? Shelf Life/Storing of Homemade Almond Paste/Marzipan
Reis Evans
Allison Wise wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I need your help & expertise: a foreign student has asked us about keeping some marzipan
> that he made. The marzipan contains *only* ground almonds and corn syrup (NO EGGS).
> Where should this be stored and how long will it keep?
>
> TIA,
> Allison
Does not sound like it is planned to be eaten, only for show, right?
With those two ingredients, stick it in the back of your refrigerator in
Tupperware and it should keep about 100 years!
Adrian Mariano
Reis Evans <%erevans%@%ix.netcom.co%> writes:
>Allison Wise wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I need your help & expertise: a foreign student has asked us about
>> keeping some marzipan that he made. The marzipan contains *only*
>> ground almonds and corn syrup (NO EGGS). Where should this be
>> stored and how long will it keep?
>Does not sound like it is planned to be eaten, only for show, right?
>With those two ingredients, stick it in the back of your refrigerator in
>Tupperware and it should keep about 100 years!
Why wouldn't it be eaten?
Marzipan will keep for a few months in the refrigerator, but for long
term storage, put it in the freezer. I would expect that you could
keep it at least a year in the freezer.
PENMART10
Real marzipan, that is, pure ground almonds mixed with the proper
proportion of pure sugar, and coated with decorative colored sugar glaze,
the type of marzipan that is formed into various 'sculptures', will, left
unwrapped, at room temperature,
last indefinitely.
If wrapped in an air-tight container, or plastic wrap, it will eventually
become mouldy, whether refrigerated, or not. It needs to be able to dry,
and left to do so, will only become harder, and harder, and harder, and
harder. . . . heheh, if only that were otherwise true! ;)
Marzipan, like other dried fruits, is one of the oldest known all natural
preserved foods.
Sheldon ( Who many years ago worked for Barton's Bonbonaire. )
In article <64ls61$n...@newsstand.cit.cornell.edu>, adr...@cam.cornell.edu
E.Smith
Ostensibly ca...@squirrel.han.de (Carmen Bartels) said this:
^^^Allison Wise <paw...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
^^^> Hi All,
^^^
^^^> I need your help & expertise: a foreign student has asked us about keeping some marzipan
^^^> that he made. The marzipan contains *only* ground almonds and corn syrup (NO EGGS).
^^^> Where should this be stored and how long will it keep?
^^^
You might try www.marthastewart.com. She and this other gal
talked about marzipan today. They made turkeys and berries
and I think they talked about storage.
-------------
Quote of the Week:
These days, she said, she is considering
separating the four toddlers at night, because while they are
sharing a bedroom, "It's like a party every night in there."
-Donna Ferra, a Pennsylvania mother of triplets.
A. Barcomb
Carmen Bartels wrote:
> Hmmm, normally marzipan holds forever.
> It will dry out and become more and more grainy but I have eaten 1 year
> old marzipan-loaves and they were okay.
> Store it somewhere dry and don't forget it like me ;-)
When I was living in Montana I couldn't find marzipan at all
[what a surprize, eh?]. A friend from Germany sent some
every Xmas and I had to make it last the whole year. The
little heel end of the nibbled bar was still good by the
next December.
ann at domaintje.com
Carmen Bartels
Allison Wise <paw...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
> I need your help & expertise: a foreign student has asked us about keeping some marzipan
> that he made. The marzipan contains *only* ground almonds and corn syrup (NO EGGS).
> Where should this be stored and how long will it keep?
Hmmm, normally marzipan holds forever.
It will dry out and become more and more grainy but I have eaten 1 year
old marzipan-loaves and they were okay.
Store it somewhere dry and don't forget it like me ;-)
Apropos, why the extra hint with no eggs?
Marzipan is only made from almonds, confectioners sugar and rose-water
(or the last two ingredients are replaced with something less expensive
like the corn syrup). Even when you put chocolate around it for forming
loaves no real recipe uses eggs.
I am slightly puzzled.
Carmen
--
Carmen Bartels elfgar@NightFall, elfgar@Xyllomer
ca...@squirrel.han.de caba@irc
Hazel Barker
On Fri, 21 Nov 1997 21:13:03 +0000, "A. Barcomb" <a...@dev.null.org>
wrote:
>When I was living in Montana I couldn't find marzipan at all
>[what a surprize, eh?]. A friend from Germany sent some
>every Xmas and I had to make it last the whole year. The
>little heel end of the nibbled bar was still good by the
>next December.
>
>ann at domaintje.com
Well you have stronger will power than me!
I get my love of marzipan from my mother. Every Christmas she buys 2
blocks of marzipan - one to cover the Christmas cake, the other to eat
whilst she was doing it!
Hazel
(Not 'The Englishman in New York', but
'The Englishwoman in München')
A. Barcomb
I spoke about my former marzipan eating habits.
Hazel Barker wrote:
> Well you have stronger will power than me!
>
> I get my love of marzipan from my mother. Every Christmas she buys 2
> blocks of marzipan - one to cover the Christmas cake, the other to eat
> whilst she was doing it!
Well, now that I am living in NL, I can eat all the marzipan I
want (: I just have to listen to my bf saying, "Yuck!" - his
comment everytime I eat something he doesn't like - several times.
I just found some almond tea that tastes almost like marzipan...
MMM...it goes really well with some anise cookies.
So, are you going to post that Christmas cake recipe? (:
ann at domaintje.com
Hazel Barker
On Tue, 02 Dec 1997 09:12:41 +0000, "A. Barcomb" <a...@dev.null.org>
wrote:
>So, are you going to post that Christmas cake recipe? (:
It`s probably too late to make one now, but here you are anyway. It
occured to me that some people have not experienced the delights of
the English Christmas Cake. How can they live in such ignorance ;-)
Making a Christmas Cake is not like making anything else. The cake has
to be done well in advance, and cared for - see below. By the time you
eat it you will know it well!
CHRISTMAS CAKE
fat for greasing
200g (7oz) plain flour
1.25ml (1/4 tsp) salt
5 - 10 ml (1-2 tsp) mixed spice
200g (7oz) butter
200g (7oz) caster sugar
6 eggs, beaten
30 - 60 ml (2-4 tbsp) brandy
100g (4oz) glacé cherries, chopped
50g (2oz) preserved ginger, chopped
50g (2oz) walnuts chopped
200g (7oz) currants
200g (7oz) sultanas
150g (5oz) seedless raisins
75g (3oz( cut mixed peel (I leave this out)
Line and grease a 20cm (8") round cake tin (my mother and grandmother
usually used square tins, but I have a problem trying to get the whole
thing to cook evenly in a square tin). Use doubled greaseproof paper
and tie a strip of brown paper around the outside. Set the oven at
160C/325F/Gas 3.
Sift flour, salt and spice into a bowl. In another mixing bowl, cream
the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat
in the eggs and brandy, adding a little flour if it starts to curdle.
Add cherries, ginger, and walnuts. Stir in fruit, peel, and flour
mixture. Spoon into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the
middle (so when it rises, the top will still be as flat as possible).
Bake for 45 mins, then reduce oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Bake for
another hour. Reduce oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Bake for another 45-60
mins until cooked through and firm to the touch. Cool in the tin.
The cake is usually made well in advance (early November-ish). It is
wrapped in 2 layers of greaseproof paper and foil, and stored in an
tin, in a cool, dry place. Occasionally (weekly) it is taken out,
checked over, and given a drink of brandy (WHAT A GREAT LIFE!).
Use a small skewer to make some holes, and drizzle extra brandy over.
It is traditional to completely cover the cake in marzipan and icing
for Christmas day. Make sure that the top is reasonably level (if not,
you can either slice the top off, or use marzipan to level it, see
below). First spread an apricot glaze over the cake. (about 225g (8oz)
jam melted in 30ml (2tbsp) water). Cover the cake completely with
rolled out marzipan (filling in with extra marzipan, if necessary to
make a smooth base for the icing), and then cover the whole lot in
royal icing (I use the ready made roll type icing 'cos it's a lot
easier). 10001 calories!
If I was organised, the icing would be done at least a week before
Christmas, to allow it to harden a little.
How much marzipan and icing you use depends on what you like (or what
your waistline can take, or in my case how much marzipan gets as far
as the cake without being eaten first).
A paper decoration is wrapped around the sides of the cake, and Father
Christmas and his mini plastic reindeers are then stuck on top (sorry,
but in my family it is 'traditional' - plastic and all!). If you want
to be more subtle, you could use a sprig of holly and more icing
decorations.
Liam
Dear Hazel: What a luscious recipe! I for one will attempt it next year.
But, 2 questions. These are new concepts for me.
1. Royal icing?
2. ready made roll type icing?
TIA
Liam
Hazel Barker
On Wed, 03 Dec 1997 23:56:29 -0800, Liam <sa...@sherlockholmes.org>
wrote:
OOps. I forgot about that!
Royal icing is just a mix of egg whites and icing sugar (I think you
call that confectioners sugar). It is used in the UK for special
celebration cakes (christmas & wedding cakes). The icing sets hard
enough (if you make it well in advance) to support tiered cakes.
Personally I don`t like it too hard, so fresher is better for me.
I'm sure you must have this sort of icing in America, I just don`t
know what you call it. It would also be good as a topping on muffins.
The icing cannot be applied to the christmas cake directly because it
would drag the crumbs and discolour badly, that is why you need the
marzipan. You can make your own as follows:
ROYAL ICING
It is vital to ensure that the bowl is clean and free from grease. Use
a wooden spoon (a brand new one would be best). Do not skimp on the
beating or you will end up with a grey sticky mess. For a 20cm (8")
cake:
2 egg whites
450g (1lb) icing sugar
Put egg whites in a bowl and break them up with a fork. Gradually beat
in about 2/3's of the icing sugar with a wooden spoon and continue
beating for about 15 mins until the icing is pure white and forms soft
peaks. Add remaining icing sugar, if necessary, to attain this
texture.
The easiest way to apply this to your cake is to make small soft peaks
all over the cake. For this, beat the above until you form soft peaks
whose tips (only) fall over. This type of icing can also be used to
get a smooth finish to your cake, but it takes (a lot) more patience
(and a spreading spatula).
To make icing for decorating, beat the above until the peaks hold
their shapes. Use a piping bag to make decorations on top of your
(dried out) flat icing. You can colour your decorating icing (before
beating) using food colourings.
If you are really adventurous, beat the above even more until you get
a stiffer peak that is still 'fluid' enough to go through a piping
bag. You can then make petals for flowers, etc.
I have to admit I am not an expert on royal icing (my Mrs Beeton's
cookbook came to the rescue for the method above). I cheat - in the UK
you can buy this sort of icing in block form (rather like the
marzipan), all you have to do is roll it out.
Liam
Hazel: Thanks for the information. After seeing the directions etc, I do
know this icing and have eaten it. I just didn't know what it was
called. I look forward to making this next year! Thanks again.
Liam
--
SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH
The Sherlock Holmes Society of San Diego Founded in 1971
C. Liam Gifford, President of the Society
SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH
A. Barcomb
Hazel Barker wrote:
>
> On Tue, 02 Dec 1997 09:12:41 +0000, "A. Barcomb" <a...@dev.null.org>
> wrote:
> >So, are you going to post that Christmas cake recipe? (:
>
> It`s probably too late to make one now, but here you are anyway. It
> occured to me that some people have not experienced the delights of
> the English Christmas Cake. How can they live in such ignorance ;-)
I don't know how I did! (;
Thanks for posting the recipe; I hope to be organized enough to try
it sometime. It's not too late [at least for me] since I don't
really celebrate the holiday and could always make one to cheer
up February or something.
And thanks for the icing recipe in the other post (:
ann at domaintje.com
Jean Middleton
In article <666b74$kl7$1...@news00.btx.dtag.de>, Hazel Barker <Hazel@t-
online.de> writes
>I have to admit I am not an expert on royal icing (my Mrs Beeton's
>cookbook came to the rescue for the method above). I cheat - in the UK
>you can buy this sort of icing in block form (rather like the
>marzipan), all you have to do is roll it out.
Christmas using the supermarket saving stamps. My man (who had collected
the stamps), advised me not to choose ready to roll icing as he found it
"tough" last year. So we got the icing sugar and will go back to the old
method. Not much trouble really.
--
Jeanie
of Yorkshire, England
Hazel Barker
>Which reminds me! A couple of days ago we were doing our big shop for
>Christmas using the supermarket saving stamps. My man (who had collected
>the stamps), advised me not to choose ready to roll icing as he found it
>"tough" last year. So we got the icing sugar and will go back to the old
>method. Not much trouble really.
Making things yourself is always (well - usually!) better. Somehow, in
the Christmas rush, I usually cheat on the icing though.
Do you use the Lakeland co. at all? I just looked in their catalogue,
and they have something called REGALICE (I assume that is said
regal-ice rather than rega-lice). It is a roll-type icing with a royal
seal of approval!
LOL!
Can you imagine the Queen running around in a panic on Christmas Eve
because she has forgotten the Royal Icing!
B. Keith Ryder
In article <66m2b6$1g8$5...@news02.btx.dtag.de>,
For what it's worth, Regalice is a brand of pre-made rolled fondant, not
royal icing. Royal icing is spread on with a knife/spatula, while rolled
fondant is rolled out like dough, draped over the cake, and smoothed.
The image of the Queen is a funny one, though!
--
BKeith
------
B. Keith Ryder Rec.food.baking FAQ:
bke...@netcom.com ftp://ftp.michvhf.com/pub/rec.food.baking/FAQ
http://www.michvhf.com/~bkr
Becca
More Texas Photos!
Hey Wendy, these look great! I email you, but my mail keeps bouncing
back. It must be me, I am not good with these things. I sent these
photos to everyone in the group, except you and LizR, and Mike, theirs
bounce, too. Here are more photos:
http://homecooking.miningco.com/library/weekly/blrfctx.htm
Many thanks to my WCPF (warm, close personal friend) Peggy for giving us
space at her Home Cooking site. While there, I browsed to look at
appetizers for the New Year's Eve party, and I was amazed at the
choices. It will be a tough decision, for sure, I would like to do them
all, but that is not a possibility. I am still considering making
Michael Odom's Black-Eyed Pea Patties.
Gotta go, I'm watching Carmen on PBS!
Becca <-----hoping to recover from New Year's Eve...
Wendymc wrote:
>
> Sorry, guys, neglected to post the address for the photos:
>
> http://members.aol.com/wendymc/texascookin/pics.html
>
> wendy/WAM
Young
Michael Odom wrote:
>
> Yikes!
Actually, I was wondering what you kids eat in Texas to make
you all so damm goood lookin ...
thanks for the pics.
Nancy
Wendymc
Michael Odom
Yikes!
I have more hair than that. I KNOW I do! Some knida trick
photography. Gotta be.
--
M.Odom
mo...@boisdarc.tamu-commerce.edu
Nancy Dooley
>Gotta go, I'm watching Carmen on PBS!
>
>Becca <-----hoping to recover from New Year's Eve...
>
male "soprano"? (No, Sheldon, he was intact.) Kinda freaked me out
to hear that voice from that body.
N.
Art Simon
Not sure it qualifies for r.f.c. <G>!
Art
--
I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to
be a vegetarian.
--seen on bumper sticker
Young
Art Simon wrote:
>
> Young wrote:
> >
> > Michael Odom wrote:
> > >
> > > Yikes!
> >
> > Actually, I was wondering what you kids eat in Texas to make
> > you all so damm goood lookin ...
> >
> > thanks for the pics.
> >
> > Nancy
>
> Not sure it qualifies for r.f.c. <G>!
>
> Art
(smile) sure it does ... isn't that what you guys talk about
around the kitchen table?
nancy
Peggy
In article <34A867...@hal-pc.org>, be...@hal-pc.org wrote:
> More Texas Photos!
>
> Hey Wendy, these look great! I email you, but my mail keeps bouncing
> back. It must be me, I am not good with these things. I sent these
> photos to everyone in the group, except you and LizR, and Mike, theirs
> bounce, too. Here are more photos:
>
> http://homecooking.miningco.com/library/weekly/blrfctx.htm
>
> Many thanks to my WCPF (warm, close personal friend) Peggy for giving us
> space at her Home Cooking site. While there, I browsed to look at
> appetizers for the New Year's Eve party, and I was amazed at the
> choices. It will be a tough decision, for sure, I would like to do them
> all, but that is not a possibility. I am still considering making
> Michael Odom's Black-Eyed Pea Patties.
>
> Gotta go, I'm watching Carmen on PBS!
>
> Becca <-----hoping to recover from New Year's Eve...
Glad to help, Becca! Quite a handsome group of people, I must say. I only
regret that I couldn't join you, but it's a bit of a drive from Florida.
grin.
Peggy
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Becca
Florida is a big drive for you, but I hope you will consider coming to
the spring Cook-in here in Houston. We will have fun, I am sure of
that.
Becca <-----already dieting...