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Caramel Almond Paste..


Natho

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I make my own almond paste pretty simply just from a sugar syrup of white sugar and water, cooked to softball and then put in a food processor with pre processed almonds. Now I had a thought about using brown sugar and maybe a bit of butter to make a caramel/toffe/butterscotch whatever almond paste. My question is, how will it affect the process using brown or dark brown sugar (muscovado for some people) and would i just cook it to the same temp on the sugar thermometer? Would the extra mollasses content cause it to burn easier?

"Alternatively, marry a good man or woman, have plenty of children, and train them to do it while you drink a glass of wine and grow a moustache." -Moby Pomerance

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I make my own almond paste pretty simply just from a sugar syrup of white sugar and water, cooked to softball and then put in  a food processor with pre processed almonds. Now I had a thought about using brown sugar and maybe a bit of butter to make a caramel/toffe/butterscotch whatever almond paste. My question is, how will it affect the process using brown or dark brown sugar (muscovado for some people) and would i just cook it to the same temp on the sugar thermometer? Would the extra mollasses content cause it to burn easier?

Cooked to softball I don't think you would risk burning it. Should be interesting, give it a try and let us know how it works (and tastes).

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I will do this thing, in the name of scientific discovery (and my tastebuds). Extra brainwave just recieved, some spiced rum would i think be very good in the almond caramel fusion.

"Alternatively, marry a good man or woman, have plenty of children, and train them to do it while you drink a glass of wine and grow a moustache." -Moby Pomerance

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Does anybody know if soft ball is the same temp for all sugar?

"Alternatively, marry a good man or woman, have plenty of children, and train them to do it while you drink a glass of wine and grow a moustache." -Moby Pomerance

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Well I did it tonight. First off I had trouble with my sugar syrup, it kept frothing and rising up and I had to stand there and take it off the stove about every 30 seconds so it didn't boil over. A bigger pot may have helped. Dunno. I've never had it do that before when working with white or castor sugar. I had to have the temp down so low that it took about 30 minutes to get even near soft ball. Anyway, i roasted the almonds a little too long because they have a bit too much of a roasted flavour for what I wanted to use it for. And at the end of the day, the brown sugar just gave it a mollasas (spelling??) taste. Not bad overall, but better when done with regular sugar. Does anybody know if it is possible to toast almond meal? I can't get my almonds fine enough to get a good smooth texture in my almond paste but store bought almond meal is very fine and good for the texture I want.

"Alternatively, marry a good man or woman, have plenty of children, and train them to do it while you drink a glass of wine and grow a moustache." -Moby Pomerance

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Well I did it tonight. First off I had trouble with my sugar syrup, it kept frothing and rising up and I had to stand there and take it off the stove about every 30 seconds so it didn't boil over. A bigger pot may have helped. Dunno. I've never had it do that before when working with white or castor sugar. I had to have the temp down so low that it took about 30 minutes to get even near soft ball. Anyway, i roasted the almonds a little too long because they have a bit too much of a roasted flavour for what I wanted to use it for. And at the end of the day, the brown sugar just gave it a mollasas (spelling??) taste. Not bad overall, but better when done with regular sugar. Does anybody know if it is possible to toast almond meal? I can't get my almonds fine enough to get a good smooth texture in my almond paste but store bought almond meal is very fine and good for the texture I want.

Ah yes brown sugar contains a lot more 'impurities' and bubbles up a lot more than white sugar.

If I was going to try to toast almond meal I'd probably go with a really low temperature cause it's going to burn easily around the edges. You might try a bit in the microwave first, high power, stir frequently, wait for the toasted smell to tell you it's done.

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As an aside, praline paste is made with caramelized sugar and toasted almonds/hazelnuts. It's a smooth, pourable, oilier texture than almond paste (which is heavier, moldable) but a nice flavor. I've made this with cashews and it is fabulous.

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I'm keen to make some praline paste. I believe there is a tutorial on here for it. But I make my almond paste and flavour it with varying forms of alcohol and roll it up and coat it in chocolate. So I do need a firmer product. Thanks for the tip on the almond meal Kerry, I think I'll have a crack at that soon.

"Alternatively, marry a good man or woman, have plenty of children, and train them to do it while you drink a glass of wine and grow a moustache." -Moby Pomerance

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I bought some almond butter that I plan to use to make almond paste. It isn't as fresh obviously as almonds I roast myself, but it is finely ground already. Does anyone know if I should include all the fat, which has separated, and mix it all together or just use the mealy part without the separated fat?

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