A period dish
A dense almond paste sweetened with sugar and rosewater, rolled thin and dried or baked into a gilded showpiece.
Serves 12
Marchpane was the great confection of the Tudor and Stuart table: ground almonds and sugar worked with rosewater, shaped, and sometimes gilded. A marchpane was a gift as much as a dessert, and the best were stamped or moulded with figures.
Pantry / Durable
Other
Pound blanched almonds until very fine, adding a little rosewater to keep them from oiling.
Work in sifted sugar until the paste is stiff and smooth, then knead it briefly.
Roll the paste thin and cut it into rounds or press it into a mould.
Dry the shapes in a very low oven or before a gentle fire until firm on the surface.
Dust with sugar and, if you like, gild the top with a little edible gold leaf.
Adapted from The English Huswife.
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