The Art of the Confectioner: Sugarwork and Pastillage

Mr Notter I salute you once again: The Art of the Confectioner- Sugarwork and Pastillage is meant for professional Sweet and pastry makers, but it also disects the techniques enough so it can be followed by the serious home cooks who wants to try something new and exciting. Sugar is one of the most exciting mediums for Sculpting & crafting. The structure of it allows glass like manipulation to create amazing sculptural pieces. There are recipes for each technique, as well as lots of photographs to assist in explaining each step. This book is over 300 pages of well written and photographed instructions, recipes and tips. It's a comprehensive course in itself. The book starts with the basic tools you'll need, Please Note that some of the tools are specific to techniques also look at the technique you want and then see the tools you'll need for that project. The different categories are: A. Pastillage- this is something like a sugar clay that can be worked much like polymer, it's allowed to air dry and can be airbrushed with food safe colors. It can be rolled and sculpted. B. Sugar casting works to create solid transparent pieces. It's similar to any hard candy you may have made. C. Sugar pulling- this is the method that created the gorgeous candy ribbons on the cover. It's also ideal for flowers. D. Blown Sugar- like blown glass, this creates delicate hollow ornaments and sculpture, and also uses the most specialized tools E. There are also newer effects like net which creates lacy patterns in a sheet and pressed sugar which is the same way sugar eggs or sugar skulls are made. Each technique has projects shown with step-by-step instructions. You will learn how to make molds for casting, how to texture pastillage, and how to blow shapes like doves for an incredibly lovely cake topper. There are also tips for painting the finished pieces. While some of the ingredients will have to be purchased online or at a specialty store, it's worth it. There are lots of photographs which show the range of this medium. Fish swimming in coral, abstract works of art that look like glass and ornaments that look like vintage German glass. I really do recommend it, and think that sugar sculpting may be a micro-trend soon in food crafting. Go on you know you want to.....Enjoy

Great pictures, step by step. Recipes. The works. Love this book. Something to treasure.

Tells you all you need to know. Seemed a bit expensive but well worth the asking price😃

Definitely a book for professional confectioners or patisseries, beautiful photography and so much useful information. Arrived well before delivery estimate too

I bought this book because I read that it had a latest trends section-most of which didn't I don't agree to be a new trend (eg pressed sugar, .Which was a bit disappointing. Although there is plenty of information on isomalt and the clear blowing of isomalt-something I was delighted to find. Still, it is a great book for both the beginner and professional. Three recipes are given for pulled/blown sugar - to cover all bases - a recipe without glucose, with powdered glucose, and with isomalt. The book contains some great blown figures - I especially liked the shell and horse. Although the finished pieces are amazing, the white background on all the photos doesn't do some of the finished pieces justice. And although the author notes that all equipment must be spotless, there is no mention of salt and vinegar solution (or maybe I missed it) for cleaning the pots/pan - which might be useful information to know for the beginner. And maybe some alternatives to expensive and difficult to source sugar work equipment could have been mentioned for beginners-because he gives limestone, cardboard tubes etc. as cheaper/easier to source alternatives. Overall it is a very good book with beautiful pieces a nice book to add to the collection and I'm happy with the purchase.

Love this book, just what I was looking for. Very informative and in a no nonsense format. Right book at the right time for me as I am just starting to explore these forms of sugarwork hence the full five stars.

very good book highly recommended to the Professional chef great book

Lovely detail

Love this book. Not for the faint of heart or beginner. Still, buy it anyways. It's inspiring.

Confectioner was used as a textbook in a college course for aspiring pastry chefs, focusing on sugar art and pastillage. The content is highly professional, with techniques thoroughly explained — from foundational skills to advanced applications. The section on the structural assembly of pastillage, along with the delicate detailing of flowers and lacework, is particularly impressive. These techniques are not only beautiful but directly applicable to real-world production and competition-level work. The book features an abundance of photographs and clear diagrams, making it easy to follow the steps visually. This visual clarity is a great asset, especially during hands-on practice. Beyond its practical value, Confectioner is simply beautiful to look at. The sugar art showcased is so artistic and refined that browsing through the pages feels like viewing a gallery of edible masterpieces. While beginners might find some sections challenging, this book is an exceptional resource for anyone aiming to master sugar art at a professional level or prepare for high-level competitions.

Was listed as new but had gouge on inside of book. Content on sugar excellent. Seller promptly replaced book at no extra cost.

What a wonderful book, amazing photos, easy step by step instructions

This is a master class w detailed instructions n excellent photos that guide you step by step It’s super comprehensive n very professional Going through this book truly is like taking a class by the best sugar artist Not a beginners book too complicated CON: this author does NOT include a resource guide at all There r so many different tools ingredients speciality products etc that not having a resource is truly disappointing n definitely frustrating to say the least Highly recommend I would have given it 5 stars but not having a resource guide is a definite disappointment