flipRoyal Marchpane with Rosewater
Royal Marchpane with Rosewater
Why this dish? The centerpiece of the Tudor banquet, marchpane was sculpted into coats of arms, castles, and Tudor roses to dazzle guests. Elizabeth, fond of sugar confections to the point of rotten teeth, received sumptuous ones at Greenwich and Whitehall.
A disc of pounded almonds and sugar, perfumed with rosewater, baked until golden then iced—less a cake than an edible showpiece that was offered and admired before being broken.
Draw near, and behold what is set for Our table. My confectioners pound fine almonds until they become a paste, marry them with the whitest sugar and rosewater from Our gardens, then fashion Our arms and the rose of Our house. It is baked in a gentle oven, that it brown not, and glazed till it shines like silver. Taste a piece—but know that here, one admires before biting.
- •Sweet almonds, blanched — a good pound (base of the paste)
- •Fine sugar — half a pound, plus for glazing (binder and sweetness)
- •Rosewater — a few spoonfuls (flavoring)
- •Wafer (oublie) — one leaf (base for unmolding)
Royal Marchpane with Rosewater
A disc of pounded almonds and sugar, perfumed with rosewater, baked until golden then iced—less a cake than an edible showpiece that was offered and admired before being broken.
Why this dish? The centerpiece of the Tudor banquet, marchpane was sculpted into coats of arms, castles, and Tudor roses to dazzle guests. Elizabeth, fond of sugar confections to the point of rotten teeth, received sumptuous ones at Greenwich and Whitehall.
Draw near, and behold what is set for Our table. My confectioners pound fine almonds until they become a paste, marry them with the whitest sugar and rosewater from Our gardens, then fashion Our arms and the rose of Our house. It is baked in a gentle oven, that it brown not, and glazed till it shines like silver. Taste a piece—but know that here, one admires before biting.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sweet almonds, blanched — a good pound (base of the paste)
- Fine sugar — half a pound, plus for glazing (binder and sweetness)
- Rosewater — a few spoonfuls (flavoring)
- Wafer (oublie) — one leaf (base for unmolding)
Ingredients
- Ground almonds — 250 g (base of the paste)
- Icing sugar — 200 g (binder and sweetness)
- Rosewater — 2 tbsp (flavoring)
- Egg white — 1 (binder)
- Icing sugar + a little rosewater — 60 g + 1 tsp (glaze)
Method
- Mix ground almonds and icing sugar.
- Add egg white and rosewater, knead until a firm, smooth paste forms.
- Roll into a disc about 1.5 cm thick on a sheet of baking paper.
- Bake in a gentle oven (150°C) for 12-15 minutes, just to set without browning.
- Prepare a glaze by mixing icing sugar with a splash of rosewater; spread over the warm marchpane.
- Let dry; optionally decorate with Tudor rose motifs before serving.
How it was made : Tudor cookbooks describe marchpane as a "paste" of almonds and sugar laid on a wafer (oublie), baked very gently, then "iced" with sugar and rosewater, often gilded with gold leaf for grand occasions.
The contemporary twist : Shape into individual Tudor roses and serve on a mirror plate to evoke the Queen's "State Mirror."
Sources : Thomas Dawson, The Good Huswifes Jewell, 1585 · A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye, circa 1545
Elizabeth I of England · Charactorium
