Almond paste is the famous royal paste, used particularly in Sicilian cuisine to decorate sweets and cakes. It is most often bought ready-made, but if you want to try it at home... it' easy! Here' s how:
Almond Paste Recipe
Finely blend two lbs. of peeled, dried almonds with seven oz. of bitter almonds, the seeds from a vanilla bean, cinnamon and a lemon rind. In a saucepan, cook two lbs. sugar with ½ cup of water until the mix reaches a syrupy consistency, then add the ground almonds. Stir until the mixture is compact and blended well. Let mixture rest in the refrigerator for a few hours, wrapped in film, before using. You can also add a few drops of almond extract to the dough to give a more intense flavor to your paste.
Why you should make it at home
Making almond paste at home, as we have seen, isn’t all that difficult and it’s also economical. Unlike the ready-made version, homemade almond paste is usually softer and more well-mixed and it lends itself better to the preparation of a variety of sweets – like the internationally famous cassata. Any leftover pasta can be frozen in freezer bags or in cling wrap. Before using, let paste thaw first in the refrigerator then at room temperature
Not to be confused with almond pastries
Almond paste and almond pastries both contain a lot of almonds among the ingredients, but the first is a mixture that serves to decorate the cake while the pastries themselves are classics of southern Italy – filled with candied cherry or almonds. Want to try?
Almond Pastry Recipe
Place nine oz. peeled almonds and nine oz. sugar in a mixer until well blended. Add two egg whites and almond extract and continue to blend. Transfer the dough into a pastry bag with a ten mm. striped mouth. On a baking sheet covered with baking parchment, form small piles of three cm diameter with height of about two cm. Garnish some biscuits with halved, candied cherries and decorate the rest with whole almonds. Let pastries rest in the refrigerator for at least seven hours and then cook in the middle shelf of the oven at 450 °K for about 15 minutes. To maintain dough’s soft texture, don’t overcook!