A Stack of Dishes

Something good is cooking...

marzipan

Foodie Gifts 2013

by

Marzipan How To~ A Stack of Dishes .com
Step by Step instructions for making traditional marzipan fruits.

 I’ve had a few folks ask me about some things I’ve made in the past as gifts recently. So I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite things- from my recipes for food gifts, a book, and a coupon to one of the best Healthy Menu Services in the world! {OK, it’s MY company, but I think you are seriously going to love it}.

Buffardi_GreatBalls.rev1

 This is an adorable and awesome little cookbook written by my associate Michelle Buffardi, is packed with some adorable and clever cheese ball ideas- with delicious fresh flavor combinations. She’s got a cute idea for Super Bowl you’re going to want to check out. Great Balls of Cheese

is a sweet book, which at just over $10 on Amazon, makes the perfect hostess gift or stocking stuffer for the entertainer in your life.

penguin

Two seasons ago I did a marathon 12 days of gift giving that contains over 25 recipes for food gifts. You can find the full compilation HERE.

2 Days of Food Gifts~A Stack of Dishes
12 Days of Edible Gifts with over 25 recipes.

Flavored Vinegars~ A Stack of Dishes

Here is the link for 3 different flavored vinegar combinations that you can make yourself. My favorite was the grapefruit. In fact, I plan to make a batch for myself today. It’s bright with a hint of tangy citrus that is wonderful on salads, fish and meats.

8 tips for perfect caramels~ A Stack of Dishes

 

Homemade caramels are quite the rage these days. This post has a list of 8 tips for making successful caramels.

And lastly I am offering my readers a COUPON for a 50% discount on any menu plan at A Healthy Hunger. For anywhere from $2.50-5.00/month you can help someone get their health on track and love every bite.

A Healthy Hunger has meal plans for Diabetics, or Pre-Diabetics and my Clean Eating plan is great for anyone with high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, heart health concerns- or anyone who just wants to eat better and doesn’t know where to begin.

The menus are designed with nutritional balance for your health, and great taste for the foodie. And check out the blog for health tips, kitchen wisdom, inspiration and more!

Holday50Click HERE to find out more and use the coupon code at checkout. The coupon expires December 31.

 Happy Holidays All!

12 Days of Holiday Food Gifts to Make {Revisited}

by

 
 
Happy Holidays!
Twelve amazing days of Food gifts for memorable giving.

Last year for the holidays I did a series of 12 food gifts for making and giving. A bunch of folks have been asking about them, so here they are in the order that they were posted in. Just click on the title to take you directly to the original post. Also be sure to check on the page bar at the top of the post for resources for jars, containers, ribbons, etc.

White Chocolate Candies

Day 1- White Chocolate Candies– easy to make drops.

Day 2- Candied Fruits- Sweet and Savory. This post contains recipes for the candied pears shown above, candied spicy tangerines and candied ginger.

Day 3- Rosemary Lemon Biscotti and Dark Chocolate Cherry Biscotti– two classic cookies.\

Day 4- A Tradition Renewed- Marzipan– instructions on how to make cherries, pears and plums.

Day 5- Cowboy Candy- sweet pickled jalapeños that have the added bones of a beautiful syrup leftover that makes the dang best margaritas you’ve EVER tasted!

Day 6- Flavored Oils– Two infusion methods: Hot and Cold. Recipes for Lemon Oil, Basil Oil and Smoked Paprika Oil.

Day 7- Mixed Drinks~Pre-made cocktails. These are the bases for some delicious cocktails. Just add ice a spritz of tonic or soda water and you can kick back and enjoy the evening.

Day 8- Fruit Compotes~ Red & Blueberry Mint, and Orange Lavender– Send along with a batch of homemade scones for a special Christmas morning breakfast.

Day 9- Fregolotta- An Italian tradition. It’s a large cracker like cookie, full of almonds, that is broken and eaten after dinner, served here with a ruby port.

Day 10- Homemade syrups to make your own exotic soda or create a cocktail. Blueberry Thyme, Ginger Ale, and Fresh Mint

Day 11- Apricot Tapenade with Rosemary. A sweet and savory fruit sauce that pairs beautifully with cheese and makes a colorful and sparkling addition to your holiday table.

Day 12- NUTELLA!!!!!!

Happy making and sharing everyone!

{Day 4} A Tradition Renewed- Marzipan Fruits

by

Marzipan Cherries

The tradition of modeling marzipan (almond paste candy) for the holidays is an old one and if found in many different cultures. The Italians make it and so do many Northern European countries-Germany, Sweden etc.  Hand made marzipan is an art that has sadly waned. Most that you see these days is machine made and with a low quality of almond paste. The colors are sprayed on and for the most part they are just ghastly.Hand making marzipan is not difficult to do and a fantastic thing to make with kids as it doesn’t require a stove or oven- and mistakes can just be nibbled out of sight.

Years ago I had a marzipan business with a woman named Kim Jurado that we called Bella Dulce. We made gorgeous marzipan that we put into small rustic wire baskets from artisans in Mexico, or tiny wooden crates to look like imported fruits. One of my favorites was to build the marzipan into topiaries that brides would use as centerpieces. Stephen Spielberg had us make tall gorgeous topiary cones for his movie Armistad and our beauties also made it into Dean and Deluca and Williams Sonoma catalogs. In those days we had a legion of workers hand making marzipan. All day long hands were rolling, shaping and dusting lumps of almond paste into rows and rows of beautiful bright almond candies. It was an artisanal business before it was vogue.
Marzipan is made from blanched almonds and sugar into a dough. It’s possible to make it from scratch, but to be honest, I don’t find it time or cost effective. I’ve tested a lot of marzipan over the years, and by far the best is made by American Almond (see Holiday Resource page). A lot of marzipan out there has a high sugar content, leaving it super sweet and lean on good almondy flavor. American Almond has the highest almond to sugar ratio which makes it heavenly. Marzipan does not come cheap but most fruits are about a half to one ounce each, so a pound goes a long way.
There are simple tools needed to shape the dough, but mostly you can get by with what you have around the house. Toothpicks, a knife and a dowel stick work well- or you can purchase modeling tools that are typically used for clay. What you will need to get is powdered food coloring and gel food coloring, paint brushes, cloth covered wire and paper leaves- all of these things can be purchased at NY Cake and Baking Supply.
Marzipan is such a great medium that you can do many other things with it. The fruits are classic, but little Santa hats are awesome, or Xmas light bulbs. It’s great for making leaves and mushrooms for Buche de Noel or reindeer antlers for cupcakes.
Unused marzipan can be saved for future use if stored properly. Wrapped tightly and put into an airtight container it will keep it for several weeks. For longer keeping it can go in the fridge.
How to Make Marzipan Cherry, Pear and Plums
yields 20-30 fruits depending on size
 
1# American Almond Marzipan
juniper green food paste
golden yellow food paste
royal blue food paste
red powdered food coloring
purple or burgundy powdered food coloring
soft paint brush-like a blush brush
cone tool (or rounded toothpick)
veining tool (or butter knife)
green florist wire 24 gage
small paper rose leaves
 
Queen Anne Cherry
 
Paste food coloring is very intense, so start out with tiny dots and add on from there. You can always add more. Use a toothpick dipped into the color pot and dot the marzipan then knead through.
 
The cherries should have a soft golden yellow color.
 
Next follow the grid above. Pinch off a small chunk and roll between your palms to make a ball, then using the cone tool make an indentation on the top- or use a toothpick to ream in a dent. Then with the veining tool or the back side of the butter knife, draw down from the hole and make the crease of a cherry cheek.
 
To color tap out a small amount of red powder color onto a plate. Using just a small amount dab the brush into the color, just as you would if you were applying powdered blusher. With a circular motion paint on the “cheeks” of the cherries.
 
Finish off with a 3″ length of wire. Fold down one end to make a knob and then curve the stem into a natural shape. Tuck into the hole in the top.
 
Pear
 
I used the juniper green for the paste color. Follow the directions above to tint the marzipan.
 
To make the pear shape first roll a knob of dough into a ball. Then, using your fingers coax one end into the neck of the pear. Then give a little tap on the bottom to square it off just a little bit.
 
Pierce the top of the pear to make the stem dent. Then on the bottom of the pear create four dents which create that round bottom look a pear has.
 
Dust just a liiiiiiitle bit of red onto the sides of the pears and finish off the top with a paper leaf.
 
Plums
 
Plums have an ashy blue grey line in the crease which I personally love. Color the marzipan a soft blue using the royal blue paste.
 
Then roll the marzipan into a ball and then into an oblong ball.
 
As with the cherry make a dent at the top and crease down the length of the plum. Plums have deeper creases though. I make a fairly keep crease and then soften the cut edge with my fingers. I then pinch the seam closed a little to give that cheeky look.
 
Dust the plums with the color and for these it takes a lot, avoiding getting color into the crease. Finish off with a paper leaf.
 
********************
 
Once made the marzipan can be left out to dry a little. Left out indefinitely they will turn to stone. If you intend for them to be eaten, or given as gifts, keep them under plastic or present in a clear plastic box or cello bag. Both of these can be purchased at Glerup.
 
 
*see resource page for links to Glerup, NY Cake and American Almond*