Almond paste, pasta di mandorle, and almond pastries, paste di mandorle: the difference is rather imperceptible in the Italian language, but they are not the same food. The former is a paste used for decorating and the latter are cookies. Let's go into detail.
The recipe for almond paste
Similar to marzipan, almond paste is used especially in Sicilian cuisine to decorate desserts or cakes. It is called pasta reale. You can buy it ready-made, but feel free to make it yourself at home. It’s easy! Here’s how:
Grind 2 pounds 3 ounces of blanched almonds very fine, as well as 7 ounces of bitter almonds, the seeds from a vanilla bean, a dash of cinnamon and the zest of 1 lemon.
In a saucepan, cook 2 pounds 3 ounces of sugar with a 1/2 cup water until it forms a syrup, then add the ground almonds.
Mix until the paste is dense and smooth.
Let it rest in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for a few hours before using it.
You can also add a few drops of almond extract to the paste for a more intense fragrance and flavor.
Why make it at home?
As you can see, homemade almond paste isn’t difficult to prepare, and it’s cheaper, too. Unlike ready-made almond paste, homemade almond paste is softer, smoother and better suited to making desserts, the most famous being cassata. Freeze any leftover almond paste in freezer bags or in plastic wrap. Before using it, allow it to thaw completely in the refrigerator and then warm it to room temperature.
Homemade almond paste
Don’t confuse it with almond pastries
As we said, almond paste and almond pastries both contain a lot of almonds, but the first is a paste used to decorate desserts, while the second are cookies, classics from Southern Italy with a candied cherry or an almond in the center. Try homemade almond pastries, too.
Almond pastries
The recipe for almond pastries
In a blender or food processor, add 9 ounces of blanched almonds and 1 1/4 cup of sugar and blend for several minutes until it forms a fine powder.
Add two egg whites and a few drops of almond extract and blend again to mix everything together.
Place the mixture in a sturdy pastry bag with a ruffled 4 inch tip and pipe rounds 1 inch across and about 3/4 inch high onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Decorate some cookies with candied cherries sliced in half, and other cookies with whole almonds.
Let the cookies rest in the refrigerator for at least 7 hours, then bake on the middle rack of a circulating oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
Do not overbake them because the inside is supposed to remain soft.