Crush of the Month: Mission to Marzipan

My relationship with marzipan is an international love affair. Our first tryst was in Budapest, having been introduced to each other by our mutual friend Lindsay. It was a weekend trip during my junior year semester abroad, a time for experimentation and breaking down boundaries. I was intrigued by this chocolate-coated bon bon, though slightly skeptical, having always been wary of it's fruit-molded incarnations. But Lindsay is a persistent matchmaker. I had a bite and I was smitten.

Years later I traveled to Lubeck, Germany- the birthplace of marzipan- primarily to visit my friend Elisa but also to get to know more about my almond-scented lover, meet the family, so to speak. It was an intense couple days, and almost signaled the end of our relationship. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, and following tastes of marzipan liqueur, yogurt, ice cream, sundry chocolate combinations, I was growing tired. I had no one to blame but myself, and I recognized that, but still took out some of my aggression on this poor, defenseless candy.

We survived that rough patch with our desire in tact, though not without needing to take some time apart. Often it is the red-wrapped Rittersport marzipan that reawakens my desire... though now I have a new object for my lust... Ben and Jerry's Mission to Marzipan ice cream.

It's sweet cream ice cream with swirls of marzipan and chunks of almond cookies. The marzipan is gooey, the almond cookies are soft, the ice cream is a little bit icey. It's a dangerously delicious combination. Alice brought some over to Daniel's place on Friday night and I just made a 9pm run to the Acme to pick up a pint for myself. Marzipan and I needed some alone time to work through some stuff.

And in case you were worried, we are doing juuuuuust fine.