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

[phoenissa at netscape.net]

lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:

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

Um, yeah, kinda :-)  Well, I was happy to help out.  It was a lot of fun - and good experience.  I am still trying to figure out how to cook in very large quantities!

>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).

Oh, so that's how it got its name!  I always wondered about that.

>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)...

Wow.  So I just call Berkeley Bowl and ask them to order it for me?  Can I get it in smaller than 10-lb batches?  I like the idea of homemade marzipan, but I don't think I'd ever have the time to make it in sufficiently large quantities.

>
>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...
>

Possibly!  I bought some almonds recently for the purpose of trying to make my own marzipan, but haven't gotten around to it yet.  I wonder if I can sneak a layer of marzipan into the quince tart I'm making tonight...hmmm...

Vittoria
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