Recipe: Homemade Almond Paste

Recipe Source: Orsini, Fr. Giuseppe.  Italian Baking Secrets.  St. Martin's Press, New York, 2007 p. 125

While I have been accused in the past of being the kind of cook who thinks each ingredient must be homemade from its raw component ingredients, I don't think I really deserve that kind of censure.  I use minced garlic from a jar when garlic isn't the primary flavor of the dish.  I certainly don't mill my own flour from wheat - while I'd be willing to give it a try once, I wouldn't even know where to go to buy raw wheat.  I don't catch my own fish or ferment my own fish sauce (which probably pleases my neighbors greatly.)  I'm very willing to use prepared ingredients when there is little value to be added by doing it myself. 

Up until recently, almond paste went on my list of things I will purchase rather than make myself.  This all changed a couple of weeks ago.  I knew I wanted to make a certain kind of cookie (which will be posted at a later date.)  Unfortunately, I was unable to find almond paste at my local Whole Foods.  They may have actually carried it, as I know I've purchased the stuff there in the past, but this store recently redid their layout and floor plan and there are quite a few ingredients I can no longer find there.  It does seem as though they've ceased to stock certain items there, so maybe they don't have it.  Anyway, I grumbled a bit, but I thought I might have a tube stashed away somewhere in the morass that is my pantry. 

Wrong!  I had already used up my emergency backup tube of almond paste.  I cursed so much that the air turned blue.  It was well past closing time for the local supermarkets, who were unlikely to carry something so weird that even Whole Foods no longer has it.  It was then that I noticed that Fr. Orsini had kindly provided a recipe for almond paste to go in the cookies.  I made it.  Then I tasted it.  I will never buy almond paste in the store again.  Did you hear that, Whole Foods?  If your store still carries almond paste, I will never again give you the markup on this product.  I can make it at home!  HAH!  Victory is mine!  (insert maniacal laughter here.) 

Anyway, according to Fr. Orsini, the stuff will keep for "months" in the refrigerator.  Join me in my fight!  Make your own almond paste! 

Almond Paste (makes about 32 ounces, approx. $0.27/ounce)

1 pound 2 ounces almonds, very lightly toasted

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, plus extra for kneading

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Equipment:

• Food processor
• Instant-read thermometer
• Small heavy saucepan
• Stand mixer

1. Grind the almonds and 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar in the food processor until they become a coarse powder.
2. Add the rest of the confectioner's sugar and process to a fine powder.  Remove to a mixing bowl.
3. Heat the sugar, water and corn syrup in the saucepan over low heat, stirring.
4. When the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to high and bring the syrup to a boil. 
5. Cook until the syrup registers between 234 and 236 degrees on your instant-read thermometer.  (I tried using my candy thermometer for this, but there isn't enough syrup for the candy thermometer to work properly.)
6. Pour the sugar mixture over the almond mixture and mix in the stand mixer at the lowest speed until blended. 
7. Cool to room temperature.
8. Mix in the almond extract. 
9. Knead the mixture well on a flat surface until it is soft and elastic.  It is helpful to dust the surface with more confectioner's sugar. 
10. Shape into a thick disk and wrap in plastic wrap. 

Comments

[Aparna]

I'm very much in favour of making most things at home, and I will if I can. But there's still a lot of things I buy from the stores so I know what you mean.
But its just that store bought stuff just doesn't compare with home made food in the end.:)

[Jen]

Hm. Sounds easy enough, but I mistrust my old food processor's ability to do this. Plus, do I really need to add another insane cooking task to my roster? Must ponder.