As you can probably tell by now I am an almond paste addict. I love to put it in all sorts of baked goods. The problem is that at $9.00 for 8 ounces and up it can be rather expensive to buy and sometimes it is a bit past its prime as well. But luckily it is so easy to make at home- it just takes a bit of time, some good quality ingredients and a food processor.

I made 2 pounds of it a couple of weeks ago. The cost without my labor was around $5.75 instead of $36.00- not a bad savings and may I say a rather superior product as I know exactly what went into it and just how fresh it is?It will keep for weeks  in the fridge or months in the freezer and can be used for marzipan candies and other baked goods during the upcoming holidays.

Almond Paste-
(to make two pounds total – can be halved)

• 1-1/2 pounds whole natural almonds (about 4 cups)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cups water
• 1/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup (cane syrup)
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Place the almonds in a large glass or metal bowl. Cover them with boiling water and let them sit for 2-3 minutes. Drain well and then pinch each almond on the fat end and they should pop right out of their skins. If they are resistant, drain and recover with more boiling water. This should be kind of fun and easy to do.

When you have removed all of the skins, blot the almonds on paper towels and place on to a rimmed baking sheet into a warm but not hot oven. You can preheat to 200F and then turn off the oven while skinning the almonds and it should be about right. Leave them in there while cooking the sugar syrup. They should be warm when you begin to grind them.

Place the sugar, water and golden syrup into a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium  heat and cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 235F* which is between a thread and soft ball stage. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.

Grind the almonds in your food processor fitted with the metal blade. It may be necessary depending on the size of your bowl to do this in batches. Pulse them until the texture is fine and smooth- you can add a tiny bit of water if necessary to loosen the grind up a bit -but only a little and only if absolutely necessary. Once the almonds are ground finely, pour the sugar syrup in a slow steady stream while the processor is going. Process until all is uniform.

Place two sheets of plastic wrap flat on to your counter or work surface and remove the paste from the work bowl onto them. Wrap the paste tightly in the wrap and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

The paste may be used in pastries,cookies, cakes, pies or made into marzipan with the addition of confectioner’s sugar, egg whites and vanilla. More on that later…

I put some in these cherry scones…yum…so terrific!

Have a grand day!

Okay so I admit it- sometimes my eyes are bigger than my energy. I can’t seem to go to a fruit stand and just buy enough peaches for one pie- I buy a whole box- a half bushel. With visions of bottled peaches, jam, dried peaches, pies and more I personify greedy guts. So, now I have to roll up my sleeves and get to work.  I’ve got 4 trays of peach quarters in the dehydrator and I made some easy Peach Amaretto Jam. A couple of hours of work (other than finding all of the equipment in the basement )   and there are  now 8 lovely jewel-like jars of golden peachy goodness- enough to last us until the next harvest- almost. Here’s what I did and it’s not intended to take the place of proper canning procedures for your area. For a good source of information on canning and preserving I’ve found the Ball Blue Book of Preserving to be very helpful. I also enjoy Well Preserved a Jam Making Hymnal and  The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving. This recipe is my adaptation between all the peach jam recipes I’ve read and so isn’t in any of these books.

Fresh Peach Amaretto Jam

• 4 cups peeled, pitted and chopped fresh peaches
• 8 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 packet of liquid pectin
• 1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur

You’ll need a water bath canner with a lid and basket/lifter, a clean funnel to fill your jars, (7 )eight ounce glass canning jars, screw bands and inner lids, plus probably another jar to put in your fridge or can in a separate water bath. Wash all of your equipment. Sterile equipment in a clean environment is your best friend when preserving any food.

Wash your jars, lids and screw bands in hot soapy water. Fill your canner with hot water, put the lifter in and cover and heat on high to boiling. Fill a tea kettle or other pot with water and heat in case you need to add water to the canner once the jars are submerged and also for some boiling water to soften the lids. Put your jars in the lifter and submerge them until you are ready to fill them. Dry the screw bands and place the lids in a small pan. Once the kettle is boiling pour some boiling water over the lids to soften the rubber seals.

In a large non-reactive pot mix the peaches, lemon juice and sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved add the butter which will reduce foaming. Heat over med-high to high heat stirring constantly until it reaches a boil that doesn’t stop when you stir. Stir in the pectin and boil one minute. Add the Amaretto and stir in. Remove from the heat and skim any foam off with a metal spoon. Remove the jars from the canner and invert on a clean dish towel to drain. Turn over and fill to within 1/4″ from the rim. Wipe the rims with a clean hot dishcloth and put the lids on rubber seal against the clean jar rims. Add a screw band and tighten just until you get resistance- finger tip tight.  Put the jars in the lifter of the canner and then submerge them. Add boiling water if needed to cover the jars by 1-2″ of water. Return the canner to a gentle rolling boil and process for 10 minutes if sea level. I have to add 10 minutes for altitude. Consult an altitude chart on your pectin package to adjust for your altitude. Once the process time is over turn off the heat and leave the jars submerged for another 5 minutes. Lift the lifter out of the water and transfer the jars without touching the lids to an clean towel on your counter or other heatproof surface. Leave for 12-24 hours for the jam to gel and the lids to seal. You should hear a soft “plonk” when each seals (it’s usually within a minute or two of removing them from the water) Label and store. Refrigerate and use immediately any that do not seal.

 Hope you enjoy!

In an earlier post I gathered some violets to make syrup and candied violets.  So here they are. They don’t take long to make and are a nice touch of Spring that you can enjoy all year round. Violets have a delicate floral taste – not nearly as strong as lavender or rose. It is best to gather them when it is cool either in early morning or late evening.

Candied Violets

• Gather how ever many fresh, unblemished, pesticide free violet blossoms you wish
• Wash them gently in a basin and drain on paper towels
• When the blossoms are dry, paint a little beaten egg white (or egg white replacer if you’re concerned about salmonella) gently again on each blossom and then sprinkle with granulated sugar
• Leave to dry for a few days sitting in a sugar filled tray
• Stored in an airtight jar away from light, they will keep indefinitely
• They are great as decorations on cupcakes, cookies, cakes and even salads.

Violet Syrup

• Gather at least one cup of loosely packed fresh, unblemished, pesticide free violet blossoms.
• Wash them gently in a basin and drain on paper towels
• When dry, place them in a clean sterilized pint jar that has a lid
• Bring one cup of distilled water to a boil and pour over the blossoms
• Place the lid on the jar tightly
• Let the blossoms infuse the water for 24  hours, shaking the jar every once in a while
• Strain the blossoms out of the jar over a bowl to catch the juice- DO NOT press on the blossoms
• Strain the juice from a lemon and add to the violet juice by the teaspoon
• The violet juice will be inky blue at first but will turn to a bright magenta as you add the lemon juice
• Add as much lemon juice as needed to get the color you want
• Place the magenta colored violet juice in a heavy bottomed non-reactive saucepan and add 1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• Bring to a boil over medium-low heat and boil for 10 minutes
• Place in a sterilized jar with a screw ring top and process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes for longer storage  or refrigerate and use promptly.

Violet syrup can be used in cocktails- such as a Violet Martini or a Violet Kir or you can eat it over Coeur a la creme or use it as a replacement for any flavoured syrup in any dessert. Even a teaspoon stirred into tea is a treat.

Here is an interesting link to botanical information on the violet.

Hope you enjoy!

xoxo

My sweetie makes drop dead good chile powder.

We ran out recently so it was time to  get the grinder going and rustle up another batch of tasty heat in a can. We gather dried chilies as we find them- grow some ourselves and load up at Central Market  (the center of all things good) whenever we go to visit my sister and her family in Texas or they come here.

(Sorry about these photos my Point and shoot is temperamental.)

Rick uses a mixture of dried chilies, garlic, toasted cumin, salt and one other secret ingredient he won’t let me name. -It’ll be good without it but it’s great with it. Sorry

This time I talked him into adding a small length of dried vanilla bean to the mix so we’ll see how that turns out. I predict a winner.

He starts by gathering dried Ancho, Pasilla, Guajillo, Negro, Mulato, California, Japones, and Chipotle chilies. He removes the seeds by cutting or tearing them open. (You might want to use gloves here just in case-unless you have asbestos hands.) You don’t want to add the seeds for a nice full bodied chile powder- it would be too hot.  He toasts cumin seeds in a dried skillet, cools them and then adds all of the ingredients in small handfuls to a coffee grinder we have dedicated to spice grinding.

Oh I love a man in an apron! Um-mm-mm!

I’m not really giving you a recipe here but this is easy to make on your own and so much more flavourful than most chile powders- you can make your own custom blend.  It has scads of uses. We use it in eggs, quesadillas, Chili and Carnitas to name a few. Sometimes we share it with friends and family and they always come back for more. Have some fun, experiment and make your own!

Rick suggested that I add a tip we learned from a Vietnamese friend: If you forget and rub your eyes with a hot pepper hand- have someone with long hair (hopefully someone you know well and love ;) ) let you rub their hair in your eyes- I swear it works! The capsasin in the peppers that is causing the burn must bind to the protein in the hair I guess! All I know is you’re burning to death one minute and the next there is relief. Luckily I can use my own hair and don’t have to ask someone else.

xoxo