The Art of the Confectioner: Sugarwork and Pastillage / Ewald Notter

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Excerpt: Creating Doves

The technique for creating a dove is similar to that for creating a swan, but the dove has quite a different look. Doves have small round heads with short beaks. The neck is short and the chest is full and large. The dove is a universal symbol for love, so these doves holding wedding rings are perfect for a wedding or engagement celebration.

1. Begin to blow a sphere. 2. Use your thumb and index finger to work a small ball away from the top of the sphere. This is the dove s head.	3. Use your thumb and index finger to slightly elongate the dove s neck, leaving a large teardrop shape at the base of the neck for the dove s body. Bend the head to a 90-degree angle.	4. Use your thumb and index finger to roll the head down to touch the neck.
5. Cool and remove the dove from the tube. 6. Pinch the open end closed and rewarm the closed end over the flame of an alcohol burner, then attach a small piece of warm Isomalt or sugar to form the tail.	7. Use your fingers to flatten and widen the tail.	8. Use room-temperature scissors to make indentations in the tail resembling feathers.
9. Pull a wing using the same technique as for pulling petals. Pull one side longer than the other to create a curve.	10. Use scissors to make short indentations in the long edge of the wing. Set aside.	11. Pull a second wing and use scissors to mark it with feather indentations.
12. Melt the wide edge of each wing slightly over the flame of an alcohol burner. 13. Attach the wings to the dove, facing downward, then bend the wings upward.	14. Use room-temperature scissors to cut a small triangle from a piece of red Isomalt or sugar. Warm the triangle over the flame of an alcohol burner and attach it to the head to form the beak.	15. Cut a small piece of red Isomalt or sugar and melt one end over the flame of an alcohol burner. Use the melted end to create eyes by dotting each side of the head.
16. Pull a thin, short piece of Isomalt or sugar by pulling and sliding it between your index finger and thumb. Cut it off from the main piece using room-temperature scissors, then warm both ends over the flame of an alcohol burner and bring the ends together to form a closed ring. 17. Pull another thin, short piece of Isomalt or sugar and bend it to form an open ring. 18. Place the open ring through the closed ring and join the ends of the open ring to close it and link the two rings together.	19. Using room-temperature scissors, cut a small piece of white Isomalt or sugar and melt one end over the flame of an alcohol burner. 20. Place a small amount of the melted white Isomalt or sugar on the bottom of the dove s beak. 21. Immediately attach the rings to the melted Isomalt or sugar.	22. Store the completed piece in an airtight container or plastic bag with limestone, calcium carbonate, or silica gel. Combine a pair of doves with a blown heart shape for a beautiful symbol of love.

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