Composition, useful properties and harm of marzipan for human health. How is the treat eaten and what recipes with its participation are popular among amateur chefs?
Marzipan is a confection that can be consumed in its original form or used as an ingredient in desserts. Has a bright nutty taste, because it contains almonds, peanuts or other types of nuts. What is marzipan made of, how is it useful and harmful to humans? What nut treats can you make in your home kitchen?
Composition and calorie content of marzipan
The standard composition of marzipan consists of sweet syrup made from water and granulated sugar and almonds, ground to a state of flour. As a rule, the nut mass consists of bitter and sweet fruits (the number of sweet nuts should prevail). The recipe for the dessert can vary depending on the preference of the manufacturer. For example, a different type of nuts is often used, flavors, flavorings, etc. are included in the dough.
Confectioners often refer to any type of desserts based on nut flour as marzipan. In Russia, marzipan buns made with the addition of peanuts are very popular among those with a sweet tooth. Mozartkugels are prepared in different parts of the world - marzipan sweets covered with chocolate or sugar glaze.
The calorie content of marzipan per 100 g is 479 kcal, of which:
- Proteins - 6, 8 g;
- Fat - 21, 2 g;
- Carbohydrates - 65, 3 g;
- Dietary fiber - 0 g;
- Water - 0 g.
The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is 1: 3, 1: 9, 6.
Marzipan contains a large amount of almond crumbs, which means that the dessert is rich in the following nutrients:
- Vitamins E, C, A and group B;
- Macronutrients - potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium;
- Trace elements - iron, iodine, zinc, fluorine, copper, manganese.
On a note! Store marzipan in a plastic bag. Otherwise, the delicacy will quickly become stale. Experts advise to store the dessert in a cool room and bring it into a warm room in advance of use for warming.
Useful properties of marzipan
The benefits of marzipan for the human body depend on its constituent ingredients. As a rule, the dessert has the same useful properties that are inherent in the nut used in it.
The main purpose of the dessert is to surprise the consumer with the unusual taste of marzipan, its nutty aroma and sweetness. The medicinal properties of the product in this case fade into the background. Nevertheless, experts highlight the following beneficial properties of marzipan:
- Replenishes energy deficiencies quickly … Marzipan is considered a high-calorie food, so it gives you a feeling of fullness during quick snacks.
- Strengthens the protective function of the body, helps to fight depression … Marzipan contains a large amount of vitamin E, so the delicacy is considered quite useful for the general emotional state of a person, the work of his brain and nervous system. Vitamin E also strengthens the immune system.
- It has a beneficial effect on the condition of the heart, hair and nails … The ingredients used to prepare the dessert contain a lot of useful vitamins and minerals that strengthen human health. Almost all nutrients are included in the finished product. This is due to the fact that most recipes for making marzipan do not provide for cooking or baking a dish, during which nutrients are heated and evaporated.
Contraindications and harm of marzipan
Doctors, speaking about the dangers of marzipan, focus on the fact that the product is high in calories and is difficult for the human stomach to digest. In this regard, the following categories of consumers should refuse the delicacy:
- diabetics;
- overweight people;
- suffering from diseases of the liver and pancreas.
Doctors note that marzipan can harm the body of even a healthy person if you regularly consume sweetness in unlimited quantities.
Experts advise giving preference to homemade marzipan, rather than store-bought. If there is no time to prepare the dessert, buy a delicacy that does not contain harmful chemical impurities. To do this, carefully read the composition of marzipan before purchasing it.
Allergy sufferers should partially abandon the nut dessert. For example, if you are allergic to almonds, you can eat marzipan, but only the one that is cooked with peanuts or other types of nuts.
How to prepare marzipan?
There are two main ways to make a nut treat:
- Hot … All ingredients are poured with hot syrup from water and granulated sugar and kneaded into a dough of the desired consistency.
- Cold … All dry and free-flowing ingredients are mixed into a single whole without the use of syrup. In this case, powdered sugar adds sweetness to the dessert. As a result, the confectioner receives a plastic mass from which any figures can be fashioned. Often this way of preparing a dessert involves the use of eggs. It is thanks to them that the finished dish will be sufficiently elastic and not too dry.
Note! As a rule, the presence of eggs in the composition of marzipan indicates that second-rate nuts, not rich in oil, were used for its preparation.
A simple step-by-step recipe for hot marzipan:
- Organize a water bath.
- In a large metal bowl, combine 4 whites and 150 g of powdered fruit sugar.
- Heat the resulting mass in an already boiled water bath.
- Stir the ingredients constantly and do not remove from the stove until they turn into a smooth, thick cream.
- Add a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 430 g of ground sweet almonds and a few chopped bitter kernels to the kneaded cream. If you do not have bitter almonds, replace them with 3 drops of the corresponding essence.
- Knead the resulting mixture until you get a smooth and firm dough.
- The product is ready to use! If desired, it can be given any shape or laid out on a dish in the form of bread.
Cold-making marzipan is even easier. Follow the step-by-step instructions and you will have a marzipan dough, perfect for sculpting various figures:
- Knead the dough using 200 g honey and 0.5 kg sweet almond flour. If you don't have honey, replace it with powdered sugar in the same amount.
- While kneading it, slowly add a few drops of water. It is needed for the elasticity of the dough.
- Next, shape it into candies or any shape that you need. Dessert is ready!
Tips from a professional pastry chef! If you decide to experiment and add a new ingredient to the standard marzipan recipe, remember the two main rules for preparing this dessert:
- Nuts and sugar (or powdered sugar) should be used in a ratio of 3 to 1. If you break this rule, the dough will come out too brittle or sticky.
- Any additives (candied fruit, drying, etc.) should be added to the dessert after kneading the dough.
Marzipan recipes
Confectioners consider marzipan not only as a ready-made dessert, but also as an ingredient that requires additional processing and improvement - using it with various products, experts get a radically new culinary dish.
Consider several recipes for desserts with marzipan:
- Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake … Grind 150 g sugar cookies and mix with 70 g melted butter. Put the resulting mass on the bottom of a springform baking dish. Leave the mold in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Next, whisk 400 g of cream cheese with 80 g of granulated sugar, 3 tbsp. l. low-fat sour cream and 2 pcs. chicken eggs. Add to the resulting mass 100 g of grated marzipan, 2 tbsp. l. poppy and 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice. Whisk the cream thoroughly until smooth. Place it in a baking dish on top of the cookies. Bake the pie in the oven for an hour. Cool the finished dessert and put in the refrigerator overnight. Only then can you start drinking tea.
- Cake with marzipan "Princess" … Combine 4 yolks with 3 tbsp. l. granulated sugar, 2 tbsp. l. starch and 1 tsp. vanilla. In a separate bowl, heat 250 ml of milk and pour it into the mass with yolks. Thicken the resulting mixture by putting on fire. Remember to stir the cream constantly to avoid burning. Transfer the finished cream to a clean plate and refrigerate. Meanwhile, soak 1.5 tsp. gelatin in 2 tbsp. l. hot water and leave to dissolve. Whisk in 500 ml of cream with 50 g of icing sugar. Take from the resulting mass 2 tbsp. l. and add them to the already dissolved gelatin. Mix the gelatinous mass thoroughly and combine it with the remaining cream. Whisk the cream and gelatin until firm peaks appear on the surface. Now start shaping the cake, for this you need ready-made biscuit bases (3 pcs.). If you have time, you can make the biscuit yourself. Put 150 g of raspberry jam on the first crust, and a little cream on top of it. Cover the cream with the second crust, greased with cream from the fridge and a little cream. Place the third on top of the second cake. Brush the top of the cake and sides generously with the remaining cream. Cover the finished cake with elastic marzipan (500 g) like mastic.
- Pears in puff pastry … To implement this recipe, you will need to purchase 700 g of ready-made puff pastry in the store or cook it yourself. First, cut 100 g of marzipan into small pieces and add 4 tbsp. l. cream. Stir the ingredients thoroughly to get a smooth paste. Wash the pears and remove their seed boxes by cutting the fruit in half lengthwise. Each half of the pear should be decorated with transverse cuts so that it does not fall into pieces, but is kept together. Drizzle a little lemon juice over the pears. Cut the pears out of the dough so that they are larger than the fruit halves that you have already prepared. Place the marzipan cream and pear on top of the dough. Sprinkle the dessert with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Bake for about 25 minutes.
Interesting facts about marzipan
Marzipan is a traditional Christmas dish in Germany and Holland. It is difficult to say in which part of the world they first learned how to cook marzipan. Historians cannot give an unequivocal answer: some of them are sure that this happened in Italy or France, other experts suggest that the sweet was invented in Estonia or Germany. By the way, its name came to us from German, translated from which it means "March bread".
There is also no consensus about the circumstances under which the recipe for this dessert appeared. Some historians are inclined to the version of a grain harvest failure: in a lean year, people did not have flour to bake bread, so they used another raw material - almonds. There is also a version that sweetness was invented to combat bad mood and depression.
Marzipan is ideal for filling confectionery products, as well as making edible figurines for decorating cakes. The sweet product is even used to make liqueur.
In various parts of the world, people create museums dedicated to marzipan. So, in Hungary there are 4 such establishments!
Confectioners regularly invent new recipes for delicacies; today the world knows 500 types of marzipan. Most of the recipes are in the public domain, and anyone can use them, but in the city of Lubeck, confectioners prefer not to reveal their unique, ancient secret of marzipan preparation.
How to cook marzipan - watch the video:
Dessert made from nut flour is a high-calorie and satisfying product that is liked by almost all sweet tooths. However, you should not abuse it - it is difficult to digest and can provoke an increase in blood sugar levels or rapid weight gain. Making marzipan at home is not difficult. If you don't have time to cook, go to the store for a treat; marzipan is easy to buy at any pastry shop.
