Calissons d'Aix

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 150 g almonds
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 100 g melon(s), candied
• 20 g orange(s), candied
• 15 g lemon(s), candied
• 1 tsp orange blossom water, if desired
• n. B. Wafers, square (10 x 14.5 cm) or small round
• 1 egg white
• 150 g powdered sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Total time approx. 12 hours 30 minutes

Provençal Christmas confectionery, similar to marzipan with a fruity note

It’s important not to use ground almonds that you can buy ready-made. Instead, blanch whole almonds, peel them, and let them dry (quickly for about 10-15 minutes in the oven at 100°C with the door slightly ajar), then blend them into a fine powder. Freeze the candied fruit overnight. First, finely chop the candied fruit in a blender. Then add the powdered sugar and ground almonds and continue blending until a smooth, firm, marzipan-like dough forms. No additional liquid is needed. As with nut butters or marzipan, the ground almonds will become increasingly mushy as you continue blending. The candied fruit will also thaw due to the heat generated during blending and become sticky. This gradually creates a firm dough. However, you can add 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water to enhance the flavor. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for 1 hour. Spread the mixture onto large rectangular (14.5 x 10 cm) wafers and roll out to a thickness of about 8 mm. Then turn them over so that the wafer is on top and use round cutters (4 or 5 cm in diameter) to first cut out circles and then small leaves/ellipses, the typical shape of calissons. If necessary, briefly dip the cutter in cold water every now and then to prevent the mixture from sticking. Alternatively, you can first cut out strips about 3 cm wide and then diamond shapes. This also looks very pretty and is much easier. In France, you can also buy special calisson cutters. However, cutting them out is not easy. Even with metal cutters, it may be necessary to trace the outline with a sharp knife before pushing through the cutter to prevent the wafer from breaking. If you leave the wafer on the bottom, cutting out the circles requires a lot of pressure, which is painful and therefore impractical. For the glaze, beat the egg whites with powdered sugar until stiff and coat the calissons with it. Then let them dry. I omit the glaze because the calissons are already very sweet, although they look prettier with it. It’s highly recommended to freeze the fruit before blending; this will pulverize it first and then make it sticky! This recipe is quite a challenge for the blender! Candied citrus fruits are easy to make at home with a little patience. You can find recipes here at Chefkoch.de.