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Alfeñique (Toluca Day of the Dead sugar-paste figures)
Hand-modelled sugar-paste skulls, animals and fruit for the ofrenda
Each October the arcades of Toluca, in the State of Mexico, fill with the Feria del Alfeñique: stalls of little skulls, lambs, coffins, baskets and fruit, all modelled from sugar paste and painted bright colours for the Day of the Dead altars of 1 and 2 November. Children buy a skull with their own name on it; families place them on the ofrenda beside marigolds, candles and pan de muerto. The paste is snow-white, smooth and brittle once dry, with a clean sugar and lime taste. The old Toluca paste is egg-free, kneaded with chautle, a gum from an orchid bulb; here gum tragacanth plays that part, making the paste stretchy enough to model and helping it dry hard. The decorating icing is egg-free too, made from icing sugar, lime juice and a pinch of the same gum. Chef's tip: work the syrup while it is warm and keep the paste wrapped; the common mistake is letting it sit uncovered, so it dries out and cracks as you shape it.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the sugar paste
- 1 ⅛ lb white sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp neutral oilfor the work surface
- 1 tsp gum tragacanth powder
- 5 ½ oz icing sugarplus extra for dusting
- 2 tbsp cornflourfor dusting moulds and hands
To decorate
- 3 ½ oz icing sugarfor the egg-free piping icing
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp gum tragacanth powder
- natural food colourings (optional)paste or powder: pink, yellow, green, blue
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Lightly oil a marble slab or a large heatproof tray with 1 tsp neutral oil. Have a metal scraper ready.
Step 2: Put 1 ⅛ lb white sugar, ¾ cup water and 1 tbsp lime juice in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring and brush the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
4 minStep 3: Boil without stirring until the syrup reaches 116-250°F (soft-ball stage), about 10-12 minutes; a drop in cold water forms a soft ball you can squash.
12 minStep 4: Pour the syrup onto the oiled slab and leave it for 5-8 minutes, until a skin forms and it is warm, not hot, at the centre.
8 minStep 5: Work the syrup with the scraper, lifting the edges into the middle, for 5-10 minutes, until it turns from clear to opaque white and thick, like soft putty.
10 minStep 6: Mix 1 tsp gum tragacanth powder with 5 ½ oz icing sugar. Knead the paste on a surface dusted with this mixture until all of it is absorbed and the paste is smooth, pliable and no longer sticky. Wrap tightly and rest for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 7: Dust skull moulds and your hands with 2 tbsp cornflour. Press walnut-sized pieces of paste into the moulds, or model them by hand into skulls, small animals or fruit, keeping the rest of the paste wrapped as you work.
Step 8: Tap the figures out of the moulds and leave them on a tray lined with baking paper for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight, until dry and hard on the outside.
60 minStep 9: For the icing, beat 3 ½ oz icing sugar with 1 tbsp lime juice, ¼ tsp gum tragacanth powder and a few drops of water to a thick paste that holds a line. Divide it and tint with natural food colourings.
Step 10: Pipe eyes, flowers, swirls and names onto the dry figures with a paper cone or fine nozzle. Leave to dry for 30 minutes before placing them on the altar or wrapping them.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does alfeñique (Toluca Day of the Dead sugar-paste figures) take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 160 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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