• 3/4 lb almond paste
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp rose water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tbsp rose water (for icing)
• 3 tbsp sugar

Mix almond paste and rosewater and set aside wrapped in plastic to keep from drying out. Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg yolk. Stir in flour a little at a time. Refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes. Roll dough out on floured cookie sheet to about 9" in diameter. Trim edges. Brush with the egg white. Sprinkle a sheet of baker's parchment with 2 tsp of the powdered sugar. Pat out the almond paste atop it and sprinkle with the remaining powdered sugar. Top with another sheet of parchment and roll out to about 7-8" in diameter. Carefully remove the top sheet of paper and turn the round over on top of the cookie base. Remove the bottom sheet of paper, very carefully. Turn up and flute the outer edge of cookie base. Bake at 375° F for 5 minutes, then lower heat to 325° F and bake 15 minutes more. Mix rose water and sugar and brush the top of the Marchpane with this. Return it to the oven for 5 more minutes. It may then be decorated as you wish. Yields 1 Marchpane. I made 2; a sotelty for the high table and a plain one for the servers. An account of the sotelty produced for the high table is found at A Faire Marchpane Being a Chessboard.

A Boke of Gode Cookery
© 1999 James L. Matterer