Cookie Cutter Catering

"This is a confectionery preparation consisting of ground sweet almonds mixed with their own weight of icing (confectioner’s) sugar and a little glucose syrup. Almond paste was traditionally prepared by adding the ground almonds to a sugar syrup, then crushing the mixture. Although this can easily be made, many pâtissiers may wish to purchase this commodity already manufactured. the quality of the almond paste depends upon its almond content, the best being approximately 40%. It is also available either neutral or in various colours. It can be confusing that recipes sometimes use the terms “almond paste” and “marzipan” interchangeably, they are different however, where almond paste is the raw and coarse product and marzipan is a finer product usually made from almond paste and cooked to give a firmer but finer product. Almond paste has a coarser texture as it only uses ground almonds but is much softer than marzipan which uses an almond paste and is in a lot of recipes cooked. Almond paste can be spread as a filling whereas marzipan is dryer and firmer and cannot be spread and with a higher sugar content will dry and set faster. Unlike marzipan, almond paste will hold up in baking. Coloured and flavoured, almond paste is sold in slabs or as individual sweets in the form of vegetables, fruits, and animals. It is also used to fill sweets (candies), chocolates and dried fruits (such as dates and prunes) served as petits fours. Almond paste is used extensively in patisserie, particularly for decorating or covering cakes. Granulated almond paste (in which half the icing sugar is replaced with caster (superfine) sugar, and egg yolk often replaces the glucose syrup) is used for coating cakes and petits fours." ALMOND PASTE Although this can easily be made many patissiers may wish to purchase this commodity already manufactured. the quality of the almond paste depends upon its almond content, the best being approximatly 40%. It is also available either neutral or in various colours. Almond Paste Raw This a variation of an almond paste. It is the most simplest and crudest version and usually used in home cooking. It is uncooked, that is to say the sugar has not been boiled to soft ball, and is good for baking, but is not a finer product.