Fondant

Fondant is a sugar preparation of the classical French pâtisserie, made by cooking a sugar syrup to the soft-ball stage and working it as it cools until it turns from a clear syrup into a smooth, white, opaque paste. It belongs to the confectionery side of the pâtissier's craft, and it is taught as a foundation preparation in the professional curriculum of FERRANDI Paris. Its principal use is as a glaze for choux pastry, notably éclairs and religieuses, and for mille-feuille, where it is warmed and applied in a thin film.

Fondant is made from sucrose, water and a proportion of glucose syrup, cooked to about 115°C to 118°C (239°F to 244°F), poured onto a cool surface and worked with a spatula until it sets into a dense white mass. The glucose limits the growth of the sugar crystals, so that they stay very fine and the paste is smooth, without grain. Once rested, it is gently warmed to about 35°C to 37°C (95°F to 99°F), thinned if needed with a little syrup, and flavoured or coloured, for example with coffee extract, chocolate or a fruit purée. In this state it coats the surface of a pastry in a thin, glossy, opaque layer that sets to a soft finish.

Fondant is eaten on choux, mille-feuille and petits fours, where its sweetness sits against fillings that are cool, creamy or slightly bitter, such as crème pâtissière with coffee or chocolate. Such pastries go well with black coffee or tea, whose bitterness and tannin cut the sugar and clean the palate between mouthfuls. A late-harvest wine or a sweet sparkling wine can also accompany them, provided its acidity is high enough to balance the sweetness of the glaze.