You can use a sheeter to roll out the pastillage – but it needs to be cleaned really well of any loitering flour. This is especially handy for very large pieces. Most sheeters have a textured surface on the pads that will be transferred to the pastillage. Using a large white sheet of posterboard slide under the rolled pastillage then slide the pastillage off onto your work surface. A quick roll with the French pin should smooth it right out.
For large or intricate pieces that require detailed cutting you may encounter problems with skin forming. If you have a large freezer with some space you can slip the sheet of rolled pastillage into the freezer for a few minutes. If you are working in a professioal kitchen with a proof box that is also a good place to pop the pastillage for a moment or two to moisten. Here you are trying to encourage condensation for once. This will allow you to extend your working time. I prefer to use a clothes steamer.
Make your cuts smooth and clean. As with cutting puff pastry – the knife blade should be straight up and down so that the vertical edge of the cut is straight and not angled. You will thank me later when you are trying to attach pieces. If you use cutters, try to find ones that have nice tight seams or are seamless. These usually cost more but they are worth it.
Following cutting it is time to place the pieces for shaping or drying flat. You may need to go back into the freeze or puff with a bit of steam. Keep in mind that the bottom surface is also drying the entire time you are working. You also want to avoid creating a wet slimy surface – you are looking for fresh dewiness – not rainstorm slick. If you have spent a while cutting you may want to hit the pastillage with a little steam before shaping.
When forming, especially forms that are deep (like a nose on a face mold) or like an egg – you can loosely form the pastillage piece over the exterior of the mold first to obtain the basic shape

Gently, gently work it in to fit using a ball of pastillage, a ball tool, or whatever makes the most sense. This will usually make the pastillage a bit larger so you will need to trim the excess.

Leave the formed pastillage in the mold for about 15 minutes or more – depending on the depth and thinness of the pastillage – you might want to let the pastillage sit for much longer in the mold. Another reason to give yourself multiple formers.

Flat pastillage should be very flat – as perfectly flat as possible – which requires that it dry on a perfectly flat surface and dry as evenly as possible. I like styrofoam panels for drying. Even on the Styrofoam you need to flip your pieces periodically or they will tend to warp. When flipping – especially large pieces be very careful and employ a piece of poster board if necessary or even a second panel laid over the first then invert. During the drying process the pastillage is very delicate and vulnerable to breakage. Resist the temptation to pick up and test out how a piece will look because more often than not the piece will bend or most likely break. You will see how the moisture retreats from the edges toward the center. When you flip it you will typically see the moisture.
Next - sanding and assembly. If you have a question about making or shaping something - please ask. I have a lot of pastillage on hand...

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-sugar-gum-paste-flowers-228511/

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/69493-demo-intro-to-pastillage/