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Sunday, December 23, 2012

Marzipan balls

Grandma and I were excited to find a 1920s cookery book when we were sorting through a box of books that used to be Mum's: Miss Tuxford's Cookery for the Middle Classes (9th Edition, 1927) (see also Green Tomato Jam). A lot of the recipes that I bookmarked were, predictably, in the chapter 'Bread and Cakes'. One I was most interested in trying was for 'Almond Paste'. Elsewhere, the almond paste was used to make 'Marzipan Potatoes', which I thought sounded utterly silly but also kind of delicious.


4 oz ground almonds
2 oz icing sugar
2 oz caster sugar (used granulated)
1/3 tbsp orange blossom water
1/3 tbsp rum (note: in the book, rum is included in the recipe for almond paste but not for marzipan potatoes)
few drops almond essence
1/3 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 3/4 tbsp hot water
cocoa and (optional) gold dust for rolling

Mix the ground almonds and sugars in a bowl with a fork. Add the orange blossom water, rum and almond essence and mix in with a fork. Add the linseed mixture and continue to mix with a fork, finally bringing everything together with your hands. Break off small (cherry sized) pieces and roll into balls. Put 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder in a small bowl along with optional gold dust, then roll the marzipan ball around in the cocoa until covered. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to dry out.

I made 1/3 of the marzipan recipe (with a few minor adaptations), and that made 16 marzipan balls. They were never really going to look like potatoes, I can't call them that. But they are quite delicious and look quite luxurious (a bit like truffles), and appropriately seasonal (if a little quirky). It's good to know how to make marzipan / I was glad to use some of my collection of little bottles of big flavour (rum, orange blossom water, almond essence, yummmm).

These kept quite well: at least a month at room temperature. The cocoa becomes less dusty but other than that they are the same.

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