Almond Petit Fours
March 13, 2016
Toothsome:
[tooth-suh m]
adjective
1. pleasing to the taste; palatable
2. pleasing or desirable, as fame or power.
3. voluptuous; sexually alluring
-----
I was meaning to make this recipe for the past two weeks, but I didn't have almond paste, nor could I find any in the stores, so I had to wait it out.
I searched constantly for almond paste and kept coming up empty handed which lead me to making my own. A word to folks, if you need almond paste, just make it yourself. Super simple and a lot less of a headache than scouring the stores for a mystical ingredient.
I was making these as a trial; my cousin has a baby shower coming up in April and since I've been enjoying baking lately, I volunteered to bring dessert and this is what I had in mind.
It needs a thicker icing, but otherwise, these turned out great! The neighbourhood has given them their seal of approval, so I just need to figure out the icing and I'll be good to go!
Recipe(s)
Almond Paste:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of whole blanched almonds
- 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar, sifted
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp of almond extract (optional, I didn't use this since I didn't have any in the house)
Directions:
1. Place the whole blanched almonds and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar in a large food processor. Process the nuts and sugar until the nuts are very finely ground, stopping periodically to scrape the sides of the processor bowl.
2. Once the almonds are very finely ground, add the rest of the powdered sugar and pulse until it is completely mixed into the ground almonds.
3. Stop the processor and add the egg white and the almond extract, if using. Turn the processor back on and process the almond paste until it comes together in a clump in the food processor.
4. If it seems very sticky, add a little more powdered sugar, a spoonful at a time, until it is smooth.
Petit Fours:
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened, plus more for baking sheet
- 1 1/4 cups of cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for baking sheet
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt (I omitted this ingredient) because I didn't have unsalted butter)
- 1 cup of sugar (Divided, 3/4 of a cup and 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup of almond paste
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of whole milk (I used skim)
- 1/2 cup of cherry preserves, processed in a food processor (Didn't have this in the house, I swapped the cherry preserves for strawberry jam)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter a 12x17 inch rimmed baking sheet, and line with parchment paper. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. (I have a tiny oven so I used to a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan, I had extra batter.)
3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl; set aside.
4. Put 3/4 cup of sugar and the almond paste into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 2 minutes. (I don't have an electric mixer, so I did this by hand. Wasn't as hard as I thought it would be)
5. Raise speed to medium-high. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (Again, no mixer, did this by hand)
6. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk. (I used a spatula)
7. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
8. Put egg whites into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until foamy. (I used a hand mixer for this)
9. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until soft peaks form. (Hand mixer again)
10. Fold one-third of egg-white mixture into batter with a rubber spatula.
11. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
12. Spread evenly into prepared sheet.
13. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
14. Transfer sheet to wire rack; let cool completely. Unmold; remove parchment.
15. Cut cake in half crosswise. Spread one half with preserves; top with remaining half. 16. Refrigerate 1 hour. Trim cake, and cut into 1 1/2-inch squares.
17. Transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over each petit four, spreading over top and sides to coat completely. Reuse glaze, straining to remove any solids, if needed.
18. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
Icing:
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup of whole milk (I used skim)
- Gel-paste food coloring
Directions:
1. Put sugar into a large bowl.
2. Gradually add milk, whisking until mixture is consistency of heavy cream.
3. Tint with food coloring.
If glaze becomes too thick, add more milk; if it becomes too thin, add more sugar.
4. Use immediately.
I know, it seems like a lot of work, but honestly, it wasn't that bad! A simple and very tasty dessert!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
Almond Petit Fours
March 13, 2016
Toothsome:
[tooth-suh m]
adjective
1. pleasing to the taste; palatable
2. pleasing or desirable, as fame or power.
3. voluptuous; sexually alluring
-----
I was meaning to make this recipe for the past two weeks, but I didn't have almond paste, nor could I find any in the stores, so I had to wait it out.
I searched constantly for almond paste and kept coming up empty handed which lead me to making my own. A word to folks, if you need almond paste, just make it yourself. Super simple and a lot less of a headache than scouring the stores for a mystical ingredient.
I was making these as a trial; my cousin has a baby shower coming up in April and since I've been enjoying baking lately, I volunteered to bring dessert and this is what I had in mind.
It needs a thicker icing, but otherwise, these turned out great! The neighbourhood has given them their seal of approval, so I just need to figure out the icing and I'll be good to go!
Recipe(s)
Almond Paste:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of whole blanched almonds
- 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar, sifted
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp of almond extract (optional, I didn't use this since I didn't have any in the house)
Directions:
1. Place the whole blanched almonds and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar in a large food processor. Process the nuts and sugar until the nuts are very finely ground, stopping periodically to scrape the sides of the processor bowl.
2. Once the almonds are very finely ground, add the rest of the powdered sugar and pulse until it is completely mixed into the ground almonds.
3. Stop the processor and add the egg white and the almond extract, if using. Turn the processor back on and process the almond paste until it comes together in a clump in the food processor.
4. If it seems very sticky, add a little more powdered sugar, a spoonful at a time, until it is smooth.
Petit Fours:
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened, plus more for baking sheet
- 1 1/4 cups of cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for baking sheet
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt (I omitted this ingredient) because I didn't have unsalted butter)
- 1 cup of sugar (Divided, 3/4 of a cup and 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup of almond paste
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of whole milk (I used skim)
- 1/2 cup of cherry preserves, processed in a food processor (Didn't have this in the house, I swapped the cherry preserves for strawberry jam)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter a 12x17 inch rimmed baking sheet, and line with parchment paper. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. (I have a tiny oven so I used to a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan, I had extra batter.)
3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl; set aside.
4. Put 3/4 cup of sugar and the almond paste into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 2 minutes. (I don't have an electric mixer, so I did this by hand. Wasn't as hard as I thought it would be)
5. Raise speed to medium-high. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (Again, no mixer, did this by hand)
6. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk. (I used a spatula)
7. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
8. Put egg whites into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until foamy. (I used a hand mixer for this)
9. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until soft peaks form. (Hand mixer again)
10. Fold one-third of egg-white mixture into batter with a rubber spatula.
11. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
12. Spread evenly into prepared sheet.
13. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
14. Transfer sheet to wire rack; let cool completely. Unmold; remove parchment.
15. Cut cake in half crosswise. Spread one half with preserves; top with remaining half. 16. Refrigerate 1 hour. Trim cake, and cut into 1 1/2-inch squares.
17. Transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over each petit four, spreading over top and sides to coat completely. Reuse glaze, straining to remove any solids, if needed.
18. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
Icing:
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup of whole milk (I used skim)
- Gel-paste food coloring
Directions:
1. Put sugar into a large bowl.
2. Gradually add milk, whisking until mixture is consistency of heavy cream.
3. Tint with food coloring.
If glaze becomes too thick, add more milk; if it becomes too thin, add more sugar.
4. Use immediately.
I know, it seems like a lot of work, but honestly, it wasn't that bad! A simple and very tasty dessert!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.