[Sca-cooks] Pt. 1 - Medieval Persian Iron Chef

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Vittoria <phoenissa at netscape.net> wrote:
>Anahita,
>Thank you so much for posting the recipes!  I was going to ask you
>for copies of them anyway :-)

I was going to give you a set anyway, as thanks for your help.

>I was fortunate enough to be helping out in the kitchen at this
>feast, and Anahita's food was incredible, and >totally deserved the
>first-place accolade.  I can't wait to try some of these out myself!

  Vittoria is so sweet and enthusiastic, a real joy to work with! (i
bet she's blushing)

>I have one question, though, for the phyllo-marzipan confection, you
>said you used purchased marzipan...where >did you get it from?  Is
>there a particular brand you recommend?

As for the marzipan, well, i am a complete novice. Since i noticed
that Olwen the Odd of this list uses purchased marzipan for her
wonderful surprises, i decided it would be easier than trying to make
my own (especially since i am currently without a kitchen or kitchen
equipment).

So i called a local gourmet bakery and asked if they knew where i
could get some. They suggest i order it from a truly marvelous local
market, The Berkeley Bowl (used to be in a former bowling alley). I
got whatever they ordered for me. It was really clean stuff, just
almonds, sugar, and bitter almonds, and i think a touch of citric
acid, although i don't recall the name - i don't even think there is
one on the bucket.

Heck, i've got about 5 pounds left (came in a 10-1/2 lb bucket)...

My personal take, since i don't like things really sweet, is when i
use commercial marzipan again, i will add some finely ground almonds
to cut the sweetness.

And your roommate's amazing blender just might get the almonds ground
finely enough...

Anahita