- As a pastry artist, it is important to look beyond the obvious when casting molds. Rather than casting a solid leaf, Chef Tréand choose to make it with a hollow center.
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He starts by setting the mold leaf on a sheet of parchment (easier to life the filled mold off the table.) Next, he pours Isomalt sugar along the outside perimeter of the leaf.
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He makes sure the Isomalt flows over the perimeter of the leaf by at least 1.5 inches. If the Isomalt perimeter of the leaf is less than that, it is likely to break upon demolding. Chef Trénd allows the sugar to cool.
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After the Isomalt has cooled, Chef Tréand carefully lifts the mold from the table and gently flexes the silicone away from the casting.
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It is important to flex mold the mold on all sides to release the perimeter of the casting before trying to remove it from the mold. This looks easy, but the casting can break if you try to demold it too quickly.
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The Isomalt leaf is freed from the mold.
Next step; airbrushing…
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Chef Tréand airbrushes the textured underside of the leaf. He starts with a light green rim around the perimeter of the leaf.
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Next, he applies a brown layer to the outermost area of the leaf.
- Here, Chef Tr&eaute;and adds color to the deep leaf veins. To create naturalistic coloration, he recommends the color be darkest on the outer perimeter and gradually get lighter towards the center.
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To increase the reflective quality, a small amount of gold luster brushed into the details.>
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Notice how the airbrushed color on the back of the leaf now looks magnified when viewed through the front/smooth side of the leaf. Thank you Stéphane.
- Closeup of the Showpeel demo
Purchase the 18 inch Jungle Rhubarb leaf used in this demo.