Marchpane (16th Century Marzipan)

Renaissance (16th Century England). Gluten Free. Dairy Free. Vegan. 

About
Marchpane is much less sweet than marzipan and tastes like fragrant almonds. The rosewater enhances the almond flavour and you can shape it into fanciful shapes or simple discs. A lovely addition to a desert board after a feast or a simple treat with tea.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of almond flour
• 1cup pure icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
• 2 tablespoons of Rosewater
• ¼ to ½ tsp almond flavouring extract if mixture needs added flavour otherwise leave this out

Notes on ingredients

• All measurements are Australian.
• Almond Meal can be used (I use the Lucky Australian Almond Meal). As long as it has been milled without the dark brown almond skin then it is usually good for use. If you are cooking for Coeliacs (gluten free), always check that the almond meal or flour is gluten free as a number of them are not.
• Icing sugar is different from icing mixture. Icing mixture is not a substitute and should not be used.
• There are many, many flavours of rose water. I use the Lebanese Kitchen Cortas brand rosewater (available at international supermarkets) for  marchpane as it doesn’t overpower the flavour of the almonds.
• I use the Queen brand of almond extract. Do not be tempted to use more than ½ teaspoon, I usually only use ¼ . It will become overpowering.

Method

1. Sieve the almond flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Use a spoon to push it through faster.
2. Mix in the rosewater slowly with a spoon until it crumbs. 

3.    Shape into a ball.

4.    Kneed for one minute into a smooth ball.

5. Press into moulds
6. Dry out in oven for 20 to 40 minutes at 90 degrees centigrade until uniformly white.
7. Decorate with royal icing and/or comfits if desired.
This recipe is a redaction of a renaissance recipe.
'A book of cookrye. Very necessary for all such as delight therin', gathered by "AW" (AW 1591)

How to make a good Marchpaine.
First take a pound of long smal almonds and blanch them in cold water, and dry them as drye as you can, then grinde them small, and put no licour to them but as you must needs to keepe them from oyling, and that licour that you put in must be rosewater, in manner as you shall think good, but wet your Pestel therin, when ye have beaten them fine, take halfe a pound of Sugar and more, and see that it be beaten small in pouder, it must be fine sugar, then put it to your Almonds and beate them altogither, when they be beaten, take your wafers and cut them compasse round, and of the bignes you will have your Marchpaine, and then as soone as you can after the tempering of your stuffe, let it be put in your paste, and strike it abroad with a flat stick as even as you can, and pinch the very stuffe as it were an edge set upon, and then put a paper under it, and set it upon a faire boord, and lay lattin Basin over it the bottome upwarde, and then lay burning coles upon the bottom of the basin. To see how it baketh, if it happen to bren too fast in some place, folde papers as broad as the place is & lay it upon that place, and thus with attending ye shal bake it a little more then a quarter of an houre, and when it is wel baked, put on your gold and biskets, and stick in Comfits, and so you shall make a good Marchpaine. Or ever that you bake it you must cast on it fine Sugar and Rosewater that will make it look like Ice.
http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/marchpane.htm

Another good source of information is: About Marzipan by Dame Alys Katherine http://damealys.medievalcookery.com/AboutMarzipan.html?fbclid=IwAR1Oo95EXfCZl1zbGQ6JShWMOpH4MWwLEoJZoDzMybRc7G2K2fhdYFYx9OA

Recipe Notes

• All measurements are Australian​