How Not to Die
This past weekend, I watched an episode of Dr. G Medical Examiner (a woman who I actually had the pleasure of meeting once) and in this episode a tourist took a trip to Orlando and promptly died from blood clots as a result of sitting on his long 9-hour plane ride from the UK. I have been traumatized ever since. Now I’m convinced that sitting at my desk for 8 hours a day is going to kill me. Dr. G’s website boasts a new show called “How Not to Die” which I’m sure includes boring stuff about eating healthy and exercising and probably doesn’t include anything about eating shitloads of fondant and french desserts.
As I mentioned just yesterday, I’m on a fondant-making mission. There are a few recipes I’ve collected to compare – last night, I made marshmallow fondant using Peggy Weaver’s photo tutorial. I would have my own photographs of the process but when it came to kneading the mixture, Weaver wasn’t joking. It was an APOCALYPSE of powdered sugar and melted marshmallow sticking to the dinner table. Imagine two Michelin man hands desperately slapping against wet, hot marshmallow goop. It’s wasn’t very sexy.
Eventually, by some miracle, it turned into this:
I had about a half cup of the powdered sugar left over which I stored along with the rolled up fondant. A quick taste test revealed it pretty much tastes like you think it would – like sweet marshmallow fondant. I would say it’s softer and more malleable than other fondants I’ve tasted in the past so I can see this at being a favorite. But, since I didn’t have any butter and couldn’t make any cake and thus, couldn’t decorate. The frosting went into the refrigerator for later this week.
Strangely enough, I felt the need to bake some more. Super cute blogger, funny side up, recently did an episode on the french dessert clafoutis (or technically flognarde, since it uses plums instead of cherries). A relatively easy and quick dessert to make that’s something between a custard and a cake.
And it’s pretty too!
Just don’t do what I did and sift the powdered sugar on the dessert before you store it – it’ll condense and get absorbed and won’t look so fancy anymore for the student’s bake sale. But again, they’ll eat anything.
Judy (October 8, 2009, 2:31 pm).
Very impressed with your fondant-making skills. It’s an area I’ve feared to tread. The clafouti looks luscious. Plums are wonderful little things in baked goods.
MC (October 8, 2009, 10:31 pm).
I’m confident that you can make it, especially after seeing everything else you can make on your blog! It’s a messy endeavor but if you pre-plan (put some newspaper on the floor etc), it’s doable and I think worth it. I haven’t purchased fondant before but I imagine it can’t be as good as “home made”. I can’t wait to try another version!