Knowledge Base › Fran Costigan - Real Talk on Recipe Testing

I am sure you have explained before the reasons you prefer maple syrup over of agave syrup, but, can you explain it once again?

Real Talk on Recipe Testing

Fran Costigan - Real Talk on Recipe Testing

Recorded

This event was on May 14, 2024

What steps are necessary to develop and deliver recipes that consistently yield successful and reproducible results for your audience, whether that is family, friends, followers, clients? Get a notebook and a scale and begin with a reliable recipe. Observe carefully and then you can develop your own showstoppers! Join Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry for an informative event with many takeaways for success.

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Question

Lucy Barrera Méndez

I am sure you have explained before the reasons you prefer maple syrup over of agave syrup, but, can you explain it once again?

Answer

Maple syrup is easier to work with in baked goods than agave. When you're baking with makeable syrup, assuming you have a good recipe or have learned about making desserts with maple syrup in essential vegan desserts, it works very well. It works like an inverted sugar, and so it's easy to use. The flavor is good. Agave syrup, agave has gotten a first agave. Years ago when I was still living in New York and teaching at the natural gourmet, agave became like the holy grail of sweeteners. It's low glycemic, it's really healthful. And then not so much, I mean, there is no holy grail. Sweeteners are sweeteners. Um, but baking with agave means a lot of changes. You have to reduce the amount of sweetener you have to reduce the temperature in the oven at least. And so that's why I do have a few recipes where I use agave. I appreciate how sweet it is. Um, I do a vegan honey where I combine three sweeteners and one of them is agave. So, you know, just make sure everyone here make sure that if you're using agave, you use a pure one because some of them are cut with corn syrup from what I have heard.

Fran Costigan

Director of Vegan Pastry

FranCostigan.com

Fran Costigan is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Trained at the New York Restaurant School and Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. A lifelong chocoholic and long time vegan, Fran’s latest book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts, (Running Press 2013) is for all who madly, deeply love chocolate desserts, whether or not dietary considerations are an issue. Her previous cookbook, More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally (Book Publishing Company 2006) is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®. For more information, www.francostigan.com.