The Perfect Gentleman Issue 8 - Halloween | Page 31

Marzipan might dry out, so cover it with a
damp towel or in an airtight container.
There is two ways to colour Marzipan - you
can knead into marzipan (useful if you are
making colour blocks like the pumpkins in
the main picture) or you can paint it on.
To bulk colour, break off the amount you
want to dye, then add a few drops of the
colour with a tooth pick. Start small and you
can build the colour.
Then knead the marzipan until the colour is
even. Repeat until you have all the colours
you need.
To paint the Marzipan, you need to let it dry
a little first. So shape the marzipan first,
then mix the colour dye with a little water
and then paint on with a the fine paint
brush.
The fun is making the Monsters - you can
let your imagination run riot. Mold the
marzipan into the shapes you want. You can
add details with the toothpicks and coloured
writing icing.

In a mixing bowl, combine the desiccated
coconut and then add about half the coconut
pulp. Then add about half the tin of
condensed milk. Mix together well.
Then take small handfuls and shape them
into little bricks. Place then on a
grease-proof paper lined metal tray.
Once you have used all the mixture place
the bars into the fridge for at least an hour
but until they are solid.
Then melt your chocolate, then more milk
chocolate the sweeter the bars. I like to mix
it about evenly. You can melt the chocolate
in a microwave slowly (10 seconds at a time)
on a low power setting.
Take out the solid bars and then cover then
in the chocolate. You can dip, pour or figure
out any fun way to do it. Place the chocolate
covered bars on a wire rack above a tray and
place them all back in the fridge to solidify
again.
Keep them in an airtight container in the
fridge till you are ready to serve...if you can
wait.

If you need things like leaves you can roll
the marzipan out then cut the shapes out.
Homemade Chocolate Coconut Bars
It is sometimes surprising how easy
different candies are to make, these 'Bounty'
style bars are fabulous.
You will need one packet of Desiccated
Coconut (250g), 1 tin of condensed milk and
1 tin of Coconut milk and some good
chocolate (can be dark or milk or both) at
least 250g but probably a little more.
Firstly, drain the water from the coconut
milk, you want the solid pulp.

The Suited Chef

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