Lagusta Yearwood

Candy is based on sugars, primarily the kinds of sugars that can be boiled into soft or brittle threads. Then there are sugar syrups that do not normally harden. These two sugars are then flavored to make relatively simple "clear" candies. But after the clear candies come the more complex candies mixed and flavored with many things, but most notably milk. In the middle east and India, milk is boiled down till the milk sugars become the candy.

Chocolate candies do not need to contain any milk, but it does need to contain binders and fat. We are used to chocolate made with milk, that is, chocolates containing some milk solids and fats in various quantities. Milk and fat modify the texture and mouthfeel of chocolate and other sweets like some caramels.

Vegans must bind chocolate with something else and make caramels and other confections without honey, milk or eggs. This isn't hard to do, but finding good recipes to guide you is.

Lagusta Yearwood makes and sells vegan candies from her store called "Lagusta's Luscious" in New Paltz, New York. She has a dedicated following because she works hard to produce the very best sweets that just happen to be vegan.

Ms Yearwood's writing style is a bit breezy and talkative but she gets her message across. The recipes and how-to instructions are clear. You can skim the chatty text if it bothers you.

The recipes here vary from traditional to the artsy fartsy modern stuff – candies flavored with herbs and chilies and the like. I don't much care for those but lots of other people do. I'll stick with the chocolates and caramels.

A note on flavorings. One recipe calls for Thai Red Curry Paste. I don't know what brand Ms Yearwood is using, but traditional Red Curry Paste is based on shrimp paste which isn't even vegetarian. Be careful to read the label.

I received a review copy of " Sweet + Salty: The Art of Vegan Chocolates, Truffles, Caramels, and More from Lagusta's Luscious" by Lagusta Yearwood from Da Capo Lifelong Books through NetGalley.com.… (mehr)