Almond paste

Solo Almond Paste, leading brand in U.S.

Almond paste is made from ground almonds or almond meal and sugar, typically 50-55%, with a small amount of cooking oil, beaten eggs, heavy cream or corn syrup^[1] added to bind the two ingredients. It is similar to marzipan but marzipan contains more sugar than almond paste, and often contains additional ingredients such as food preserves and food coloring. Almond paste has much less sugar, typically 50-55% compared to 75-85% sugar for marzipan of cheap quality (for comparison: Lübecker Marzipan contains 66% almonds). Almond paste is used as a filling in pastries, but it can also be found in chocolates and as a higher quality alternative to marzipan. In commercially manufactured almond paste, ground apricot or peach kernels are sometimes added to keep the cost down.

In the America, three companies market canned almond paste, with Sokol and Company's Solo Pure Almond Paste being the most popular by unit sales.

[edit] Uses

Almond paste is used as a filling in pastries of many different cultures. It is a chief ingredient of the American bear claw pastry, derived from many northern European types. For instance, in Scandinavia almond paste is used extensively, in various pastries and cookies. In Sweden ^[2] it is used in biscuits, muffins and buns and as a filling in the traditional spring season pastry semla^[3] and is used in Easter and Christmas sweets. In Denmark (where it is known as mandlemass), almond paste is used in several pastries, for example as a filling in the Danish traditional pastry kringle.

In the Netherlands, almond paste is used in gevulde speculaas (stuffed brown-spiced biscuit), a sweet pastry sold near the celebration of Saint Nicholas. It is used as filling in the fruited Christmas bread Kerststol, traditionally eaten at Christmas breakfast. In Germany, almond paste is also used in pastries and sweets. in German language, almond paste is known as Lübecker Edelmarzipan, i.e. "high quality marzipan from Lübeck".

Almond paste is the main ingredient of French traditional calisson candy in Aix-en-Provence. It is used as a filling in almond croissants. Other types of croissants are plain or butter, and chocolate (filled). (All types of croissants are baked now in the United States as well.)

The Chinese use almond paste sweetheart cakes. The sweetheart cake or wife cake is a traditional Chinese pastry made with winter melon and almond paste.

In Turkey, almond paste is traditionaly made in Edirne, once the capital of Ottoman Empire. During the Ottoman era of Turkish history, it was a royal delight mostly used in palace. Now it's sold at delight shops in Istanbul and Edirne.

[edit] See also

• Rainbow cookie

[edit] References

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