Mexican Sugar Skull Food

HOW TO MAKE SUGAR SKULLS (CALAVERA DE AZúCAR)

Steps:

• Mix the sugar, meringue powder and water together until all the granules of sugar are wet. Pick up a handful of the mixture and squeeze in your hand. If it holds together, its ready. If it falls apart, it will need a tiny bit more water.
• Fill your skull mold with the wet sugar, pressing down on the sugar, compacting it as you go. Fill both the front and back skull cavities with the sugar. Scrape off the excess sugar.
• Cut a piece of parchment paper and a piece of cardboard just a bit bigger than your mold. Set the parchment paper down on top of the mold. Set the cardboard on top of the paper. Grab onto the mold and cardboard, and carefully flip the whole thing upside down. Set it on the counter, then carefully lift the mold up off the sugar skulls. The mold should pop right off. If the sugar sticks, it's too wet. Scrape it out of the mold, clean the mold, and add some more dry sugar to the mixture and try molding it again. If your sugar skulls do not hold together, the mixtures needs more water.
• Your sugar skulls now need to dry. Midway through the drying cycle you need to carefully flip them over so the back sides can dry out at well. They should be ready to decorate in 12-24 hours.
• Make royal icing. Beat together powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until its shiny and will hold stiff peaks.
• Once your skulls are dried, spread a thin layer of royal icing on the flat part of the back side of each skull. Press the front and back sides together. Use your finger to wipe off the icing that oozes out from in between the two pieces. Allow the skulls to dry for at least an hour.
• After your skulls are dry, they are ready to decorate. Color small bowls full of royal icing using food coloring. If you wont be using the icing right away, be sure to cover each bowl with plastic wrap.
• Pipe royal icing onto the skulls. Any simple or elaborate designs. Get as creative as youd like and use lots of bright colors on each skull for a dramatic appearance.
• Allow your sugar skulls to dry for several hours before using them as decorations for your Day of the Dead event.

SUGAR SKULL

Steps:

• For the skull: Combine the granulated sugar and meringue powder in a bowl, then add 2 teaspoons water and mix by hand until it feels like moist sand. Check if there is enough moisture by squeezing some sugar paste in your hand; if it maintains its shape, it's ready to mold. If it falls apart, add more water until you reach the desired consistency.
• Continue to stir the sugar mixture as you mold the skull, to keep the moisture evenly distributed. Press the sugar paste into the front skull mold. Scrape off and clean the back of the mold with a bench scraper, then unmold the skull onto a piece of cardboard. Repeat with the back skull mold. Let the skull halves dry 8 hours or overnight.
• For the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3/4 cup water in a large bowl. Mix slowly with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks; the icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly. Apply a thin layer of icing to the flat side of one of the skull halves, then use it to "glue" the two halves together. Let sit until dry, about 1 hour.
• Add food coloring to the icing (divide into several colors, if desired) and mix with a rubber spatula until the color is uniform. Transfer icings to small piping bags fitted with decorating tips and decorate the skulls as desired. Let sit until dry, 3 to 4 hours.

CALAVERAS DE DULCES ( MEXICAN SUGAR SKULLS)

Steps:

• You will also need sequins, for decorating the eyes.
• Combine the egg white and water until foamy.
• Add extract (if using) and corn syrup.
• Add confectioners sugar; you'll end up having to use your hands to incorporate all of it.
• Sprinkle 1 cup of the cornstarch on a work surface and knead the sugar paste in the cornstarch until it's smooth.
• Form a ball and wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap; chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
• Pinch off some of the sugar paste to use with food coloring for decorations.
• With the rest of the paste you should have enough for about 8 skulls; they don't have to be very big, less than the size of a small fist.
• Sculpt the piece of sugar paste into a skull shape, smoothing the surface as you go and forming eye sockets, etc.
• (You can find some really good examples on various sites on the internet--).
• You'll find that the paste gets softer and softer the warmer it gets-- if it sticks too much, add more cornstarch.
• Add food colors (and extracts, if using) to the sugar paste that you set aside; generally the brighter the colors the better.
• If you wish, you can add enough water to form more of an icing and it can be squeezed onto the skulls, if not, forming decorations by hand is okay, too.
• The skulls are generally"cheery" looking and colorful, not particularly scary.
• Finish by using sequins in the eye sockets.
• Now your skull is ready to dry.
• Simply let it sit out in a dry, warm place for a few hours or up to a couple of days based on weather conditions.
• When dry, it's ready to display.

SUGAR SKULLS

Steps:

• Note: you will also need to purchase: metal sequins for decorating eyes [the zaar computer about had a stroke with that in the ingredients].
• Whisk powdered egg whites and water together until foamy. Add vanilla extract and corn syrup. Whisk until blended. Add powdered sugar. With a spoon, and then by hand, mix until a firm paste forms.
• Dust a jelly-roll pan with 1 cup of the cornstarch. Knead sugar paste in cornstarch for a few minutes until it becomes smooth and pliable. Roll the dough into a ball. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it until chilled.
• Begin by forming dough into round balls, each about the size of a small fist. Use more cornstarch to prevent sticking, if needed.
• Use your hands to sculpt the ball into a skull shape. Sculpt eye and nose hollows with your thumbs or a blunt knife.
• To prepare the icing, whisk powdered egg white and water together until foamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Divide mixture into two small bowls. Add red food coloring and cinnamon extract to one and blue food coloring and peppermint extract to the other. Mix to blend the colors in each bowl.
• Fill two pastry bags with icing mixtures. Decorate skulls with icing. Allow objects to dry. Weather conditions affect drying times. Skulls may take anywhere from several hours to 48 hours to fully dry.
• If you have bought your alfeniques [candy skulls] and would like to add chocolate candy, the directions are simple.
• Melt your favorite chocolate in a double boiler. White chocolate looks best with the skulls.
• Use a funnel with a rounded stopper to pour your chocolate (or use a spoon, messier but less expensive) into shaped molds. Wipe any drips off the edges of your molds and place in the freezer until the mold appears frosted and the candies hard. More time is better than less. Flip the mold over and tap lightly over a towel. Any candies that do not drop out easily should be placed in the freezer a little longer.