How to make
Almond marzipan:
Put the almonds in boiling water for 5-10 min., drain them and cool them. Take an almond, press it with your fingers from one side and the skin will easily come off. Leave them aside for 2-24 hours until completely dry.
Put the dry almonds in a blender and blend finely. Add the sifted sugar and finely grated orange rind. Blend again briefly. During the blending process, use a spatula to remove the almonds that stick to the walls of the blender and also so the more coarsely ground parts don't end up on top.
Take it out and knead like a dough. If it's too dry, add orange juice, rose water or just water, in drops, to keep it all together. You need to get a soft and stretchy mixture. Form it into a sheet, cover with plastic wrap tightly and leave in a dry and ventilated area. From these quantities you're going to get about 14 oz (400 g) marzipan.
The original recipe uses 1 egg but it's optional.
Bonbons:
Put the almonds for the bonbons in boiling water for 5-10 min., drain them and cool. Then remove their skins, just as you did for the almond marzipan. Dry them.
Cut the dates carefully, take each pit out and in its place put a whole, peeled almond.
Roll a ball of almond marzipan between your fingers and wrap a date in it. Close it on all sides. Do this for all of them.
Leave thus prepared dates in the fridge to cool, while you prepare the dark chocolate.
Melt the dark chocolate in a water bath. Leave it at room temperature.
Dip each bonbon in dark chocolate, cool it and place on a paper towel to dry.
Leave the bonbons in a cool area.
For decoration, melt white chocolate, pour it into a fine paper funnel and spray out diagonal lines.
Source: Hristina Koleva.
