[Sca-cooks] Accidentally stumbling over frangipane...
Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius
adamantius.magister at verizon.net
Thu Jul 29 17:05:03 PDT 2004
Hullo, the list!
While rummaging through the fridge this evening and assembling a menu
out of the various disparate elements (looking like grilled thin
round steaks rubbed with crushed garlic and lime juice, white rice
and black beans, and a salad), I ran across a sizeable lump of
marzipan. I ended up making a marzipan custard tart, which, in
retrospect, seems fairly similar to late-or-early-post-period
frangipane cream.
I used (as best as I can recall, with very much estimated measurements):
1 1/2 cups AP flour
3 oz unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
appr 1/2 cup water, just enough to bind the pastry
appr 1 lb (actually, about 2 cups) marzipan
3 large eggs
appr 1 cup milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
I just mashed the pastry ingredients together with a fork and worked
it into a ball, then just patted it into a 9-inch Pyrex pie dish,
chilled it for about 20 minutes, crimped the edge with my fingers,
and added the filling (which was essentially the marzipan worked
together with the eggs until it was soft enough to stir, then the
milk and cinnamon added and whipped smooth, like a thick custard
mixture). I think it baked in about 35 minutes at 375*F, till golden
and puffy.
Very, very rich. Probably the thing to do is eat it in thin slices
with whipped cream or ice cream. Consistency somewhere in between
marzipan and custard, a little like pumpkin pie.
Anyway, I recalled that frangipane (an early form of pastry cream,
probably originating in the 17th century), is, today, at least, made
more or less with the same ingredients as pastry cream, plus ground
almonds. Essentially, a starch-thickened custard using ground almonds
as the thickener/stabilizer instead of flour or other starch. Early
versions, though, are somewhat different, although still almond-based.
Unfortunately, I can't find a period frangipane recipe. I think
there's one in La Varenne or one of the other late French sources.
Can anybody recall seeing such a thing?
Many thanks for any info!
Adamantius
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