[Sca-cooks] Marzipan creations, like onions...

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

On Wed, 17 Oct 2001 XvLoverCrimvX at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 10/17/01 9:57:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> olwentheodd at hotmail.com writes:
>
> > Misha's Mission to Marzipan?  You've gone bonks havent' you.  Do you HAVE
> >  any marzipan?  Do you WANT some?  Address please.
> >  Olwen
>
> I have a recipe for Marzipan in a book called Fabulous Feasts:Medieval
> Cookery and Ceremony by Madeleine Cosman. I would LOVE some marzipan so I
> could taste it and get an idea of what it tastes and looks like before I
> *attempt* (yes, ATTEMPT) to do marzipan. Address (dont stalk me. Yes, Master
> Chirhart, i'm talking to you)
> Mike (or Michael) Gray
> Misha Grigorov (So my momma knows its SCA related)
> 2997 Quail Roost Dr (See! A street with food content :) )
> Glen Allen, Va 23059
>
> Misha
> Who will haunt you with bad food if you try to poison me :)


You've had sweet rolls with almond goo in them? Kind of like that. Sweet
and almond-y, with just a faint hint of roses.

If you don't feel like trying to kill a KitchenAid (I burned out the fuse
on one once) you can knead the almond paste and the sugar together with
your hands (equal weights almond paste and icing sugar, with a bit of
rosewater in that great medieval measure called "some" which is usually
about a half to a whole teaspoon per pound of paste), start working
the almond paste first so it's soft when you add the sugar. Grandpa always
stored his fondant and the almond paste on the unheated back porch--cold
fondant and cold almond paste is *not* fun to knead. Depending on the kind
you get, it may be kind of hard with a tendency to crumble when it's
cold. Some varieties of paste may be softer.

If you are kneading it by hand, you'll want some sort of scraper when it
inevitably sticks to the table/counter/pastry board/marble slab/generic
kneading surface. Just keep mushing it together until it's all smooth and
uniform, not streaky with unmixed sugar and paste.

Once it's mixed thoroughly, then you can add your color if that's what
you're doing, gradually in small amounts as Olwen has already said. If you
get pre-mixed from Olwen, you'll just have to color and shape it. I can
give you directions to make fruits, if you like, which is a traditional
thing to do with marzipan. And potatoes, which although not fruits,
are dead easy. The only thing easier, not counting mixing in the color,
are oranges.


Sheesh. Now I'm going to have to see where I can get almond paste. Olwen,
this is *your* fault. ;-)


Margaret