Sucre Cristal - qu'est-ce que c'est?

[John DePaula]

I have seen several recipes using << sucre cristal >> or "crystal sugar" e.g. in Pates de fruits. I live in the US and here the crystal is very large grained and contains (or is polished with) carnauba wax.

I was hoping to find out if Sucre Cristal in France is different. In other words, is it just large-grained clear sugar without the wax?

Thanks

[Abra]

It's just a bit larger-grained than normal granulated sugar, whereas here there's also "sucre en poudre" which is not our powdered sugar but more like that superfine baker's sugar. To my knowledge there's no exact equivalent in the US, at least at the retail level, but it's not meant to be really crunchy, more just sparkly.

[David Lebovitz]

Yes, the sucre cristal has larger grains than American granulated sugar, which means that if you're making pâte de fruit, it wouldn't dissolve so quickly, creating a nicer, more stable coating.

If you're looking for a quantity, depending on where you live, you might wish to contact a sugar refinery (like C&H on the west coast) and see if they sell other grades of sugar specifically for professionals as they usually have much more available than what they sell to the public.

I may be wrong, but 'sanding sugar' is similar in size, but some brands might contain wax for decorating purposes.

Edited January 22, 2008 by David Lebovitz (log)

[John DePaula]

Thanks very much, that's very helpful! I thought it might be more akin to sanding sugar since the 'Crystal Sugar' that I found was really large.

[John DePaula]

It's just a bit larger-grained than normal granulated sugar, whereas here there's also "sucre en poudre" which is not our powdered sugar but more like that superfine baker's sugar.  To my knowledge there's no exact equivalent in the US, at least at the retail level, but it's not meant to be really crunchy, more just sparkly.

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Interesting, Abra. I was just looking through my copy of Larousse du Chocolat and Herme refers to sucre en poudre which, until your post, I would have incorrectly translated to powdered sugar (even though I know that's sucre glace). Thanks!