Marzipan Fairy Toast Recipes

MARZIPAN

Steps:

• Blend the confectioner's sugar, finely ground almonds, egg whites, salt, and almond extract in a blender until perfectly blended. Cover and chill until firm, 24 hours.

MARZIPAN POTATOES

Steps:

• Place almonds in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Slip the almonds out of their skins one by one, leaving the remaining almonds in the warm water. Drain almonds in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place almonds, confectioners' sugar, rose water, and almond extract in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process to a paste. Scrape the sides a few times to ensure even processing. Process marzipan until it is smooth and no longer grainy. Wrap in plastic wrap and store marzipan in a cool, dry place, 8 hours to overnight.
• Shape marzipan into a 1/2-inch thick roll. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Dredge balls in cocoa.

CAULIFLOWER TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Turn the cauliflower upside down on a cutting board. Cut off and discard most but not all of the stems, then cut the florets into small, 1/2-inch clusters. Place the florets on a sheet pan, toss them with the olive oil, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and spread them out in a single layer. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing two or three times, until the florets are tender and randomly browned. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Set the oven to broil and arrange a rack 6 inches below the heat.
• Transfer the florets to a large mixing bowl and add the mascarpone, stirring to coat the florets evenly. Stir in the Gruyere, prosciutto, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
• Toast the bread in a toaster until lightly browned, and place in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with foil. Mound the cauliflower mixture evenly on each toast and dust with paprika. Broil the toasts for 2 to 4 minutes, until browned and bubbling. (Watch them carefully!) Transfer to plates and sprinkle with Parmesan, the chives, and sea salt. Serve hot.

MARZIPAN FAIRY TOAST

Steps:

• Spread the bread with an even layer of Marzipan Butter, cover liberally with Homemade Sprinkles and cut each slice into 4 triangles.
• In a food processor, blend the almonds, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until creamy and spreadable, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, almond extract and salt and blend, scraping down the sides occasionally, until very creamy and spreadable, 12 to 15 minutes more. If desired, drizzle in a tiny bit of oil to thin out the texture and make it more spreadable. Caution: The mixture will be quite hot when it's finished blending.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, egg white and salt. The consistency should be slightly thicker than glue. Add a bit of water if it is too thick or more powdered sugar if it is too thin. Divide into three bowls (it won't seem like that much in each bowl!) and add the food coloring. Transfer each color to a piping bag fitted with a very small tip and pipe lines onto the parchment paper. Let dry at room temperature for 4 hours or overnight. Scrape the lines off the paper and break into sprinkles.