Marzipan: Secret Ingredient in Heritage Holiday Baking A bit of old world sugarcraft is gaining popularity in the US

    /24-7PressRelease.com/ - What do German Stollen, British Christmas cake, Danish Kringle and Spanish Anguilas de mazapán share in common? Marzipan, a bit of old world sugarcraft gaining popularity in the US.

A confection that dates to biblical times, marzipan is a mixture of ground peeled almonds and sugar, gently cooked into a pliable confection. (Its close cousin, almond paste, contains a higher percentage of almonds and is used as an ingredient in fillings, in cakes or to make marzipan.) Like edible modeling clay, marzipan can formed into surprisingly realistic shapes. And it can be tinted then rolled to provide a smooth surface on cakes. Often, marzipan is flavored, citrus and rum work nicely, before being dipped in chocolate

Wherever almond trees grow, from central Asia westward to Europe and the Mediterranean, marzipan cakes and confections are popular.
One tradition shared in many regions is the molding or sculpting of miniature fruits and figures from marzipan. In Southern Italy and Sicily, the frutta de martorana are fanciful fruit molded or sculpted by hand then painstakingly tinted. Saverio Leonetti, pastry chef, and owner of Leonetti’s Pastry Shop, Long Island, NY is among many Italian chefs in the US who make these fruits for the holidays.

Germans, among the world’s largest consumers of almonds, pride themselves on their fruit-studded yeast bread, the Christmas stolen. Tucked inside the dough is a plump log of marzipan. Tucked inside the dough is a plump log of marzipan. When eating stolen, the trick is to taste a small nibble of marzipan with each bite of the buttery cake. Perhaps that’s the secret behind the popularity of British Christmas Cake, a dense fruit cake iced with a generous layer of marzipan. Each slice of the cake is a balance between rum-soaked fruit and sweet almond icing.

And what do dashing bachelors in Toledo, Spain give their girlfriends on Christmas Eve? Las Anguilas de mazapán, elaborate marzipan serpents with terrifying gum drop eyes made from a mixture of marzipan bound with egg yolks. Wherever Spaniards settled, a taste for marzipan, though not necessarily shaped like snakes, followed. Today in South and Central American, marzipan candies are still prized.

In similar fashion, immigrants from Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, Italy and the British Isles brought their traditional pastries and holiday traditions to this continent. “My sister-in-law is from Austria. Marzipan is her kids favorite candy”, says Suzanne Scott, Administrator of the New Jersey Bakers Board of Trade. But newer immigrants are also bringing their love of marzipan stateside. Tunisian-born Maguey Marek has introduced a whole community of friends in the Boston-area to plump dates filled with tinted marzipan.

In her work with retail bakers in New Jersey and the northeast, Scott has seen the growing interest in marzipan first hand. “Marzipan really is growing in popularity in the US”. More bakeries such as Reinwald Bakery in Huntington, Long Island are adding marzipan figures to their cookie assortment. “Kids really come in for it” says Barbara Calantonio whose father taught her the marzipan craft. Frogs, lizards, and snakes are popular at all times but for the holidays she’ll be adding cookies topped with marzipan candy canes.

In Solvang, California, a village settled by Danish immigrants nearly 100 years ago, marzipan has always been in fashion. Looking much like a Danish Disneyland, Solvang boasts 4 Danish bakeries whose cases are filled with almond pastries such as kringle, flaky pastry wrapped around almond and fruit fillings and kranskage, almond horn-shaped cookies. But it is the passion for marzipan that stands out. There are no doughnuts in sight; chubby logs of marzipan dipped in chocolate, tart shells filled with marzipan and mocha cream take center stage.

For those in search of their own marzipan memories this holiday season, here are three recipes to try at home. Marzipan Fruits are simple to make with these detailed instructions. For a more soigné treat, try these Chocolate Marzipan Almond Truffles. Requiring few ingredients – marzipan, chocolate and chopped almonds – these truffles make an elegant edible gift. And for the home meister baker, this Holiday Stolen can be made a few weeks ahead and frozen before eating during the holidays.
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These holiday recipes and many more may be found at www.pastrycraft.com, the consumer web site of American Almond Products Company. ATTENTION EDITORS: Digital images are available by contacting us, [email protected]

Miniature Marzipan Fruits - A delight for the eye and the taste buds.

1 can American Almond Traditional Marzipan paste
Edible food coloring
Black licorice, cut into thin strips, 2 inches long, for stems
Cloves cut in half for stems and buds
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Tools: chopsticks, toothpicks, star pastry tip, box grater, small pointed knife

Handling Tips:
• Marzipan dries out quickly. Keep it tightly covered in plastic and work with only one piece at a time.
• When working with marzipan, wipe your hands with a damp cloth to prevent sticking.
• Let marzipan fruits dry overnight on sheets of foil or wax paper.
• Finished marzipan fruits keep, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.
Coloring and Tinting
• Knead 3 to 4 drops of food coloring into ½ cup of American Almond Traditional Almond Marzipan, until desired color is reached.
• Paint highlights on finished marzipan using food coloring and a cotton swap or paintbrush.
• Attach marzipan leaves onto fruits using a drop of beaten egg whites.
Miniature Marzipan Fruits
Leaves - Roll out a small piece of marzipan between two sheets of waxed paper to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into round and oval leaf shapes about ½-inch long. Use to decorate miniature apples and pears.

Miniature Pears - Pinch off 1 tablespoon of tinted marzipan and roll into oval pear shape. Taper one end slightly. Insert bud of a clove in the bottom and the straight piece of clove in the top for the stem.

Miniature Apples- Pinch off 1 tablespoon of tinted marzipan and roll into a 1-inch ball. Use the pointed end of a chopstick or small knife to form the top of the fruit. Indent bottom with a small star tip to form base of apple. Insert bud of a clove in the bottom and the straight piece of clove in the top for the apple stem. Apply a drop of egg white to top then press a marzipan leaf into the stem end.

Pair of Miniature Cherries - Pinch off two small pieces of marzipan, 1 teaspoon each. Roll each ball into a natural cherry form. Using the pointed end of a chopstick, gently make an indentation then push a thin piece of licorice into each cherry for natural-looking stems.

Miniature Lemon- Pinch off a tablespoon of tinted marzipan and roll into a 1-inch oval slightly tapered at each end. Roll the surface of the fruit on a box grater to create the distinctive citrus surface texture. Insert a clove bud in one end to form base of the lemon.

CHOCOLATE MARZIPAN ALMOND TRUFFLES

Yield: approximately 32 truffles

8 to 12 ounces quality bittersweet chocolate such as couverture chocolate
Toasted almonds, coarsely chopped, as needed
8 ounces (1/2 can) American Almond Traditional Almond Paste
finely grated rind of 1 orange


1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiled over simmering water. Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper. Place the chopped toasted almonds on a dinner plate. Set aside.

2. While the chocolate is melting, knead the orange rind into the marzipan by hand or in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a metal paddle. Shape the marzipan into small uniform balls using a teaspoon and place them on the paper-lined baking sheet.

3. One at a time, dip the marzipan into the melted chocolate then roll the coated marzipan in the chopped almonds. Place the truffles on the paper-lined baking sheet and allow the chocolate to harden. Truffles can be stored in the refrigerator 7 to 10 days.


Holiday Stollen

Yield: 2 loaves

½ cup (4 fl. oz) milk
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter
½ cup (4 fl. oz.) warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
½ cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 to 4 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup each candied orange peel and candied lemon peel
¾ cup raisins soaked in 1 Tbs. brandy
6 ounces American Almond Traditional Marzipan
2 Tbsp. melted butter
powdered sugar for garnish

1. Heat the milk and butter until butter melts. Let cool to 110ºF.
2. In the bowl of a mixer with paddle, mix water, yeast, sugar, egg and yolk until mixed. Add the salt and warm milk mixture, the vanilla and 2 cups of flour until well blended, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook and add another 2 cups of flour and knead until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, adding more flour a teaspoon at a time if necessary, about 10 minutes.
3. Turn off the machine and add the candied peel and raisins. Knead just until the fruit is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
4. Scrape the dough into a ball. Place it in a large bowl and cover with plastic. Let the dough ferment until doubled in size about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
5. Divide the dough in two uniform pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball. Flatten each ball of dough with a rolling pin into an oval measuring about 10 inches long and 8 inches wide. Brush the dough with some melted butter.
6. Roll the marzipan into a 12-inch cylinder. Cut it in half and place a log of marzipan in the center of each piece of dough. Fold the dough lengthwise to cover the marzipan. Press the dough together with a rolling pin placed parallel to the marzipan.
7. Transfer the formed loaves to a paper-lined baking sheet. Cover the dough loosely with plastic and let it rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour or longer at cool temperatures.
8. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Uncover and bake the loaves until the crust is well browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 45 to 50 minutes. Place the loaves on a wire rack. Immediately brush them with more melted butter. Allow to cool then dust generously with powdered sugar.



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Founded in 1924, American Almond Products Company is America’s premier producer of almond paste, marzipan and other nut products for the baking and confectionery industries. For the first time, the company’s products – Traditional Almond Paste and Marzipan, Roasted Almond Butter, Roasted Hazelnut Praline, Natural Pistachio Nut Paste, Baker’s Style Prune Lekvar, Poppy Seed Filling, NY Blackout Schmear and Almond Schmear - are available to the retail trade. For further information, please visit our web site, www.pastrycraft.com, or call Priscilla Martel, Culinary Director at 860-526-4154

American Almond Products Company’s Traditional Marzipan and other retail baking ingredients are sold on the company’s web site, www.pastrycraft.com, in specialty food stores and catalogues nationwide. Sur La Table stores nationwide carry the product as well as the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Catalog, www.kingarthurflour.com

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