SC - non-member submission - Jujube Fruit

[Michael F. Gunter]

>Can anyone recommend a relatively quick and *easy* thing to do with
>Marzipan?  Do you use it as an icing or do you mold it just as is?  I
>
>Gwendolen

Being unsure how familiar you are with marzipan, the following tips should 
be kept in mind.  Due to the large sugar content in marzipan it dries very 
quickly when exposed to the air.  I should be covered at all times.  If the 
marzipan becomes dry you can add a little water to reconstitute it but this 
will cut down on it's shelf life.

Using a stainless steel bowl to make or keep it covered in will prevent 
discoloration.  Also, when handling marzipan be sure every surface and your 
hands are extremely clean.  As the almond oil raises to the surface when 
worked will pick up and absorb even small traces of dirt and can lead to 
spoilage and discoloration.

When rolling out marzipan work on a surface (preferably marble)dust the 
surface with powdered sugar (instead of flour like you would for pastry 
dough).  You can use cookie or butter cutters for shapes or free hand cut.  
To top a cake or petits fours you can make a cardboard cutout of the size 
and use that as your pattern.

If you color marzipan it is traditional to use soft pastel shades, but I 
have gone beyond those boundries myself.  You can use water-soluble food 
coloring, cocoa powder, saunder, and for bright white (for display pieces 
only-don't eat) add 4 to 6 drops of titanium dioxide per 1 ounce of untinted 
marzipan.  If you want to make small amounts of one color, place a drop of 
food color on a piece of baking parchment and add the marzipan to it.

Many little figures can be free hand sculpted with marzipan also. To avoid 
having fingerprints left on your marzipan piece, plastic food handlers 
gloves are a welcome addition.  Just be sure to change gloves between 
colors.

To make a marzipan parfait:
(six cups)

8 ounces marzipan
2 tablespoons kirschwasser (kirsch, a clear uncoloured black cherry     
brandy)
3 ounces granulated sugar
4 egg yolks (1/3 cup)
2.5 (2 1/2) cups heavy cream

Soften the marzipan by mixing in the kirschwasser.  Add the sugar and egg 
yolks and place over simmering water.  Whip until the mixture is light and 
fluffy.  Remove from heat, continue whipping until cool.

Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks.  Fold the cream into the marzipan 
mixture.

Place in the freeser for at least two hours or, preferably, overnight.

Need any more?

Olwen~down to 10 pounds of marzipan and planning on restocking....



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