I just love baked goods made with ground almonds. Ground almonds add incomparable flavor and texture. Breads, cookies and cakes get a rich, dense crumb and a sweet taste from the addition of ground almonds. Also, baked goods made with ground almonds tend to keep better than flour-only pastries.
Almonds already ground into a flour or meal often are found in health food stores or natural markets. However, with the help of a food processor, ground almonds are easily made at home. Simply pulse whole or cut, blanched or unblanched almonds until evenly ground. Do not over process, or you'll end up with almond paste.
To keep the paste from easily forming, sometimes a bit of sugar or flour is add to the almonds before processing. If desired, use about 1 tablespoon of flour or sugar to each cup of almonds. If you are preparing the almonds for a specific recipe, simply use part of the required sugar or flour when grinding.
Toasting the almonds before grinding also will help prevent the pasty clumping. Toasted almonds, however, will give your recipe a different, somewhat more intense flavor than raw ones, which can be pleasing.
Ground almonds, like all nuts in all forms, are susceptible to spoilage because of their fat content. Stored airtight, ground almonds may last several months in the refrigerator; tightly sealed containers of the ground nuts will last for a year or slightly more in the freezer. If properly wrapped, freezing will not affect the taste or texture of the nuts, and it is not necessary to thaw the ground nuts before using them.
Almonds, like all nuts, are relatively high in fat. One ounce of almonds contains 15 grams of fat - but only 1 gram of saturated fat. The high percentage of monounsaturated fat found in these nuts can help lower the LDL, the bad cholesterol levels. Almonds contain no cholesterol. In 1999, studies at four separate medical centers in the U.S. found that just a few almonds a day can help to lower blood pressure. One ounce of almonds has approximately 167 calories.
Almonds are high in protein, vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium and phosphorus, and they are higher in calcium than all other nuts. One ounce of almonds has as much calcium as cup of milk. Almonds are also higher in fiber that any other nuts. One ounce of blanched almonds contains 1.5 grams of fiber; and with the skin on, the amount of fiber is nearly doubled. Fragrant and sweet almonds, eaten in moderation, are a smart addition to one's diet.
Happy collaborators with other ingredients, ground almonds have been used in dishes dating back many centuries, probably before 3000 BC. Thousands of years ago the Persians and Arabs mixed ground almonds with water to make almond milk, a drink still popular in many countries today. The French use almond milk to make blancmange, and Sicilians freeze it into sherbet. Sauces made with ground almonds have an ancient, probably Persian heritage.
Today, Greek skordalia, Spanish romesco and Indian korma sauce recipes often call for ground almonds. Probably one of the first candies was made from ground almonds mixed with honey or sugar.
My favorite way to use ground almonds is in baking. I love to treat my family and friends to easy-to- make, delicious homemade ground-almond goodies. I hope you will too!
THE BEST
ALMOND CAKE
Makes 1 Bundt cake
So full of wonderful almond flavor, this almond cake has now replaced my mother's recipe which, until now, I thought was the absolute best!
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1¶ teaspoons almond extract
1¶ teaspoons vanilla extract
2¶ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
teaspoon salt
cup ground almonds
1 cup milk
Glaze:
cup milk
cup white sugar
teaspoon almond extract
cup sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground almonds. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the 1¶ teaspoons almond extract and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with 1 cup milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and then invert on a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes longer.
Place the rack on waxed paper. Combine cup milk, § cup sugar, ¶ teaspoon almond extract and toasted, sliced almonds, and pour over warm cake.
Makes about 4 dozen
Though technically not a baked good, these are cookies - yummy adult cookies! Store in an airtight container in the fridge. These get better and better a day or two after they're made.
1 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers, crushed into crumbs
2 cups ground almonds
4 ounces white baking chocolate
cup tequila
cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
sugar
In a large bowl, mix the vanilla wafer crumbs with the ground almonds.
Melt four 1-ounce squares of white chocolate according to package directions.
In a blender or food processor, process the tequila, orange marmalade and light corn syrup until smooth.
Stir the tequila mixture, along with melted chocolate, into the crumb mixture.
Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar.
E-mail Sheila O'Connor at sheocon@earthlink.net.
Citrus Almond Kisses
Makes 3 dozen
These cookies contain no flour; so are a good choice for those with gluten or wheat allergies. But, allergies or not, most everyone will find theses light tasty treats perfectly yummy!
11 ounces ground almonds
3 egg whites
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon grated lime, orange or lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and lightly flour cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar and keep whipping until the egg whites can hold a stiff peak, this will take about 5 minutes.
Set aside about 1/2 cup of the egg whites. Add the citrus zest and cinnamon to the rest of the meringue, and fold in the almonds until everything is evenly blended.
Drop mounds by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Top each cookie with a smaller dollop of the reserved meringue.
Bake for 15 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top meringue is golden brown. Remove the cookies from the baking sheets to cool on wire racks.
E-mail Sheila O'Connor at sheocon@earthlink.net.
