Quality or cheap? Handmade confectionery.
This topic has been brewing for a long time, but after many questions from pastry chefs and customers, I finally got around to it and found the time.
So let's talk about the quality of confectionery, prices and the concept of «handmade» and mass-market.
My love, and at the same time my pain, is first and foremost macarons. These exquisite French pastries that look bright and appealing, and taste even better.
French macarons
They're the best thing about French macarons.
There is a classic technique for making this pastry. It is expensive and complicated (or rather, it requires certain skills). So, the classic recipe for macaron lids includes: almond flour (very finely ground almond nut, which today costs over 450 UAH/kg), powdered sugar, sugar and protein. That's it, nothing else should be there! The filling can be anything to your taste – ganache (cream and chocolate, cream based on fruit puree, etc.), but the composition also implies quality natural cream, quality chocolate, etc.
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Now ask google what it knows about «pasta mix». It will show you the composition: wheat flour, almond powder, egg white powder, milk protein, emulsifier E472a, glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, stabilizer E450 (i), flavoring.
And it will show you the composition: wheat flour, almond powder, egg white powder, milk protein, emulsifier E472a, glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, stabilizer E450 (i), flavoring.
You can Google Eskie yourself, but you have to agree, it's not a classic recipe by any means.
The same goes for the fillings. Someone puts whipped butter (or rather margarine) with flavorings, and someone insists on lavender, mint or basil on natural cream to mix it with delicious quality chocolate, prepares puree from natural fruits and berries to surprise the client and not to be ashamed of his work.
And someone insists on lavender, mint or basil on natural cream to mix it with delicious quality chocolate.
Colorants – also an important issue. Yes, it is not useful, but beet juice will not color macarons, unfortunately, moreover, any drop of moisture will kill them and you will get just almond pancakes.
There are dyes that cost 3 rubles a bunch, and there are in demand and recognized throughout the confectionery world, and a jar of 100 grams of such a dye can reach a thousand hryvnias. I can almost always tell by its appearance what kind of dye was used, whether it was expensive or «sholo».
I will not speak about the usefulness of the former and the latter, but I think that the more expensive product will do less harm.
There is such a long explanation to the question «And why do you have macaroni costs 22-25 UAH, and over there, across the street – 17 UAH? And you know, not counting a few pastry shops, in Kiev I have not eaten tasty and proper macaroni, especially in the mass market. The mass market is mostly made on mixes. But someone will try their macaroni and say: "Ew, I will never eat this nasty stuff!
The same goes for cakes.
The composition of a regular cake I have is about the following: sugar, flour, almond flour, eggs, powdered sugar, natural cream, chocolate, gelatin, fruit or berry puree, butter, pectin, milk. Depending on the type, the composition may vary slightly. And now on a whim the composition of the mass-market cake. I will not write the manufacturer, although I note that this is the most decent manufacturer in Ukraine, which makes very decent cakes. So: sugar, butter, peanuts, condensed milk product (skim milk, sugar, milk fat replacer (palm and sunflower oil, emulsifiers: E475, E471; antioxidants: E321, E320), lactose), wheat flour, dry egg white, cocoa powder, brandy, cocoa butter, vanilla powder, dessert wine, flavoring "Peanut", colors: E162, E100, E160c, E132.
It's different, isn't it?
And the main criterion, which is important for all kinds of holidays – is the decoration.
And the main criterion, which is important for all kinds of holidays – is the decoration.
Yes, the confectioner who makes an individual order, can write you any inscription, make icing of any color, do not want Peppa, you will be a princess, not a train, so the car, any whim. And taking into account the cost of quality raw materials and the time it takes to prepare the cake and decor, confectioner will earn 100, maximum 200 UAH. For two days of work. And everyone decides for himself, whether it is a lot or a little, for a high-quality and uniquely decorated cake.
But I think it is important to note that all this applies to good confectioners, who themselves do not chemichat with the composition and responsibly approach the process. Because everyone is different.
I will try to talk about the right macarons, appearance and flavors a little later, so that not only pastry chefs can understand who is doing well and who is not, but also customers can learn to understand and choose the best.
Liliya Koval
Pastry shop owner Royal sweets
