I made an Apple Marzipan Tart for my in-law’s dual birthday celebration. They decided that my mother-in-law would pick the theme this year and she requested apple. I’d been looking for an excuse to make something from Jurgen Krauss’ (of GBBO) book The German Baking Book, and found this recipe.
The Marzipan
As you might expect, an Apple Marzipan Tart recipe calls for marzipan. You basically have 4 options for marzipan (although broadly 2 – make or buy). Option 1 – buy it. Option 2 – Make it from Almond Meal/Flour. Option 3 – Make it from sliced almonds. Option 4 – Make it from whole almonds. I decided to make Jurgen proud and go full from scratch, making marzipan from whole almonds. I followed this recipe, but I didn’t have any rosewater. Rather than simply add more water as the recipe suggests, I used some liquid vanilla to make it a bit more flavorful. Since I started with whole raw almonds, I had to blanch them in boiling water to loosen the skins, then remove them by hand. I’m not sure exactly how many almonds there are in two cups, but it felt like about ten million.
So was it worth it? Honestly? Probably not. Maybe making marzipan fruits it would be, but as an ingredient, I doubt it made a noticeable difference. I don’t know that I would just buy in the future versus making it, but I wouldn’t start from whole almonds again. Even if you believe homemade is better, I can’t imagine there is a noticeable difference starting with whole almonds versus almond meal or slivered almonds.
Final Product
The Apple Marzipan Tart was a success. My mother-in-law, who had requested apple, loved it, as did everyone else. I was concerned about the ratios as I felt like there was a lot of apples and not much of the marzipan filling, but the marzipan was so sweet that you needed the tartness of a lot of apples to balance it. I can’t wait to try some more recipes from the book. I still have like 3/4 of the marzipan I made left, I think I have some in mind already.
