SC - marchpane for use with clotted cream

[Glenda Robinson]

Here's a recipe that goes REALLY well with clotted cream.

The only major substitution we had to make was using more Rose-water instead
of Damaske water - figuring (after a bit of research) that Damaske water was
probably from damask roses.

Glenda


Marchpane Conceits
To make a Marchpane  (The Treasurie of Hidden Secrets, 1600)
Take halfe a pound of blanched Almonds, and of white Suger a quarter of a
pound, af Rose-water halfe an ounce, & of Damaske water as much: beat the
Almonds with a little of the same water, and grind them small; set them on
a few coales of fire till they waxe thick, then beate them againe with
suger, fine: then mixe the sweet waters and them together, and so gather
them, and fashion your Marchpane; then take wafer cakes of the broadest
making, cut them square, past them together with a little liquor, and when
you have made them as broad as will serve your purpose, have ready a hoop
of a greene hazel wand, of ye thicknesse of halfe an inch, on the inner
side smooth, without any knags: lay this hoope upon your Wafer cakes
aforesaid and then fill your hoope with the geare above named, ye same
driven smooth above with the back of a silver spoon, as ye doo a Tarte, and
cut away all parts of the cakes, even close by the outside of the hoop,
with a sharpe knife, that it may be round: then having white paper
underneath it, set it upon a warme hearth, or upon an instrument of yron or
brasse, made for the same purpose, or into an Oven, after the bread is
taken out, so it be not stopped: it may not bake, but only be hard and
thorow dryed, and ye may while it is moyst stick it full of Comfets of
sundry colours, in a comely order, yee must moist it over with Rose-water
and suger together: make it smooth, and set it into the oven or other
instrument, the cleerer it is like a Lantern horne, so much the more
commended. If it be thorough dried, and kept in a dry and warme ayr, a
Marchpane will last many yeeres. It is a comfortable maete meet for weake
folks, such as have lost the taste of meates by much and long sicknes. The
greatest secret that is in making this cleere, it with a little fine flower
of Rice, Rosewater and suger beaten together, and layd thin over the
Marchpane ere it goe to drying. This will make it shine, like Ice, as
Ladies report.