Almond Paste

Almonds are a fruit that look just like a green peach. They are of Central and East Asian origin. In its wild form, the almond is bitter and poisonous. It is ovoid with velvety skin, very thin flesh, is hard and dry, and never provides juice. It contains a yellow, desiccated, woody, thick-shelled nucleus that contains one or two seeds. It is generally harvested in June and July. The almond is a food source that abates hunger. Green almonds are the first fresh sweet almonds that you commonly have for dessert. Dried bitter almonds are toxic because of the amount of hydrogen cyanide they contain. However, they are used in low doses in confectionery and sweets.

MANUFACTURING ALMOND PASTE

Almond paste is mainly made up of sugar (66%), water, binder (egg white, glucose), almonds (33%), and various flavors.

With egg whites, you need 100 g of almond powder, 100 g of powdered sugar, a fresh egg white, and a teaspoon of orange blossom water (optional).

First, put the sugar and water in a saucepan, cook at a precise temperature of 123 ° C. Mix in the lightly crushed almonds (previously blanched and dried) with the sugar, then add the egg white with the orange blossom water and foam slightly.

Mix quickly in a salad bowl until it reaches a homogeneous state. Finally, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cover with foil

Cool for 15 minutes.

Finally, move it to the crusher and cover the dough so that it does not crust.

Fine dough and chocolate

Almond paste is combined with chocolate in many recipes. These recipes are very popular, especially around Christmas. For example: the “chocolate eggs and almond paste” recipe that is easy to prepare and has made many people happy. There is also the “dark chocolate with almond paste and orange” a beautiful creation that mixes chocolate, orange, and almond paste. In general, recipes created from chocolate and almond paste are recipes for everyone.