Almond paste , also known as marzipan, is a traditional Sicilian recipe : a basic pastry dough used to prepare almond paste , small pastries decorated with dried or candied fruit typical of the Christmas period, marzipan fruit and pinches . Unlike marzipan , another well-known Sicilian sweet made from almonds, marzipan has a grainier texture because it is made with whole ground almonds , but at the same time it is moist, crumbly, and melts in your mouth.
We present the original Sicilian recipe , without egg whites, which requires a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of preparation: you just need to peel and chop the almonds before adding them to the syrup made with water, sugar and honey, then knead the dough form a loaf and let it rest in the refrigerator before using it in your creations. Although the procedure is very simple, however, to obtain a perfect result, some precautions are essential, starting with the almonds: prefer whole ones to ready-made flour, because they will make the dough more moist and tasty. You can buy peeled almonds or remove the skins yourself, as long as they are of excellent quality.
After the basic preparation, we will make the pastries at home , as good as those found in bars and pastry shops in Sicily alongside other specialties such as cassata and cannoli . In this case the sweets are prepared by mixing almonds, peeled and blended, with egg whites, icing sugar and flavourings; the mixture thus obtained is transferred to a sac à poche or can be modeled simply with the hands. The rest in the refrigerator is also essential, which must be at least 10 hours to allow the flavors to amalgamate: in this way, moreover, the biscuits will keep their shape during the short cooking in the oven, of 10-15 minutes at most.
Perfect to serve as a snack together with tea or herbal teas or to offer to your guests as a dessert after a meal , accompanied by a glass of your favorite liqueur, the pastries are also ideal for a pastry cabaret : alternate them with snow biscuits , madeleines , Neapolitan cartridges and cornmeal paste for a scenographic composition to be savored. They are also gluten-free, also suitable for intolerant people, and perfect as gifts because they keep for a long time, up to three weeks at room temperature.
Find out now how to prepare almond paste and Sicilian almond paste by following the procedure and advice step by step.
ingredients
For the almond paste
Shelled almonds
150 gr
Caster sugar
150 gr
Water
40 ml
Honey
1 tablespoon
Vanilla extract (optional)
q.b.
For the almond paste
Blanched almonds
Continued on next page (page 2)👇
