TUT
persian marzipan “mulberries”
This Persian marzipan is made exotic by the rose water and cardamom, and made attractive by shaping it like mulberries and inserting a sliver of pistachio at the top of the fruit to make it look like a stalk. (For those unfamiliar with mulberries, the fruits resemble elongated blackberries.) You can shape the marzipan any way you want, and make it look like other fruits or even paint it as they do in Sicily, though if you do this, be sure to use natural dyes. These make delightful host or hostess gifts, especially if you find a pretty box to arrange them in.
MAKES ABOUT 70 PIECES
31/4 cups [260 g] almond meal
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 cups [260 g] confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbsp rose water
Superfine sugar for rolling
3 Tbsp slivered pistachios
Put the almond meal, cardamom, and confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix well; add the rose water, 1 Tbsp at a time, kneading it into the almond mixture until you have a malleable dough.
Spread a little superfine sugar on a plate. Pinch off about 1 tsp of marzipan and shape like a mulberry. Repeat, shaping half the marzipan. Roll the “mulberries” in the sugar to coat them evenly. Stick a pistachio sliver in the top of each to make it look like a stalk. Shape the remaining marzipan to make another batch. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.