Marzipan bars

[Copper]

I have tried the marzipan bars from Lyme Regis Foods - found them in my local health food shop. These are subtle flavoured marzipan bars ie not too strong. They are gluten free so even Matt could eat these :)

In Tesco the other day I spotted a pack of 3 Marzipan bars made by Thorntons. The label does say may contain milk traces but I think that is just to cover their backs. This bar is for the real lover of marzipan - bit strong - could even be described as a bit sickly. I have to be in the right mood for one of these bars. You have been warned.

[Pam]

Those Lyme Regis ones are really expensive, I think the Thorntons ones are better value. Hubby made some for me for mothers day - balls of marzipan covered in free from chocolate. The kids had a whale of a time making them. Marzipan is expensive stuff though, £1.82 for a block when I last bought some. I quite like it but I'd rather just have a bar of Maya Gold.

[matt]

it's the choc bit that would stuff me at the moment. i'm going to have to try and cure me of that one!!!! slow exposure therapy i think.

i have to admit i'd do it the same way as pam and get a block of decent marzipan and work from there. must be cheaper than the lyme regis ones?

atleast you can fib and say they're good for you. made of almonds, contain loads of calcium so you need to eat them because you are dairy free!!!!:naughty:

[cnc]

I just eat the marzipan by itself:) Think I'm quite strange, but found it fills a craving for sweet stuff very easily, and you don't need that much of it so lasts a while!!
Am quite interested in these marzipan bars though, what do you add to them etc...?

[Pam]

We didn't add anything to ours, as far as I know they just rolled some marzipan into a ball and dipped it in melted chocolate. Lidl sell some very nice marzipan eggs that have liqueur centres, I'm not sure if they are dairy free though. They only tend to have them in at Easter and maybe Christmas but they are rather yummy.

I can eat marzipan on its own too.

[matt]

i'm terrible at xmas, roll out the marzipan just that little bit thinner so that i've extra leftover, shame to waste it:drool:

i'd go for the plain large lump of marzipan rather than fork out for thorntons to have put a thin layer of choc on it and charge 5 times as much. cheap scate that i am.

[cnc]

My mum normally just buys a block of marizpan for me to eat at Christmas as even when I could eat Christmas cake, I didnt like the taste!!
I agree with Matt, making your own sounds more sensible and cheaper- might make some before I leave this weekend.

[matt]

no reason why you can't have christmas cake. but if you don't like fruit cake then stick the marzipan on a spoonge cake! or just eat it on it's own!!:drool:

[matt]

in fact the real lazy way. buy the marzipan and a bar of choc. then don't bother with the hassle of melting and dipping etc.


one lump choc, one bit of marzipan in mouth at same time.:drool:

[cnc]

I know theres no reason I can't have Christmas cake, would just have to make my Mum use different ingredients, but I don't like it so skip it!!
Forget the chocolate, just eat the marizpan- am going to add some different ingredients to the marizpan today and have an experiment- just an excuse to make some mess in the kitchen :>

[zoefruitcake]

This Fruitcake likes both Christmas cake and marzipan :)

I think I like Matt's suggestion best of all, one bite marzipan and one bite chocolate, although the idea of dipping marzipan in melted choc had got my tastebuds all of a tingle :drool:

[cnc]

Have been experimenting this morning, made marizpan dipped in chocolate, and also have created marizpan and glace cherries, and marzipan and raisins, was searching the cupboards to find ingredients to add together, have made them dipped in chocolate and without, just got to taste test them, and then I'll let you know how they are- shouldn't be too long before the results are out!!
The marzipan in plain belgian chocolate was nice- bitter and sweet :)

[Pam]

I think I'd be adding a bit of alcohol in there somewhere. Rum and raisin, cherries soaked in cherry brandy/vodka/anything sweet. The Lidl ones have a sort of alcoholic jam in them. :drool:

[matt]

see i can think of easier solution again.

sit in comfy armchair with good film on tv. bottle of favourite spirit on table with either a glass or straw!
one bowl of assorted bite sized bits of fruit/nuts/marzipan/choc chips. lucky dip with sip of alcohol. to make it even more......add some swedish glace to the bowl and mix all together:drool: :drool: imagaine each spoonfull.

i'm sure there's room for maple syrup in there somewhere. waitrose do a solid version. maple butter use like jam/honey.

i'm quite hungry all of a sudden

[Pam]

Hunger, Matt? I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary.

It's alright having all these different things in a bowl but I like the all in one idea - you know, one mouthful (preferably a large one) of taste sensation, bite in and get the alcohol oozing out.

[cnc]

Ok I'm beginning to feel rather ill thinking about that!!- Vodka and marzipan sounds like a recipe for disaster
The results of the test were- Chocolate and marzipan are good!!:drool: I think I needed to add some more cherries to the marzipan though, what an excuse to make some more?!
Haven't got round to eating the ones with the raisins in, will do that today though
This is quite a cost effective thing to make £1.80 something for a big block of marzipan and just over a £1.00 for some melting chocolate- (tastes good on its own if you 'accidently' melt to much!) and you can make a lot of them.

[matt]

i get hungry plenty of the time i just don't eat when i am! how dumb is that? mind you if my brain was wired up right i'd not be writting this at 4:23 am!!!

so you like all sensations at once in the mouth? so chop up the ingredients into small pieces mix with the icecream and pour alcohol of choice over top. sloe gin maybe.:drool:

[Pam]

I made a very nice snowball ice cream before I became dairy free. I used Advocaat, lemonade, cream, glace cherries. It tasted delicious but didn't set very hard. I don't know if it was the alcohol or the lemonade that stopped it setting properly but it was still very edible. I'm not really a huge ice cream fan though as I have sensitive teeth - I prefer stodgy puds with custard.

[matt]

it'd be the alcohol mainly that stopped it freezing.

so why not make a bread and butter pudding? add slices of marzipan, fruit of your choice, nuts if you want, and then choc chips with a chocolate home made custard?

eat hot with a glass of favourite tipple, desert wine or something.

nice easy pudding with all the options!

[Pam]

I can't imagine chocolate and bread and butter pudding going together, maybe I'll have to do a chocolate pudding and a b&b pudding. I haven't had b&b pudding for years but I love the stuff.

[cnc]

I've never had bread & butter pudding, is sold in college, but can't eat it!!
Ice cream is a rather large weakness of mine, and so I sometimes eat the proper stuff when I'm out,:( as I can cope with the consequences of the dairy (normally blocked nose, a bit of sinus pain and my cough comes back), especially as a local restaurant does the most sickly dessert ever, but its so nice!!
Custard is nasty- especially chocolate flavoured custard, a nice chocolate sauce however:drool:

[matt]

pam you heathen. choc goes with everything!!!

i'm sure i've seen it done by one of the chefs on ready steady or something. can't see why it wouldn't work. i always used to like choc sauce sandwiches.....:drool: i don't miss choc or bread at all. repeat until you believe......