# Apricot Glazes: Compare and Contrast?



## sacheverell (Jun 2, 2013)

Dear Colleagues,

I'm enormously interested in your two-cents.

I have a small business in which we make our own puff-pastry and use seasonal fruits and vegetables to produce both sweet and savory tarts.

As a business philosophy I try to use the highest-quality ingredients I can find in my production. Though we make nearly everything ourselves I've come to appreciate the ease of use of a commercial clear apricot glaze to finish a number of our fruit tarts.

Albert Uster's clear apricot glaze (from Italy) was a revelation; but the company's minimum order requirement is onerous for a business my size. I've also been looking at Hero, who do a pretty unadulterated version of clear apricot glaze. (I hope I'm not being confusing here. Maybe I shouldn't use the word 'clear' at all. I just mean a light, strained glaze for painting or spraying onto a finished product. And warm.) Another contender for top-of-the-line is Felchlin from Switzerland. (Actually, it occurs to me that Uster, Hero and Felchlin are ALL Swiss.) There also seems to be a glaze called Matisse, though when I requested an ingredients list it struck me as rather a chemical soup. PatisFrance (StarFix) is another. I've tried Callebaut and thought it was unpleasant. Chemical-y.

My questions to you are how familiar any of you are with some of the brands I've mentioned? Are there any that strike you as head-and-shoulders above the others? If I'm going to use a commercially-produced product I'd like to use the best.

(For those of you who are wondering, yes I've made my own glaze; but when I add all that sugar the glaze gets moldy very quickly and I don't really have time to be making small batches of it all the time.)

I very much look forward to hearing from you.

Kate.


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## madchef2013 (Apr 22, 2013)

Way back in my line cook/pastry cook days I was charged with doing all of the baking for Sunday brunch. (It was my chef's way of teaching me to bake!) Anyway, I used apricot glaze on my pastry, and like you I didn't have time to make it completely from scratch. My solution, I found a good apricot jam, diluted it with water, brought it to a low boil, and ran it through a fine mesh strainer.

Viola, instant apricot glaze and it held week to week.

Good luck


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## jcakes (Feb 18, 2007)

If you like the Uster product, what's the penalty for not meeting the minimum order?  Swiss Chalet (Felchlin and Hero) also have a minimum order for free freight. Where are you located?  Maybe the Uster rep can combine your order with a local business so you can get the product you like and not have to meet the minimum.  If you're any where near Boston, PM me because I'd do it for you.


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## sacheverell (Jun 2, 2013)

Dear JCakes,

You're very kind indeed to offer your help and I thank you.

In fact, I'm near Poughkeepsie, NY (of all places) and have actually made efforts -- with the help of the Albert Uster rep -- to find other customers in the area so that we might buddy-up. But no dice. I continue to work on this, however. Hey ho!


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## jcakes (Feb 18, 2007)

I would venture to say your AUI rep is not working hard enough /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif Because it would be easy enough to find a hotel in the city who orders enough and have a separate ship to address for one item every six months  Not that I have any experience in this regard 

Try Primarque (they are located in Worcester, MA) and while they have a minimum they also have a variety of things that might make it worthwhile to put together to meet the minimum for free freight (they ship UPS if you are not local). They sell Hero - in fact they are the only place I can buy Hero seedless bakeproof raspberry jam so I know they have the clear gel and probably a version of apricoture).


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

madchef2013 said:


> Way back in my line cook/pastry cook days I was charged with doing all of the baking for Sunday brunch. (It was my chef's way of teaching me to bake!) Anyway, I used apricot glaze on my pastry, and like you I didn't have time to make it completely from scratch. My solution, I found a good apricot jam, diluted it with water, brought it to a low boil, and ran it through a fine mesh strainer.
> 
> Viola, instant apricot glaze and it held week to week.
> 
> Good luck


exactly the response i would have made myself madchef. its the perfect glaze...its also the perfect glue for fondant icing. its also cheap. if you have a lidl nearby, use theirs. Its cheap and v v tasty.


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