Marzipan Dove Wagashi Recipes

MARZIPAN DECORATIONS

Steps:

• Decide what object you want to make. Warm the marzipan by kneading it slightly. Form it into a small patty and place 1 drop of food coloring in the center. Fold the marzipan around the color and begin to knead it to blend the color in. shape and form into desired shapes.
• For a Bee: Color some of the marzipan yellow and some brown. Make tiny balls of each color and press then together to make the body. Then make 1 more round ball for the head and secure it onto the body. Make 2 little black dots on the head for eyes. Use toasted almond slices for the wings.
• For lemons and limes: Color some marzipan with green for the limes and yellow for the lemons. Shape them into balls then form points on the end. Texture the surface by pushing sandpaper or the fine side of a grater onto the surface to texturize it.

MARZIPAN PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Place almond paste and fondant in a mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment, set on first speed, beat until soft. Gradually add the syrups, then the powdered sugar to form a nice clay-like dough. Add food coloring by kneading it into the paste, by hand, on a board with a little powdered sugar. Shape into a 1-inch diameter log. Cut into 1-inch pieces and roll into a ball. Take a paring knife and gently make the indentations of the pumpkin.

MARZIPAN

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the almond paste and beat just to break up the almond paste some. Add about 1 cup of the sugar and mix until it is incorporated. Add the remaining sugar and beat until incorporated. The mixture will look like coarse bread crumbs at this point. Add the corn syrup and mix to combine well. The mixture will still be very crumbly.
• Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface and knead until it makes a smooth dough. If the dough seems too sticky, knead in a little more confectioners' sugar. The dough can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated at this point. If you want to color the marzipan, break off the amount of dough you want colored. Add a drop and knead in. For more intense color, add more food coloring. Shape into desired shapes.

MARZIPAN FIGURES

Steps:

• This is a "recipe" that will let you explore your creative talents. Kids of all ages can participate so gather around the dining table and have fun!
• The process is simply molding things between your fingers or using the palms of your hands. Try a few methods to find what works best for you. Have fun making different shapes. Some of the things I made included an apple, pumpkin, baby, dog eating a bone, whale, apricots, and an ear of corn, Try to give your figurines animated faces or crazy features.
• You can buy tools for working with marzipan and molds for molding these figures. You can also use an airbrush, if you have one, to get a more refined look. Use a small paintbrush dipped in food colors to paint on the eyes, hair, stem, etc. You can also use meted chocolate as a paint.

MARZIPAN FIGURES

Steps:

• Marzipan molds: Franz Ziegler
• This is a "recipe" that will let you explore your creative talents. There are no special tools necessary but you will find it handy to have at least the following on-hand: sharp paring knife, food colors, small paint brushes, atomizer (for applying color). Kids of all ages can participate so gather around the dining table and have fun!
• The process is simply molding things between your fingers or using the palms of your hands. Try a few methods to find what works best for you. Have fun making different shapes. Some of the things I made included an apple, pumpkin, baby, dog eating a bone, whale, apricots, and an ear of corn, Try to give your figurines animated faces or crazy features.
• You can buy tools for working with marzipan and molds for molding these figures. You can also use an airbrush, if you have one, to get a more refined look. Use a small paintbrush dipped in food colors to paint on the eyes, hair, stem, etc. You can also use meted chocolate as a paint.

WAGASHI CHOCOLATE SCULPTURE

Steps:

• Form a piece of acetate that is 18 by 24 inches into a cone. Use the width (18 inches) of the piece of acetate to be the length of the finished cone. While rolling hold the tip so that it is as tight as you can make it. Tape the cone closed where necessary. With scissors trim the open end of the cone so that it is flat. Place the cone in a vase or some tall container that allows it to stand upright. Use a ladle to fill the cone with the tempered chocolate. Empty the cone of excess chocolate by flipping it over the bowl of tempered chocolate. Set on a baking sheet fitted with a baking rack so the chocolate can continue to drain. When the chocolate has drained, place the cone in the refrigerator or let cool at cool room temperature until set. Repeat this process 1 more time in order to achieve thick, more stable chocolate cone walls.
• Pour tempered chocolate onto a sheet of acetate that is on your work surface. Spread the chocolate so it is a minimum of 1/4-inch thick. Allow it to set slightly. When the chocolate has begun to set but is not yet hard, cut a round base on which to "glue" the cone. The size of the round base will be determined by how tightly you wrapped your cone. The tighter the cone is wrapped the smaller the diameter of the cone's bottom. You can measure the diameter of your cone and add 4 inches, which should leave you with a base that will have a wide rim around your cone. Next, cut the concentric rings that will fit on the cone. I used cake rings, cookie cutters and piping tips to make the concentric circles and the inside cut-outs. Again, the size of concentric rings is determined by the cone that you made. Make at least 3 concentric rings and remember, the larger rings will have to have the larger cut-outs so they can slide towards the base of your cone. You may need to repeat this procedure to make additional circles.
• Unwrap the cone from the acetate. Use tempered chocolate to adhere the cone to the base, placing it in the center of the circle. Slide the concentric rings onto the cone. Arrange the Wagashi pastry on the circles.
• ;
• How to Temper Chocolate .
• From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres .
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper. .
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer. .
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk. .
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess. .
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT MARZIPAN WITH ROSE PETALS

Steps:

• For the marzipan:
• Knead together almond paste, egg white and confectioners' sugar. Mix food coloring, as desired, to make secondary colors such as purple and orange. Divide marzipan dough and color with food coloring. Mold into fruit shapes and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Use brushes to paint detail on "fruits." Let dry for 1 hour before glazing marzipan.
• For the glaze, combine water and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Heat to a boil, then immediately remove from heat and brush the marzipan with the glaze. Let dry for 30 minutes.
• Pair the rose petals with mint leaves and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Arrange marzipan around.