A Word About Marzipan

Historically, marzipan is one of the oldest of all Christmas-related recipes in this book, although not as a homemade confection. To me, its beauty as a family Christmas project today lies in the fact that it requires no cooking. And with a food processor, it is now extremely easy to make at home at almost a quarter the cost of the purchased product.

Made the old way, marzipan was pounded in marble mortars and great care had to be taken to add just the right amount of rosewater so that the almonds would not “oil,” that is, separate from their natural oils while the paste is being made. Once out, the oil is difficult to get back in. The food processor eliminates this in part because heat-causing friction is reduced considerably.