[Sca-cooks] "sturdy" marzipan recipe

[Olwen the Odd]

Thanks for sending this to me Johnna.  It gave me a reason to get back on 
this list and say hi to all.  It seemed to have gotten so overwheming with 
mundane and new world stuff I just jumped off without saying anything.

As for a sturdier marzipan, I have found noted in a few places (I can dig 
them up if you like, I think Brears book has one and To the -----'s Taste 
has also, cann't recall which, and somewhere else too) that if you want your 
marzipan a little stiffer then you can add some gum tragicanth (sp?) and 
some icing sugar with some rosewater.  Basically, it amounts to adding 
sugarplate.  When I do this, it ends up being referred to (around here) as 
marzi-plate.  Works great!  The working time of the sugarplate is very small 
window, when some is mixed with marzipan it really extends the working time 
and ends up drying very stiff.  I must warn though, if you mix the 
sugarplate up and add it to the marzipan or even if you start with just 
adding the raw ingredients then the mix to a thorough inclusion takes 
forever!


>From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
>
>Why don't you try Olwen and see if she's around?
>
>olwen at hotmail.com
>
>Johnnae
>
>Kathleen A Roberts wrote:
>
>>a lady in our kingdom is looking for a 'sturdy marzipan recipe' for her 
>>sculpture class.  she wants something that 'will last'.  and she wants to 
>>have fun with the project.
>>
>>since i was lucky enough to use some of olwen's special stock in my one 
>>and only marzipan experiment, i don't have one.  can anyone help?
>>
>>thanks
>>
>>cailte
>>