Almond paste: the Sicilian recipe

Here is the classic recipe of almond paste used to produce biscuits and pastries that have become one of the symbols of Sicilian cuisine

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Desserts made with the almond paste they are typical of Sicily, especially of the Catania and Agrigento area, where the production of this fruit is very rich. In fact, over half of the almonds of our country are produced on the island.

It is no coincidence that the kitchen has specialized in creating dessert recipes based on this product of the Earth. And here it is classic recipe of almond paste used to produce biscuits and pastries that have become one of the symbols of Sicilian cuisine.

Almond paste cookies

Ingredients

150 gr. almond flour

100 gr. powdered sugar

Two egg whites

Three drops of almond essence

Add the powdered sugar to the flour and mix well. Beat the egg whites until stiff and add them to the mixture together with the almond essence. The result will be a compact paste. At that point, just insert it into the sac à poche. The dough should be left to rest for about an hour in the refrigerator, but first it is advisable to make the sweets and store them in the fridge directly with the pan, decorated as desired, for example with the classic candied cherry or with flakes and chopped almonds. Heat the oven for 10 minutes and cook the sweets for the same number at 160 ° with the convection oven. As an alternative to cherry and flakes, after the pastries have cooled, you can sprinkle them with icing sugar.

Very often, the almond paste is mistakenly confused with the recipe that follows, which instead is devoid of egg whites and is the basis of the classic sweets prepared in Sicily during Easter (the pecorelle) or the martorana fruit. The latter takes place on the occasion of the Feast of the Dead, on November 2. The recipe and preparation are very similar. The difference, however, is that in the following there is no cooking in the oven.

Martorana fruit and Easter sheep

Ingredients

1 kg of almond flour

800 gr. of powdered sugar

1 vial of bitter almond

180 cc of water (about a glass)

Preparation

Mix the flour with the sugar, gradually add the water until the consistency is soft but not excessively soft. Pay attention: the pasta obtained must remain dry and then be decorated as desired. Make balls of dough, to be inserted into the appropriate plaster molds. To prevent the dough from sticking, it is better to pass a little flour into the molds.

Almond paste: the Sicilian recipe