Sucre en Glace (Icing Sugar)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •High-speed blender with a dry 1 to 1½ quart (1 to 1.5 litre) jar, or a clean electric spice grinder
• •Very fine-mesh sieve, at least 6 inches (15 cm) wide
• •Dry mixing bowl
• •Airtight storage jar
• •Small lidded sugar dredger with fine holes
• •Flameproof baking sheet or shallow gratin dish for caramel glazing

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the equipment

   Make certain the blender jar, sieve, bowl, and storage jar are perfectly dry. Sucre en glace takes moisture from the air with astonishing speed, and one damp spoon is enough to turn a flowing powder into little stones. Wipe everything, then leave it uncovered for a few minutes if there is any doubt.

2. 2

   Pulverize the sugar

   Divide the sugar into two batches so the blades can circulate it evenly. Grind each batch at high speed for 30 to 45 seconds, stop, loosen any sugar packed beneath the blades, then grind again until no visible crystals remain. Let the powder settle for a full minute before opening the lid; this keeps the sugar in the jar and out of your kitchen. If the machine grows warm, stop and cool it before continuing, since heat encourages the sugar to smear and clump.

3. 3

   Sieve it twice

   Pass the ground sugar through the finest dry sieve you own, pressing gently with the back of a spoon rather than forcing hard grains through the mesh. Return everything left behind to the grinder, process it once more, and sieve again. Rub a pinch between dry fingers: it should feel like starch, with no grit at all. If it forms damp pellets, spread it on a bare baking sheet, dry it at 200°F (95°C) for 10 minutes, cool completely, then grind and sieve again.

4. 4

   Fill the dredger

   Transfer the finished sucre en glace to an airtight jar. Fill a small, lidded sugar dredger only when you are ready to work, because its pierced top admits kitchen moisture during storage. The old silken drum and service tin were brigade equipment; the fine sieve, sealed jar, and small dredger perform the same work for one cook without changing the required fineness.

5. 5

   Glacer à blanc

   For glacer à blanc, coating white, hold the dredger 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) above a completely cool, dry cake, fritter, custard, or Pannequet. Shake steadily while moving across the surface so the sugar falls as one even veil rather than in drifts. If the first coat disappears, the surface was warm or damp. Let it cool and dry, then apply a second veil. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Glacer au caramel

   For glacer au caramel, coating with caramel, heat the broiler at full power for at least 5 minutes and place an oven rack so the dessert will sit 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) beneath it. Arrange 4 finished Pannequets made from Preparations for Pancakes and Pannequets (No. 2403) in a flameproof dish, then dredge them evenly with about 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 15 g) sucre en glace. Broil without looking away until the sugar melts into a continuous, brilliant amber covering, usually 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Pull the dish as soon as the glaze is glossy. If it colors in islands, cover the pale spots with another whisper of sugar and return it for a few seconds; once the sugar turns black, its bitterness cannot be hidden. Use the same fierce, brief overhead heat for a Soufflé, souffléd omelet, fruit fritters, or custard. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Commercial icing sugar commonly contains starch to prevent clumping. It will serve for a white dusting, but for the book's clear caramel glaze, grind pure granulated sugar yourself; starch can make the melted coating cloudy and scorch before the sugar runs clear.
• •Work in small batches. A crowded blender leaves coarse crystals circling above the blades, while a half-filled jar pulls every grain through the cutting path.
• •The finer the sieve, the finer the finish. If your home sieve is not as close as silk, pass the sugar twice and regrind what remains. Cooking well is not cooking fancy, but this fineness is not negotiable.
• •A caramel glaze needs a flameproof vessel and fierce top heat. Do not use parchment beneath the broiler, and stay at the oven door; the distance between brilliant amber and bitter black is measured in seconds.
• •Store the main batch in an airtight jar, not in the dredger. If it clumps later, crush it, sieve it again, and carry on.

Advance Preparation

• •Grind and sieve the sucre en glace up to 3 months ahead. Keep it airtight in a dry cupboard, then sieve it once more before a dinner party if the powder has settled into small clumps.
• •Fill the dredger shortly before serving and return any unused sugar to the sealed jar afterward. Wash the dredger only when necessary, then let it dry completely before it touches another batch.
• •Prepare the finished Pannequets from Preparations for Pancakes and Pannequets (No. 2403) according to their own entry before heating the broiler; this preparation reaches for them completed and concerns itself only with their glaze.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 40g)