Masapan – Sephardic Marzipan


Masapan

Dror Varsano says when he was little, his father’s aunt used to make Masapan and it was a marvel. Today there is a delicatessen in Jaffa (which used to be the hub of Bulgarian Jews in Israel) that makes Sephardic Marizipan. Amazing stuff.

  • Ingredients
    • 1 pound blanched whole almonds
    • 2 cups hot water
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
      • For shaping:
        • 1 cup water 
        • 1 teaspoon orange blossom water 
      • Decorate with silver decorating balls (dragées) or whole or half blanched almonds
  • Directions
    1. Working in 3 batches, grind the almonds in a food processor until very finely ground and sandy in texture; use the pulse setting to ensure that the almonds don’t turn into an oily paste. You should end up with about 4 cups ground nuts.
    2. Put the hot water and sugar in a large heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan and stir, off heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then bring the syrup to a boil over high heat, without stirring (to prevent crystallization). Boil the syrup until it reaches 235°F, the soft-ball stage, about 30 minutes. If you don’t have a thermometer, carefully take a small spoonful of the syrup and drop it into a glass of cold water. Let it cool for a few seconds, then feel the sugar; it should form a soft, pliable ball. If it doesn’t quite hold together, cook for another minute or so and retest.
    3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the ground almonds and lemon juice, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or stiff silicone spatula. Return the pan to low heat and, stirring constantly to avoid sticking or scorching, cook until the paste comes away from the sides of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
    4. To test whether the marzipan is ready, roll a small amount of it–the size of a small marble–between your palms (be careful, the marzipan is hot). If it stays in a ball and does not stick to your hands, it’s ready; remove the pan from the heat.
    5. Transfer the marzipan to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until the marzipan is homogenous and increases in volume a bit, about 2 minutes, adding ½ teaspoon water at a time if needed to bring the mixture together.
    6. Shape and decorate the marzipan: Put the water in a small bowl and add the orange blossom water. Dampen your hands with the scented water, scoop out a portion of marzipan, and roll it into a rope 1 inch thick; the length of the rope doesn’t matter. With a sharp knife, cut the rope into 1 ½-inch diagonal pieces, measured from point to point. Repeat with the rest of the marzipan mixture.
    7. Press decorations into the center of each piece of marzipan and arrange on a serving plate.

Recipe Adapted from Stella Hanan Cohen at Jewishfoodsociety.org