amande amère

[magnolia]

I have a French recipe for polenta cooked in almond milk, which you make yourself by pouring simmering milk over powdered almond and adding a spoon ful of "amande amère" - I know what this means literally, bitter almond -but in practice I have never encountered this as an ingredient. Does anyone know what "form" it takes? Liquid? Powder? Where can I find something like this?

Thanks !

[Louisa Chu]

Hey mags - they usually take the form of - uh - almonds. They're very common around the Med - i.e. El Bulli country - but even found in the wilds of Paris. In Spanish they're almendra amarga. They're readily available in small bags through "dry fruit" purveyors and pastry suppliers in France and Spain - I don't know about anywhere else. For your recipe I'm guessing that you'd grind the bitter almonds as well. BTW if you mention making almond milk to anyone who worked at El Bulli this season, be prepared for a post-traumatic flashback.

[magnolia]

Ooops - far be it from me to provoke a flashback !!

I didn't realise my magazine (yes, it's that good ol' French Saveurs - argh!!) is so trendy. But so far the few recipes I've tried have worked very well.

The recipe calls for cooking polenta in almond milk. I'm not sure if this is necessary - the taste of cornmeal and almonds?? but hey, I'll try anything once.

Thanks for the explanation !

Hey mags - they usually take the form of - uh - almonds. They're very common around the Med - i.e. El Bulli country - but even found in the wilds of Paris. In Spanish they're almendra amarga. They're readily available in small bags through "dry fruit" purveyors and pastry suppliers in France and Spain - I don't know about anywhere else. For your recipe I'm guessing that you'd grind the bitter almonds as well. BTW if you mention making almond milk to anyone who worked at El Bulli this season, be prepared for a post-traumatic flashback.

←

[chezcherie]

i have a little vial of amande amere that i picked up in a parisian grocery store. it's like vanilla-liquid, fragrant, strong---only almonds instead of vanilla.

[Woods]

I have a French recipe for polenta cooked in almond milk, which you make yourself by pouring simmering milk over powdered almond and adding a spoon ful of "amande amère" - I know what this means literally, bitter almond -but in practice I have never encountered this as an ingredient. Does anyone know what "form" it takes? Liquid? Powder? Where can I find something like this?

Thanks !

←

I believe that bitter almonds are not legal in the U.S. LorAnn makes a bitter almond oil that is very good and you don't need much.

Woods

[achevres]

Bitter almonds themselves are illegal in the US, or, probably more accurately, a controlled substance. I found one supplier on line that will ship 1 ounce. They have prussic acid (cyanide). Once processed with heat to make the oil, the prussic acid is destroyed and the oil itself is not toxic. In fact, almond extract is made with the oil of bitter almonds and alcohol, even in the US.

Now to the important stuff. Is the French almond extract better than the American? My mother is going to France and I could easily ask for a bottle. It's her favorite flavor, so she would be interested also.