The Marzipan otherwise known as almond paste is one of the basics in baking, useful for decorations, sweets, disguised fruits or other mignardises.
As an ingredient, it is also used in cakes where it adds a touch of moisture. Chef Philippe recommends its use in his famous recipe for ultra-moist pistachio cake, the almond paste will give the mixture more homogeneity and fluffiness.
It is also present in many pastry recipes, calissons, ganaches, strawberry, choux pastry, frangipane, Epiphany cake.
The Marzipan is derived from the fruit of the almond tree, a tree of the Rosaceae family native to Asia. It produces nuts covered with a beautiful green-tinted velvet skin. It is not advisable to ingest the nut as it contains toxic elements. The skin and shell are removed, and the fruit is crushed and mixed with sugar and egg white to obtain this compact paste. If the colours available for purchase don't match your needs, you can make your own. Nothing could be easier!
Ingredients: 250 g ground blanched almonds, 250 g icing sugar, 1 egg white. Powder the almonds and sugar, add the egg white, mix well and combine the mixture. Set aside in a cool place covered with cling film for a few hours.
While the origin of Marzipan is diffuse, several countries have adopted it as a traditional product.
In Belgium, Germany and Northern France, during festivals such as St Nicholas, Christmas and Easter, small marzipan figurines are often found on market stalls. In Italy, Portugal and Malta, marzipan is used in many traditional desserts for popular festivals.
