Image is for illustrative purposes only.

This is a bright red strawberry mirror glaze, the kind of shining coat that goes over a frozen mousse cake or entremet so the finished dessert looks like glass. It is built on a simple strawberry syrup thickened with a little starch and set with gelatine, sharpened with lemon juice and a pinch of citric acid so the fruit flavour stays fresh rather than sweet and flat.

Poured at the right temperature it gives a thin, even, deeply reflective layer that cuts cleanly with a warm knife and does not crack. Use it over mousse cakes, mousse domes and glazed entremets, or as a shiny top on a cheesecake or a fruit tart filling. Any glaze left over keeps in the fridge and is simply warmed again when you need it.

Ingredients

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Weight Per Unit: 770
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: enough to glaze one 22–24 cm mousse cake, with extra for pouring
WEIGHT
(grams) 		ALTERNATIVE METRIC INGREDIENT IMAGE CONDITION
A 300 1.3 cups Water
B 100 3.5 ounces Frozen Strawberries Frozen strawberries are ripe berries picked and frozen at their peak, so they carry full flavour and colour all year round. They break down easily when heated and are ideal for syrups, glazes and purées where the fruit will be cooked and strained anyway. thawed
C 200 7 ounces Sugar Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
D 90 3.2 ounces Glucose Syrup

Glucose syrup, also known as confectioner's glucose, is a syrup made from the hydrolysis of starch. Glucose is a sugar. Maize (corn) is commonly used as the source of the starch in the US, in which case the syrup is called "corn syrup", but glucose syrup is also made from potatoes and wheat, and less often from barley, rice and cassava.


Glucose syrup containing over 90% glucose is used in industrial fermentation, but syrups used in confectionery contain varying amounts of glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade, and can typically contain 10% to 43% glucose. Glucose syrup is used in foods to sweeten, soften texture and add volume. By converting some of the glucose in corn syrup into fructose (using an enzymatic process), a sweeter product, high fructose corn syrup can be produced.
43 DE
E 7.5 1.5 teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice Fresh lemon juice is the juice squeezed from whole lemons and strained of seeds and pulp. It gives a natural sharpness and aroma that bottled juice cannot match, and roughly three medium lemons will yield the amount needed here. strained
F 13 0.5 ounce Modified Starch Modified starch is a corn or tapioca starch that has been treated so it thickens smoothly and stays stable when acid, sugar and freezing are involved. In a glaze it gives body and shine without becoming cloudy or watery; plain corn starch can be used instead, though the set will be a little softer.
G 13 0.5 ounce Icing Sugar Mixture Icing sugar mixture, also known as confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar, is pulverised granulated sugar crushed together with a small amount (about three percent) of cornflour. This icing sugar is great to use when making icing for kids' birthday cakes or dusting sweet treats. sifted
H 14 0.5 ounce Gelatin Gelatin or gelatine (from Latin: gelatus meaning "stiff", "frozen") is a translucent, colourless, brittle (when dry), flavourless foodstuff, derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar way are called gelatinous. Gelatin is an irreversibly hydrolyzed form of collagen. It is found in most gummy candy as well as other products such as marshmallows, gelatin dessert, and some ice cream, dip and yogurt. Household gelatin comes in the form of sheets, granules, or powder. Instant types can be added to the food as they are; others need to be soaked in water beforehand.
I 30 1 fluid ounce Water
for blooming the gelatine 		cold
J 2 Citric Acid Citric acid is the natural acid found in lemons and other citrus fruit, sold as fine white crystals or powder. A small pinch sharpens the flavour of sugar syrups and helps stop them crystallising during storage.
769

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Method

STEP ACTION DETAIL CONDITION
1 Bloom Sprinkle H (gelatine powder) over I (cold water) in a small bowl and leave it to swell without stirring. Firm, spongy and with no dry powder left
2 Boil Put A, B, C and D (water, frozen strawberries, caster sugar and glucose syrup) in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have broken down. Boiling and the fruit collapsed
3 Mix Whisk F and G (modified starch and icing sugar mixture) together dry, then whisk them into the boiling syrup in a thin stream. No lumps; the starch and sugar mixed dry first so it disperses
4 Thicken Boil for about one minute, stirring constantly, until the glaze thickens slightly and turns glossy. Lightly coats the back of a spoon
5 Finish Take the pan off the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatine, then E and J (fresh lemon juice and citric acid). Add Strawberry Red Food Colouring (strawberry red food colouring) a drop at a time until the shade is right. Gelatine completely melted, colour even through the glaze
6 Strain Pass the glaze through a fine sieve into a clean jug, pressing the fruit pulp to get all the liquid through. Skim off any foam on the surface. Smooth and free of seeds, pulp and bubbles
7 Cool Let the glaze cool, stirring gently now and then so no skin forms, down to about 30–35°C (86–95°F). Still pourable but thick enough to coat; too hot and it runs off, too cool and it sets in ribbons
8 Glaze Stand the frozen mousse cake on a rack over a tray and pour the glaze over the centre in one steady movement, letting it flood down the sides. Sweep once with a palette knife if needed. The cake must be frozen solid so the glaze sets on contact
9 Set Let the excess drip off, trim the drips at the base with a small knife and lift the cake onto its board. Refrigerate. Glaze touch-dry and mirror-shiny before decorating

Important Notes

This half batch makes about 770 g of glaze, enough to flood one 22–24 cm mousse cake with the extra that is always needed for a clean pour. Catch the run-off in a tray, strain it and keep it for the next cake. The cake must be frozen hard before glazing, otherwise the glaze slides off and the surface will not be smooth. Store the glaze in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it; to use again, warm it gently in the microwave or over a water bath, stir without whipping air into it and bring it back to about 30–35°C (86–95°F). Strain again before pouring if any bubbles have formed.

Tools & Arrangements

Digital scales, medium saucepan, whisk, heatproof spatula, fine sieve, pouring jug, thermometer, cooling rack set over a tray, small palette knife.

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