INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

4
Among the many sweets available in Spain at Christmastime, none are
molded into more fantastic shapes and figures than marzapan. Toledo  is
the marzapan capital of Spain, as the nuns of the convent of Jesus  y
Maria have been making marzapan for generations.  Spanish marzapan can
be shaped into balls, or ovals, or little cups  filled with apricot
jam. Toledos masters of marzapan put their  imagination to work and
form longs lengths of the sweet to coil  around boxes as eels and
dragons. With sugar scales, candy eyes and  almond-studded jams the
fantastic works are shipped all over Spain to  the delight of everyone.
Whether conventional or fantastic, try a little marzapan this year  for
your holiday gathering and enjoy the sweets from The cook &  Kitchen
Staff at Recipe-a-Day.com as Christmas in Spain continues.  Heat water
and granulated sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is  dissolved and
the mixture comes to a boil. Let it boil steadily,  without stirring
until the temperature reaches 230-F to 234-F degrees  on a candy
thermometer. Remove from heat and beat until the mixture  turns
slightly cloudy. Stir in ground almonds, egg whites and vanilla.  Cook
over gentle heat for 2 to 3-minutes or until the mixture pulls  away
from the side of the pan. Turn mixture onto a surface that has  been
sprinkled with some of the confectioners sugar. Knead the  mixture
until smooth, working in the rest of the confectioners sugar.  Pull of
pieces and roll into balls or olive-shaped pieces. Wrap in  foil or wax
paper and store in an airtight container. Happy Cooking  from The Cook
& Kitchen Staff at http://www.recipe-a-day.com  Posted to
dailyrecipe@recipe-a-day.com by The Cook
<owner-dailyrecipe@recipe-a-day.com> on Dec 23, 1997

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