So lack of good night sleep plus jitters makes a recipe for disaster. Actually things went on quite well initially. My cake rose to a good height, my ganache combined well... then when I was trying to balance the cooling rack and open the chiller, the cake slide right off the rack and landed smack on the floor! F***! The bottom piece was in 2 pieces. Luckily the chef was not in the room at that time and didn't see my little acrobatic stunt (Chef, if you ever read this, please please do not deduct my grades!)

In retrospect, if I ever need to have my share of clumsiness, this is quite a good time. The cake was to be covered in chocolcate glaze anyway so no one will really know the cake at the bottom has split into half! hee hee...

We also made marzipan roses and I'm happy mine turned out well (Chef L. joked if I had been making marzipan roses for a long time... but it's my first time really). I'm also happy with the piping... we had to spell 'Alhambra' on the cake. Think it looked pretty good. No modesty here sorry... but I'm just being honest (like when I sucked last week, I did mean it).

The taste expands on the tongue into what can only be described as the alcoholic equivalent of sour sugared cola cubes. And is not unpleasant with it. If you're considering introducing your offspring to the delights of booze, I would recommend this for the 8-11 year old age group - after all, it's like a 50p mix in a bottle. It might be a tad more expensive, but I can guarantee it will be far more effective in getting them off to bed.

7/10

Intro: Cineva s-a gandit sa lanseze un proiect. Am aflat de proiectul respectiv cand inca nu exista decat un post in blogul cu pricina, si mi-a placut de-atunci. Intre timp, mi-am facut curaj sa-i scriu.

Without further ado, I give you....Fursecul Mecanic !

(Aici ar fi trebuit sa fie o poza, care sa vorbeasca in locul paragrafului-desi fara gust sau miros-si sa spuna cum ne-am distrat Noi Doi ieri mancand fursecul numarul 3. Motivul pentru care ea nu exista e fiindca n-a mai apucat sa fie facuta, ambii participanti la degustare fiind mult prea ocupati cu maraitul satisfacut si plescaitul gurmand ca sa mai puna mana pe aparat :D . 1-0 pentru Noi. )

Eu nu sunt deloc un fan declarat al marzipanului. Orice, dar asta nu sunt. El, in schimb, ar da orice pentru aroma asta pe care eu n-o pot intelege. Cu atat mai mare lauda, deci, cu cat si eu am fost data pe spate de aroma discreta a fursecului 3 si nu pot sa ma declar altfel decat schimbata in pareri dupa asemenea experienta.

Succes in continuare, Fursecule mecanic, la cat mai multe idei grozave si la cat mai delicioase cookies !

I macerated farmer's market strawberries in brown sugar and set aside then put half bran flour, half bread flour in a bowl with baking powder.  I mixed in combo of eggs, oil, marzipan, and water then fried in cast iron skillet.

Some friends were throwing a Memorial Day BBQ, and I couldn't exactly show up sans cupcakes. Festive cupcakes. But I'd already done red, white, & blue cupcakes, so the only logical solution (of course) was marzipan.

I've never made marzipan before. I've seen it a few times. I've watched cooking shows and learned (well, as much as one can really learn from tv) how to make pretty marzipan fruits, but that was mostly shaping and painting, not the actual creation of the marzipan. I did, however, have a handy dandy little cake-centric cookbook that I picked up on wicked sale at the Barnes & Noble at school, and there just happened to be a recipe for marzipan on page 247. Awesome. That recipe actually didn't work out so well for me, but with some modifications, I ended up with a passable recipe for rolled marzipan.

I've decided that real marzipan requires almonds which have been peeled before being ground into powder. I used the store-bought variety of almonds - which are extra convenient for people like me who don't have the equipment for grinding almonds into a fine powder - and my marzipan had dark brown flecks in it. Nothing tragic, just an aesthetic concern.

I also learned that this particular recipe does not agree with spatulas. Check out Mr. Depressed Starfish:

Yeah. He didn't want to come off the spatula. At all.

Anyways...on to the recipe!

The Recipe:
Rolled Marzipan Stars

2 cups finely ground almonds
1 cup superfine sugar (I may have copied this down incorrectly...will update when I get home)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla (the original recipe called for almond extract, but I was out...oops)
1 egg
3+ cups confectioner's sugar (just keep the bag handy)

Do This
In a large bowl, combine almonds, superfine sugar, and 2 cups of confectioner's sugar. Make a well in the center, and add the egg and liquid ingredients. Blend with a wooden spoon, but if it gets too sticky, just knead into a dough with your hands.
This is where it comes in handy to have a friend in the kitchen. The dough is bound to be way too sticky to work with, so have someone on hand to spoon in more confectioner's sugar, a tablespoon or two at a time. Keep kneading the dough/adding sugar as needed until it's workable and un-sticky, and roughly the texture of soft sugar cookie dough.
Divide the dough in two (or further, if you're doing more than two colors). I used regular grocery-store food coloring (nothing too special - no candy colors or gel-based dye) to dye the marzipan red and blue. Put a few tablespoons of confectioner's sugar in a bowl, and drop in 15-20 drops of food coloring. It seems like a lot, but you'll need at least that much for bright colors. Mix the food coloring into the sugar until it forms a light paste, then incorporate the dye paste into the marzipan. Yes, dye will get on your hands. No, this is not the end of the world - it washes off, and lemon juice makes it wash off more quickly. Have fun playing with your grown-up playdough, and add a few drops of food coloring as needed. If the dough gets sticky, add more confectioner's sugar. When the dough is the color you want it to be, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for about a half hour.
Tear off two large pieces of plastic wrap, and place the marzipan between them. The plastic wrap will save your rolling pin from being stained with food dye. Roll the marzipan flat to about 1/8" thickness, then peel off the top layer of plastic.
If you have cookie cutters, use them. I don't, for some bizarre reason, so I had to do this part with a knife and a stencil made out of freezer paper. Cut out a shape, then peel back the marzipan and transfer the shape to a piece of freezer paper while you cut out the rest. Don't try to spatula them off - they will stick, and your pretty, angular stars will look like depressed starfish once you pry them off the spatula. If you haven't frosted your cupcakes yet, let the marzipan shapes hang out in the fridge while you do that.
Frost cupcakes, and top with pretty marzipan shapes. Refrigerate until served.

The marzipan is pretty and exciting, but - much like fondant or any other decorative icing - may be a wee bit too much. Don't feel bad if you take a bite and decide to peel the rest of the star off.

CAKES! from Dinkel's!
Dinkel's Bakery on Lincoln Ave has been providing my birthday cakes for as long as I can remember and my family loves them and of course Bear remembered so I got cakes!

notice the plural!!!
the above pictured cake was the "party cake" - a fudgy delicious treat with light and tasty frosting that was devoured post-haste

THIS is my Princess Cake

it's so PINK! with strawberries and cream filling and encased in marzipan (and you never really see marzipan anymore do you? and i love that stuff!)
so yummers!

[gallery]

This is EDIBLE ALMOND PASTE!

The Bakers/Geniuses that made this are these people and you can look at more pretty pictures of Marzipan or if you're feeling a little masochistic, you can look at the pictures of cakes I almost ate my computer screen because of.

I normally make about 150 of these at a time and stick some in the freezer, but here's a recipe for 1/3 of my normal batch... =)

Ingredients:

• 50g fresh yeast
• 1dl caster sugar
• 5dl milk
• 200g margarine
• (2tsp ground cardamom)
• 1,6kg white flour
• 1egg

Directions:

1. Break yeast into little pieces in a bowl
2. Pour sugar over and allow yeast to melt in the sugar
3. Melt margarine in a saucepan
4. Add milk and allow to get finger warm - hot enough for you to stick your finger in there without burning it
5. Pour milk mixture over yeast (add cardamom if you want ot use it) and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
6. Work flour into the liquid until you have a smooth, non-sticky dough.
7. Cover with a towel and allow to rest for 30mins.
8. Put dough on 'floured' surface and knead the dough.
9. Cut into two halves.
10. Use a rolling pin to work the dough into a rectangular shape, roughly 30 by 60cm.
11. Spread margarine over the dough and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and caster sugar (easier if you mix it in a bowl first as otherwise the cinnamon may be unevenly spread).
12. Roll up into a +60cm long 'sausage' and cut in 2,5cm slices
13. Put each slice on a baking paper (or in baking cups) in a baking tin - five rows of four rolls
14. Cover with a towel and allow to rest for another 30mins.
15. Paint with beaten egg and bake until beautifully golden brown (5-10mins) at 230*

If you like to experiment you can try these with different fillings. I've done them with berries, with cardamom, with marzipan/perzipan (v-e-r-y niiiiice!!), with chocolate and with custard and iceing (in Sweden we'd call that butterkaka).  For Christmas I also add saffron to the dough.

There's no one else at home.

I had been in my room earlier.

I went on the computer.

I went back into my room.

And it smelled different.

It smelled like freshly made tapioca with a hint of marzipan.

The smell disappeared within minutes.

Was I hallucinating.

Maybe I should contact a dukun about this.

Yes, the lil' marzipan man is getting some saucy action under the covers.

Where have you been all my life? I spotted you, pasty, fragrant, and oh-so-affordable, at the market down the street, next to the random assortment of bulk nuts and dusty peanut cans, and I knew I had to have you.

I wasn't even there for baking supplies -- I think I was holding a container of lettuce, something for dinner last Saturday. But you were irresistible. One more ingredient won't hurt, right? And so, the search for something -- anything -- that would do you justice began.

Why biscotti? Well, I had some excellent biscotti for the first time not too long ago, and I was looking for something simple and easy to serve to dinner guests, something that would go with pizza and wine. After rummaging through the cupboards in search of something that would go with cocoa nibs (my new obsession), I spotted you, in your rather misshapen, golden state, perched cheerily next to a package of dried cherries. Funny how my lack of organizational skills pays off sometimes.

These biscotti are not for the marzipan-shy, but I think that's my favorite thing about them. Cherries and almonds are somehow born for each other, and the special heady scent of bitter almonds seems to be particularly suitable for this pairing. The cocoa nibs lend a chocolaty richness to the aftertaste, without interrupting the initial flavor too much. All in all, I'm pretty proud of these, so all I can say is I hope you enjoy them!

Cherry chocolate marzipan biscotti

Makes maybe 24 properly-sized biscotti? I made giants, of course. How could I resist?

This recipe is based on the biscotti recipe in Essentials of Baking, from Williams-Sonoma, which my brother got us for Christmas. I only thought to look in here after Rachael made me this amazing version. In fact, I wouldn't have even thought to make biscotti myself if it weren't for her; I had always thought of it as a kind of dull accompaniment to coffee, sold in coffee shops only because they were cardboard-like and seemingly indestructible. Not anymore ... This recipe is going to become one of my specialties. I particularly like this version, because it's surprising and intense -- perfect with a glass of Chilean cab after dinner.

• 2 c. (10 oz.) all-purpose flour.
• 1-1/2 t. baking powder.
• 1/2 t. salt.
• 2 large eggs.
• 3/4 c. sugar. Reduce this if you don't have a sweet tooth.
• 1/2 c. (4 oz. / 1 stick) butter, melted.
• 2 t. vanilla extract.
• 3 oz. (lemon-sized chunk) marzipan.
• 3/4 c. dried cherries.
• 1/2 c. cocoa nibs. If you don't have cocoa nibs, you can use chocolate chips. But you should definitely reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe if this is the case. Cocoa nibs are unsweetened, amazing, cacao beans, and are definitely worth seeking out.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in one bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until they're light and fluffy (yes, it'll take a little while), then add the eggs and vanilla. Beat some more -- you're going to need the workout after you inhale half the cookies in one sitting -- and then crumble the marzipan into the wet mix. Stir a bit more, so you don't have any really large chunks of marzipan left, and then fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Continue folding until the mix becomes uniform, and then add the cherries and cocoa nibs. Stir until the cherries and cocoa nibs have evenly distributed themselves throughout the batter.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the dough into two flat, oval logs, and place them on the parchment ~3 inches apart. Bake for 20-25 minutes; the logs should be crispy and golden on the outside, with a soft center (kind of like picture #4 above, though I under-baked mine, which made for some precarious slicing).

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, and turn the oven down to 300°F. Transfer to a cutting board and slice each log across its width into 3/4" segments. Lay the segments on the parchment paper, on one side. Place in the oven again, for 17-22 minutes, until the cookies are crisp, brown, and firm to touch. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool before eating.

These will last for 2 weeks, if you have more willpower than I do.

The other day, I recieved a package in the mail from my mom full of chocolate and pens topped with bunnies and plastic eggs. I scratched my head, wondering what game we were playing that involved mailing one another sweets and baby animals and went out to find a raccoon to FedEx back to her. After disguising myself under piles of garbage and hiding in a dumpster for an hour or five, I decided the lasting stench wasn't worth it and carried myself home in the early morning light. Much to my surprise, when I arrived back at my apartment, there were hoards of small people rifling through my yard. I don't like when neighbors trample our roses, so I ran screaming into the yard - flinging banana peels and cereal boxes along the way. How dare someone enter my private property to loot flowers - and on a Sunday morning! It was then, with the dozen or so sobbing tots dispersing in a mass flee and the hoard of angry looking adults encroaching on my personal space, that I remembered what holiday it was. And I thought Easter was in April?

What better way to recover from such a jarring realization than to hold a fancy ladies' tea party in the park!? OK, the truth is I DID forget it was Easter and planned a tea party on Saturday without that knowledge - but it became an Easter-themed party anyway!

The whole shabang complete with Green Jasmine and Peach teas.

I made currant scones from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. This was my first time using this cookbook, and I was not disappointed! The scones I made are really small -roughly the size of a golf ball - and the tiny currants and cinnamon made them a perfect companion to afternoon tea.

I also made my first pie from scratch! This is a Blueberry Lemon Pie based on Veganyumyum's Cherry Lime Pie. The Sound of Music was on television, so I whipped out my apron and felt like a serious domestic goddess rolling out chilled pie dough and prancing around my kitchen table with Julie Andrews.

The only thing I changed about the pie was, well ... guess. I think next time I will half the sugar, only because after eating the pie I was able to run my PR time on a 5K distance. Guess we know what I'll be eating next time a race comes around! Just call me shakey!

Finally, I made some *presh* chocolate birds nests with marzipan eggs. These were so cutesy I nearly shed a tear. I basically melted a chocolate bar and mixed in some crumbled Weetabix, formed them into nests in a mini-muffin pan and let them chill out. I made the marzipan eggs using food coloring and marzipan. Eeeeasy, bro.

Ain't no robins in here!

I put out some real food too, including carrots with hummus and crackers spread with Tofutti cream cheese and an olive tapenade - only to pretend that I'm an adult who doesn't eat pie and chocolate for every meal (What, mom? I swear I don't).

It was such a gorgeous day that we decided to document it. We have made plans to turn this into an official ladies' club and do lovely feminine things all the time now. And some not so feminine - midnight bike rides anyone?

Tree climbing commenced shortly after tea. I'm in the hat. Jay-Z told me hats are so necessary.

More beautiful tea party ladies!

I must say that I only ever buy them those teeny, tiny eggs, and spend their egg money on something Easterish but which isn't going to mean spending a fiver on an egg and a thousand pounds at the dentist.  This is not actually because I am a good, health conscious parent.  It's more to do with the fact that eggs are so cheap that everyone buys children Easter Eggs, even if they only met them once at a bus stop, and if you buy them some too, and you have three children, you could actually open a branch of Thorntons in your hallway come Easter Sunday.  Somebody has to draw the line somewhere and it's me.

It's some kind of weird adult compulsion, this egg buying business.  I expect it has a lot to do with BOGOF's and Three for Two's actually, and nothing at all to do with a deep seated need to celebrate pagan fertility rites thinly disguised as Christian festivals.  It also has something to do with the fact that if you randomly get rid of the two eggs you didn't really want to buy, but couldn't resist because they were such a bargain, it saves you piling on four stone on your own in the house over the Easter weekend, compulsively watching Tony Curtis and Kurt Russell in Spartacus whilst wiping bits of creme egg off your chin.

As with most major festivals I am a bit of a bah humbug when it comes to such things.  I don't mind things like Easter bonnets, and rustled up a splendid one for Tilly one year. I got quite competitive about it actually.  She got bored rigid by the whole thing after twenty minutes of faffing around with some cardboard and ribbon.  I really got the bit between my teeth and three days later came up with what can only be described as a creation which was truly bonnetacular.  Philip Treacey would have been proud of it.  It was something you would expect to see Tara Palmer Tompkinson parading around a paddock in on Ladies Day at Ascot.  Tilly was, naturally, totally unimpressed, but I took a picture of it with my phone and sent it to all my friends and got much kudos!  I was really looking forward to when Tallulah had to do the same thing, and had my design all planned out.  As it was they must have gotten bored of that idea by the time she hoved into view and nobody has ever asked us to make another one, much to my disappointment.  I really feel that it could have been my new forte.

Things I don't like about Easter are, a) the fact that it now starts in about November and ends some time in May, b) hot cross buns (urgh, currants and bread, urghhh!), c) Lent (???), d) Simnel Cake (looks great, tastes like crap.  Marzipan is evil, bad and wrong), e) hard boiled eggs (smell like farts).  The other thing is rabbits.  Why, why, why rabbits? 

Rabbits, unbeknownst to most of the population, are evil things.  My gran had a killer rabbit, just like the one in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  It was forever leaping out of bushes going for people's jugulars.  It was called Peter, but it was really the spawn of satan with a bobtail.  It was a hideous little beast.  My brother and I had rabbits and all they ever did was scratch and bite us, crap on us and constantly escape from the garden.  The only thing we liked them for was the fact that they were good at starting digging bloody big holes that we could  continue with and not get into trouble for trashing the lawn with, because we could blame the rabbits.  Other than that, what was the point of them say I?  They also don't taste very nice.  Too sweet for my liking.  Oh!  I hate Spartacus as well.  Tony Curtis never did it for me. I always preferred Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot.

So, basically the only good things about Easter are chicks, hats and chocolate.  I'm also very fussy about my chocolate.  I will eat most types of chocolate, but if someone is going to go to the trouble of buying me an egg, then I want what I want.  Mostly what I don't want are Cadbury's Creme Eggs.  I can't help it.  I have tried and tried to like them.  I finally gave up on the regular sized ones a few years ago.  Last year I tried one of the little ones, and I hate those too.  Apparently they do vast ones as well.  I just can't imagine how tooth achingly sweet those would be.  I don't actually know if the giant ones are filled with that creamy goo or not.  If they were it would be compulsory to wear some kind of all in one protective suit whilst eating it surely?  Otherwise you would just end up welded to the kitchen cabinets with rotted stumps for teeth.  Urghh!

The best Easter Eggs, as any fule kno, are other peoples! I'd rather eat the children's when they're at school thanks!  I do remember the first Easter Egg I ever had though.  I was very small, must have been two or three at the most.  It was a Freddy Frog one, which had mini egg type eggs inside it and Freddies on either side of it.  I remember it so distinctly because the shell of the main egg was so hard that my dad had to bring in a hammer from the tool shed to smash it with and it was quite traumatising!  Another year I got a little willow basket with tiny eggs in.  I think that was my favourite of all time.  I had the basket for years and years.  It may even still be kicking around at mum's somewhere.  She hates throwing things out.  She's probably using it as a handy string holder or something.

Right.  So that's Easter covered, and March has only just begun.  I'm getting the marketing bug of discussing these things early.  On Easter Sunday I will probably be discussing what I'm going to do with myself on the longest day of the year, and by the time Whitsun rolls round I shall be making plans for my Fireworks party.  It's all a bit too scary really.

Talking of which, we went to Norwich today.  We're having a weekend going to visit the in-laws, before we jet off to Canada.  We stay in a hotel in Norwich because despite the fact that Jason's mother says she wouldn't mind our noise, her house is very small and we are very large and very noisy.  I am convinced that she says that she doesn't mind the noise because it has been so long since she has had kids herself that she has forgotten how much one does mind the noise when being woken from restful slumber at half past three in the morning because the entire rest of the household has had to get up and do what seems like a percussion and voices version of the Hokey Cokey in the hallway for several hours.

The children love staying in the hotel.  It has a guest suite with its own garden, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a lounge/kitchen type affair.  They think it's the height of decadence to get in their pyjamas and zoom around the garden, and then get up the next day and eat breakfast in the restaurant.  I have to say that I still think eating breakfast in a restaurant is a pretty exciting affair.  It was last time we went, mainly because Matilda emptied an entire fried breakfast onto her lap in a moment of critical absent mindedness.  I am almost sure that the staff will remember us from last time.  I just hope they don't hold it against us...

We will also be offering chocolate covered marzipan in 16pc & 25pc boxes and both milk & dark chocolate. These will be added to the online store shortly.

We hope you try it and would appreciate any feedback.

Mister Hoover (1895 - 1972) was the director of the FBI from 1924 until his death, quite an innings. His battles against city gangster rackets and Communists are perhaps better known about than those inner battles which he fought, and so often lost, against an insistent muse.

I got this marzipus from Amato in Old Compton Street. I think they thought I was ill, I squealed very loudly when I saw him. No way was I going to eat him. Mainly because I was already full of real octopus (see upcoming post!!).

Hazelnuss / Hazelnuts: Here we have chopped hazelnuts in milk chocolate. Sweet and nutty; simple but effective. Rating: 8/10

Knusperflakes / Corn Flakes: This is milk chocolate with corn flakes. In the US, crisped rice candy is very common, but corn flake bars are rare. That’s odd, considering we are the biggest corn producers. It’s also too bad, as corn flakes add more flavor and crunch than crisped rice does. I’m really like this, but I’m already a big fan of corn flakes with sweets - I love corn flakes in ice cream. Rating: 8/10

Knusperkeks / Butter Biscuit: This is a butter cookie/cracker covered in milk chocolate. There is also a layer of chocolate creme, but it didn’t stand out from the chocolate coating. The soft flaky cracker goes well with the chocolate. Rating: 7/10

Marzipan / Marzipan: This is the only bar in the assortment without a milk chocolate base. Instead we have semi-sweet chocolate filled with marzipan. I’d never had marzipan before, but I love almonds, amaretto, and anything made with almond extract. Marzipan seems right up my alley, but alas, I didn’t enjoy this. It has strong alcohol flavor and an unpleasant sandy texture. I only detected a hint of almond after the alcohol taste faded away. I’m not sure if I don’t like marzipan, or if I didn’t like this marzipan. Rating: 4/10

Nugat / Praline: This is not what I was expecting – it’s not what I would call nougat or praline, but on second thought, praline is often used to describe European filled chocolates. Anyway, this is milk chocolate filled with a thick hazelnut creme. It’s quite nutty, a little sticky, and perfect for hazelnut nuts like me. Rating: 9/10

Joghurt / Yogurt: This is interesting: milk chocolate filled with a dense yogurt creme. I was prepared to dislike it. I love plain yogurt and eat it almost daily, but chocolate seemed like a bad combination. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked this. It’s tangy and a little sour, like plain yogurt. Not for everyone, but I quite enjoyed it. Rating: 7/10

Ingredient Watch: Clear. Ritter uses quality ingredients – “Quality in a square.”

Nutrition Breakdown: This is approximate, depending on which bars you eat. Serving size is 2 bars. Each serving contains 180 calories, 11g of fat, 19g of sugar, and 2g of protein.

Name: Ritter Sport Minis
Brand: Ritter Sport
Store: World Market
Price: $3.49

A little while back, I gave up tape. Now, this isn't something that affects me on a regular basis — I don't spend entire days jonesing for a hit of Duct, or find myself with mountains of open boxes that need immediate closing and can only be sealed with sweet, sweet masking tape.

However, I did need to stick some photos into an album and was a bit stuck, myself. I had no tape, but I didn't want to buy glue because it doesn't seem very eco-friendly (it always comes in a plastic tube, and aren't there horses' hooves in there or something?).

Then, while at Grassroots over the weekend, I saw this cute little aluminum tin on the shelf, a product called Coccoina (cutest website ever, by the way — the English version leaves something to be desired — specifically, coherent English — but that actually makes it even cuter, if you ask me). The label was written in Italian, however I presumed from words like fotografie and ufficio that this here was glue, and because it was sold at Grassroots, it had to be natural (at the very least, it's solvent-free, acid-free and doesn't come wrapped in plastic).

I unscrewed the top, took a sniff and was pleasantly surprised by the aroma of almond. Unfortunately, this pleasant sensation quickly turned to skepticism as I thought, "OK, they probably just poured a bunch of almond oil and wax into a jar and called it glue," so I asked the cashier if she'd tried it. She said no, it just came in, but she'd heard good things (yeah, yeah). For $8, though, I decided it was worth a shot — I did, after all, need to uffix my fotografies into that album.

Apparently, this stuff has been around since 1927. The website — in its funny English — says it became popular when it was first advertised on the radio like so: "Coccoina, Coccoina ... It is not a drug but a solid glue that amazes and arouses enthusiasm in those who use it." Er, yeah. Sorta like how Quebec has been "providing emotions since 1534," right?

Well, I guess they were sort of right, because it did amaze me: this stuff is super-sticky, not at all gloppy, and the little brush that comes with it fits neatly back inside the container when you're finished.

Furthermore, according to Treehugger — who, of course, have already written about this — it even tastes like marzipan, so paste-eaters, rejoice!

Weil man meistens nicht alles an einem Tag abbacken kann, kann man die Eigelbe auch schon vorher mit dem Amaretto vermischen. So halten sie sich ohne Probleme ein paar Tage im Kühlschrank. -- Wenn nicht der Ehegatte versehentlich daraus Rühreier macht ... :)

Marzipanblätter

Aus dem Mehl, der Butter, dem Zucker, 1 Prise Salz, 1 Ei (u.U. etwas Wasser) und dem Inhalt der Vanilleschote einen Mürbeteig zubereiten und eine halbe Stunde im Kühlschrank ruhen lassen.

200g Marzipan mit ca. 50g Puderzucker zwischen zwei Lagen Backpapier ausrollen (etwa 40x20).

Den Mürbeteig etwas breiter als das Marzipan ausrollen, mit dem mit Amaretto vermischten Eigelb bestreichen und die Schokostreusel darüber streuen. Das Marzipan darüberlegen und genauso bestreichen. Das Ganze zusammenrollen und eine halbe Stunde im Kühlschrank ruhen lassen.

Von der Rolle ½ cm dicke Scheiben abschneiden, mit der Eigelb-Masse bestreichen und bei 200°C ca 12Min. backen.