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

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Olwen the Odd wrote:

>>
>> For those who have worked with Marzipan before, I present a question:Is it
>> easier and/or better to work with the almond paste or the homemade
>> made-from-scratch? The recipe I have is the homemade stuff.
>>
>> Misha
>
>
> Trust me Misha, opening a can of almond paste and mixing it with sugar and
> rosewater is SOOOOOO much easier than blanching and grinding almonds and
> THEN mixing with sugar and rosewater.  I do think the experience is worth it
> though.
>
> Since I use 60 to 80 pounds of marzipan (at least) a year I would be
> grinding almonds in my spare time and my sleep if I did not use the cans.
> Olwen


Olwen, have you investigated the almond flour sometimes found in Indian or Middle eastern markets? ISTR getting it for about $5 a pound (maybe less), mixing it with an equal amount of powdered sugar and enough diluted rosewater to moisten it all to a cohesive state when mixed and kneaded. It made an ever so slightly coarser version of marzipan, not especially sticky (there was just a hint of released almond oil, which combatted that). I suspect that what I ended up with was perhaps not quite as fine as a modern commercial product, but very possibly as fine, or very nearly so, as a hand-made period product. And then, how well my cost compares to your method, I have no idea.


Adamantius

--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

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