FondArt - there's a new kid in town and she's AWESOME

So a month or so ago I was invited to attend a Nicholas Lodge demo with Albert Uster. He debuted his brand new line of fondant, called FondArt.

Disclaimer, I use Carma Massa Ticino. I've sampled Alber Uster's fondant previously (all of them) and I hated them as much as Satin Ice. I think both Satin Ice and Albert Uster's fondant taste foul.

So I was very skeptical, but I trust Nicholas Lodge. Let me tell you, this stuff tastes just like homemade marshmallow fondant. It has a spring-y-ness that those that use his gumpaste recipe will recognize and it rolls really nice. It also comes in several colors and here's the HURRAY! part - it comes in jewel colors and black. The black has only a very faint chemical taste. I mean, it's faint! And it's a true black. I covered 2 tiers with it, and although it was a little different then I was used to, it was great. It also stayed somewhat soft! It didn't get that dried-out gummy-ness that fondant gets.

It's also hella cheap compared to AI's "higher quality" fondant lines, and I think about the same price as Satin Ice.

I am in no way affiliated with Albert Uster or Chef Lodge, I just wanted to share that there is a new kid on the playground and that kid is AWESOME!

http://www.auiswisscatalogue.com/639001/1-ENRO.html

I am hard-pressed giving up my Massa Ticino, but I'll never buy a tub of black Satin Ice again.

PS they will be selling at ICES and Chef Nicholas will be doing the same demo (I think it will be the same).

It's not chewy, it's been a while since I've made MMF, but I think it has the same mouthfeel (and flavor). The stretch is also the same, so it does tear a bit easier then what I'm used to working with, it really has almost a homemade feel. But comparing it to Satin Ice (black), I thought it was much easier to work with because it wasn't crumbly and it didn't elephant skin like I am used to when using SI black, despite the constant humidity I live in. It also didn't dye my rolling pin and table red like SI black always does. I rolled some white right after and it didn't pick up any color. I covered a 6" tall wonky ganached super sharp corner cake, and was successful after 1 try of rolling 1/8" thick and stretching to 1/16".

It comes in 2.2 pound bricks and retails for a little over $7. No sample packs, at the demo I went ahead and justbought one of every color except white, set me back a whole $35 bucks (they were out of blue). So far extremely happy. I have made all kinds of decorations - I ran the red thru my clay extruder to make tiny tiny shoe laces for a 1" fondant running shoe cupcake topper. It extruded wonderfully, didn't stick or crumble, and I was able to actually put it on the shoe cris-cross like a real shoe lace. I normally would have used gumpaste. I also ran it thru my KA pasta attachment on 5 to make tappits letters. Again, I normally would have used gumpaste - but it worked beautifully.

It did get sticky sitting overnight in my very damp walk-in, but it dried out just as nice and just as fast as the Massa Ticino on the tier under it. So if you are used to working in high humidity and already deal with sticky fondant, it's no different.

Yes I have and I don't love it. But I'm really, really picky. If someone wants chocolate fondant I make my own using real chocolate (Michelle Foster's recipe). I have yet to find a brand of pre-made that I would put on one of my cakes to sell.