A gorgeous professional-level guide to the most challenging formof the confectioner's art A showpiece created entirely from sugar is truly a work of art,and it takes an eye for design and strong pastry skills to workwith this delicate medium. The Art of the Confectioner isthe ultimate guide to working with sugar to create beautiful sugarand pastillage shapes, flowers, figurines, and breathtakingfull-scale showpieces. Author and award-winning pastry chef EwaldNotter shares wisdom gained from more than 35 years in the pastrykitchen, and combines straightforward advice and step-by-stepinstructions with lessons on developing artistry and designskills. The book begins with a basic overview of sugar, includinginformation on the equipment and ingredients needed to work withsugar and Isomalt. Subsequent chapters cover Pastillage, SugarCasting, Sugar Pulling, Sugar Blowing, and New Trends in Sugarwork,and include detailed instructions on how to make everything fromdelicate flowers to whimsical blown sugar figurines. And the finalchapter shows how readers can bring together all the skills learnedthroughout the book to create award-winning sugar and pastillageshowpieces. From working with shapes and color and choosing a focuspoint to developing a sculpture based on a particular theme, Notterprovides insights into all the tricks of the trade and expertadvice on preparing for competitions. Throughout the book, techniques are explained with simple,step-by-step instructions and illustrated with clear how-to photos,while stunning showpiece beauty shots provide inspiration. The bookincludes hundreds of color photos as well as beautiful hand-paintedwatercolor illustrations by the author, and an Appendix oftemplates is provided to help readers replicate the showpiecesshown throughout the book. For pastry students, aspiringconfectioners, and professional pastry chefs looking to improvetheir skills for restaurant work or competition, The Art of theConfectioner is a must-have guide from one of the field's mostwell-known experts.