Almond paste, used in Holland in Christmas stollen and speculaas, is deliciously easy to prepare and can be made well in advance because it keeps for a long time in the fridge or even longer in the freezer. Also very good when spread on the base of an apple pie.
Ingredients for the Almond Paste
250 g white unsalted almonds
250 g fine sugar
zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
little bit of water
Making the Almond Paste
Put the almonds and sugar in a grinding device or a mill (for instance an old coffee grinder) and grind the almonds to a very fine powder consistency. You can also buy ready made almond powder in some shops, this will save you the trouble of grinding but it may cost more. Now add the lemon zest and some water until you have a smooth but very firm paste, not too wet and not too dry.
Do not use immediately after making but store away in the fridge for a week or so, it will only get better as the ingredients blend together. Before using it in your bread or pie, knead some beaten egg through the paste so it becomes even smoother and easier to work with. Add the egg in stages, until you reach the consistency you want. We add between 1/4 and 1/2 of a small egg for every 150 g of almond paste, depending on the dryness and firmness of the paste. Adding the egg at this late stage is for obvious reasons of freshness. You can also add some butter to the paste to make it even richer and smoother.
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Love this stuff! A food processor makes quick work, and as you point out aging really allows the flavor to develop. You can never have too much amandelspijs on hand.
I could not agree more! When I first made it, I could not believe how easy it was. Just good quality ingredients, and time will do the work for you…
Happy Holidays and happy baking,
Marieke
where is the egg in the recipe?? I have an old
Dutch recipe for almond filling which includes the same ingredients as mentioned and an egg
Hello Marijke,
You can read about the egg part in the second half of the recipe, because you only add it just before you are going to use the paste in a recipe. This way you can keep the actual paste for a long time.