Do you know what marzipan is? Honestly, I myself have long identified this concept not with what it really is. Surely many people remember how they called marzipan in Soviet times, and sometimes even now, a bun sprinkled with nuts. It turns out that marzipan is something completely different! Marzipan is an elastic mixture made from sugar and almonds. With its help, baking is decorated, a variety of figures are made, which are then presented to each other. Many simply do not have a clue what it is, only for the reason that in Russia such a miracle is almost never performed. I'm talking about real marzipan, not its likeness. The fact is that you can find it on sale, only its taste will be completely different, and all because for the sake of economy and benefit, our cooks try to make an elastic mass from other types of nuts, because almonds, as you know, are expensive . Trying to replace it with walnuts or peanuts, the mixture is not very elastic and not quite tasty. I can say this with complete confidence, since having prepared once marzipan at home, I realized that this is far from what can be found in the store, and, of course, certainly not a bun.
The recipe for marzipan has been passed down from one generation to another for hundreds of thousands of years. According to some reports, they knew how to cook it before our era. Disputes over who exactly came up with this delicious treat are still ongoing. France, Italy, Spain and many others defend their point of view. The same countries that today are engaged in the production of marzipan are constantly developing its new recipes, which are kept in great secrecy so that other manufacturers do not learn about them. But as they say, you can’t hide everything, and today each of us has the opportunity to make marzipan at home. Tell me what it is for. Well, first of all, this is a very tasty sweet treat. Secondly, it is very useful, since almonds are a valuable source of vitamins, especially E. Thirdly, with the help of marzipan you can decorate a birthday cake, make cakes and much more that your imagination will allow. For example, in Europe, the preparation of marzipan is a real competition, during which people make the most real works of art from marzipan. Giving it any color with the help of dyes, you can build a fairytale castle, mold a bride and groom, a bouquet of roses, sweets, animal figures and much, much more.
Well, now is the time to tell you how to make marzipan. You will need a little free time, a good mood and a little patience.
Marzipan N1 Recipe
Ingredients: 200 almonds, 200 g icing sugar, 2 tsp rum or nut tincture.
Preparation: take almonds, put it in a blender, add a few tablespoons of sugar and chop everything well. Pour the remaining powdered sugar and continue to grind. We gradually add rum and “knead” the blender until the mixture begins to stick together into lumps. That's all, marzipan is ready. To give it a color, add some natural or chemical dye, such as beetroot juice.
Marzipan N2 Recipe
Ingredients: 0.5 kg of sweet and 15 pieces of bitter almonds, 200 g of fruit sugar (it is better to take Finnish if possible), 1 tbsp of water.
Preparation: scald almonds with boiling water, peel and dry in the oven at low temperature for several minutes (you will understand when it dries). After complete drying, the almonds must be ground in a blender or coffee grinder as finely as possible. Grind sugar into powder, sift through a strainer. Mix almonds and sugar in a blender. You should get a dense homogeneous mass. Put the mixture in a porcelain bowl, sprinkle one tablespoon of water on it and quickly mix the whole mass. Place the mass in a metal dish and heat for several minutes over low heat. During cooking, add 20 g of powdered sugar.
Such a recipe for marzipan, although it will take more time, but it will turn out more delicious. By the way, add dyes to it and start sculpting. Please the kids and friends!