Marzipan - what is it and how can it be prepared at home?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

We don't know much about marzipan. What it is, many of us remember from the tales of Hoffmann. Others may have seen decorations made from this sweet in expensive cafes and pastry shops. Few people know that it is very useful. And also that you can cook marzipan with your own hands in a fairly short time.

Nutlet from a fairy tale

In Italian, its name means "Easter March bread". Marzipan is a mixture of grated nuts (most often almonds) with powdered sugar, which has an elastic consistency. It is thanks to this property that it is so easy to sculpt various figures from it. Sugar should account for up to one third of the entire product - then it will not need thickeners. Marzipan candies are usually glazed because the surface of crushed almond figurines is not quite smooth. Until now, confectioners from different countries argue among themselves about who invented this dish. Many countries (France, Italy, Iraq) believe that it was they who discovered marzipan to the world. What it is, they already knew one and a half thousand years ago in Byzantium. It spread very widely in the countries of Central Europe in the eighteenth century. It was then that confectioners reachedamazing craftsmanship in making these sweets.

Currently, the Russian confectionery industry does not always care about the naturalness of products, and undesirable ingredients are introduced into marzipan in order to make a profit. For example, almonds are replaced by cheaper nuts, the amount of sugar increases, thickeners and binders are added, and flavoring is added for taste. The recipe for standing marzipan requires rigor and precision. Other nuts (even valuable hazelnuts) do not give the desired texture to the mixture, and the figures cannot stick together well. Children are far from the problems of low-quality products, and for them marzipan is just a symbol of happiness, something incredibly tasty, sweet and fabulous. Try making it at home with them. It is not hard. And the process will give you, in addition to a wonderful treat, an unforgettable experience.

Pastry factory at home

You will need clean, high quality almonds and fresh powdered sugar. There are two recipes according to which marzipan can be prepared on fructose (what it is - fructose - and why it is needed, will be discussed later). Take a pound of peeled almond kernels, 15 pieces of bitter. The latter will be needed in order to give the marzipan a peculiar flavor. In addition, you need a glass of fructose and a tablespoon of water. Steam the almonds with boiling water, then peel and dry in the oven until a yellowish-cream color. Grind either in a coffee grinder or in a blender if you have a special attachment. Then siftfructose and also turn into powder. This is fruit sugar, it is very important in the recipe because it has a higher viscosity, which is important for the formation of figures.

Mix both powders and achieve uniformity. Then lay on a flat surface and use a spray bottle to sprinkle with water, constantly stirring for uniformity. This operation is best done with two people. You can do this with your child. Then, in a heavy-bottomed container, heat the marzipan mass, stirring and monitoring the uniformity. Leave the resulting mixture overnight in the refrigerator. So you have prepared a real marzipan. What it is, how to cook it, is now clear to you. It remains to enjoy sculpting figures from it with the children.