This is my exam sugar showpiece.
I had the most nerve-wracking time this morning, because I found the three chefs who were supervising the sugar showpiece exam (Chef H, CF and T) quite intimidating. They were scary because they looked so stern.
I struggled with a few of the items early on -- I couldn't understand why the things I made, e.g. petals and leaves, kept breaking in my hands. I just wished I had more experience with pulling sugar to be able to diagnose problems when they arise.
Anyway, I eventually managed to produce the required items to make a showpiece.
For my sugar showpiece, I did my turntable design again. This time I used less black colouring for the turntable, because I wanted to make the turntable slightly transparent, like smoked glass. The poured sugar turntable turned out almost the same colour as a vase my mum has had for years, and I've loved that vase since childhood. I was really happy with my turntable and support pieces, because I got exactly what I wanted.
Late last night I wondered whether I could encase some pastillage leaves in poured sugar, so today I tried it (just as an experiment). It worked (and looked like amber), but I broke it as I was unmolding it... Fortunately, it was not an essential part of my design. In other words, I hadn't planned on definitely having it in my design, just in case it didn't work and I had nothing. But it was good to know it could be done.
I am glad my pastillage leaves (from two weeks ago) turned out well, and I could air-brush them green and use them as part of the arrangement. (I like the look of pastillage, and I certainly enjoyed working with it. It reminds me of gum paste.)
All in all, I feel I did better today than for my practice showpiece. Every little bit of experience helps... And I find sugar work quite interesting. I wouldn't mind doing more of it in the future, especially if it involves floral arrangements.
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PS. Just in case you are wondering about the choice of colours on my showpiece, green and gold/yellow are Australian colours -- the national rugby team (the Wallabies) wear green and gold uniforms. :)
My favourite colour would have to be blue, but we were not allowed to use blue in our showpieces, so I settled for green and gold.
