Almond paste and almond meal are two ingredients that are quite easy to confuse – especially when you haven’t worked with either one before.
Both products start with ground almonds. Almond meal, which is also called almond flour, is made with nothing more than finely ground almonds. Technically, almond meal is really only made with almonds leftover from the almond oil extraction process and because the almond oil (sold separately as a flavoring agent) has largely been removed from the nuts, the resulting flour is drier and doesn’t stick together in large clumps. It can be made at home by whizzing almonds in the food processor so long as you are careful not to let the processor run too long and move the almond mixture past “finely groud” and into “almond butter” territory. Using regular almonds, in place of the more commercially used almond oil-less almonds, will not make a substantial difference in a recipe, and neither will using almonds with their skin on vs. blanched almonds.
Almond paste can also technically be made at home as it is a paste-like mixture of almond meal and sugar. Sometimes the almond flavor of the paste is boosted with the addition of almond extract or by adding almond oil back into the product. Typically sold in cans or tubes, almond paste has a texture that is similar to marzipan, but is less sweet overall.
Almond paste is soft and can be molded with your hands or incorporated into a batter or filling. It is often used as a base for tarts (as in frangipane) or as a filling for cakes. Almond flour/meal is frequently used to replace some or all the flour in a baking recipe. There is no gluten in it and it will not hold a mixture together like all purpose flour will, but it does contribute a lot of tenderness and moisture – not to mention an almond flavor – to a finished product.
Spoon bread is a classically Southern dish that you probably won’t find just anywhere. The best way to describe it is to say that it is a hybrid of polenta, cornbread and a souffle – and that only partially describes it. A good spoon bread should be light, have an at least slightly custardy center and a crisp top. And it should be soft/tender enough that you can eat it easily with a spoon.
Spoon bread, which is sometimes written as spoonbread, starts with a thick base of milk cooked with cornmeal until thickened. This base always has some additional ingredients for seasoning. Basics would be butter, salt and pepper, but you can add in almost anything, from chopped up pieces of ham to grated cheese to minced herbs. The base is cooled down and then has egg whites folded into it before being baked in the oven.
My spoon bread is a very simple recipe and is quite plain on its own. I combine all the base ingredients in a saucepan before heating it, although there are many recipes that direct you to stream in the cornmeal once your liquid has already been heated. I find that this latter method can be tricky and, if done improperly, can leave you with a very lumpy cornmeal mush. Mixing everything before you turn on the heat and then stirring it frequently ensures even, easy cooking and still allows the recipe to turn out well.
The bread does get a good butter flavor from both the buttermilk and the butter in the cornmeal base, but it is best when served with butter to top off a warm piece. It is very tender, and while it is a bit more substantial than some almost souffle-like spoonbreads I’ve had, it is far moister and lighter than your average cornbread. I think that it works with just about any meal and can certainly be a stand-in for regular cornbread with chili or soup, especially if you cook it for a few extra minutes to firm it up more. There is no flour and no gluten in this recipe, so it is also a great choice to serve if you or your guests are gluten intolerant.
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I love all of my cookbooks and use them often. But these days, more often than ever before, I’m looking for recipes (or recipe inspiration) online, too. Cookbooks are easy to take into the kitchen. Computers – even laptops – are somewhat less so. The problem is not gaining access to the recipe, but handling the book/laptop while you’re trying to handle various ingredients and the risk of spills and splatters. I know that I’m not alone when I say that I don’t like to take these risks any more than I have to. As a result, I’ve resorted to jotting recipes down on various post-it notes, index cards and spare sheets of paper so that I can keep the recipe I’m using in front of me without putting my cookbooks or computer in jeopardy.
It’s not the best system, perhaps, but it works out reasonably well and does allow me to take notes as I work.
There is a new product in development that could make this sort of kitchen problem a thing of the past: The Kitchen Sync. The Kitchen Sync looks a bit like a cookbook in shape. It is a small, flexible, washable screen with a dock that charges it and holds it upright. You can download recipes from your computer right onto the Sync and take the screen with you into the kitchen, where you can work right from the recipe (and follow links to buy necessary products and see tips online) without worry about damaging the gadget with slippery, sticky or otherwise messy foods.
The designer of the Kitchen Sync is Noah Balmer and the design is still in the concept stage at the moment, though it is receiving well-deserved attention in the design community at the moment. We’ll have to wait and keep our fingers crossed that it goes into production. I don’t want to wait too long before I get to try out this little gadget in my own kitchen.
A pastry brush isn’t the most vital tool in a baker’s arsenal, but it is one that comes in handy from time to time. It is also one whose function can’t easily be performed with other tools. The brush is used to spread liquids and glazes onto the surface of foods, like adding melted butter to the tops of cinnamon buns or some milk/cream to the top of a muffin before sprinkling it with coarse sugar. An nearly identical tool (usually only differing in size) is a basting brush used for glazing meats ad they cook.
The brushes traditionally look like ordinary paintbrushes, with synthetic fibers making up the bristles. They can be a bit difficult to clean thoroughly and, after a while, usually start to shed out some of their bristles. Fortunately, brush technology is leaping ahead and it isn’t really necessary to replace ailing brushed every so often anymore. Basting brushes have been made of silicone for some time now, since silicone is stronger and more heat resistant than other materials, allowing the brushes to be used more effectively over high heats (like a grill). Now, pastry brushes are following the trend and designers are coming out with smaller silicone brushes specifically for pastry!
I use a silicone basting brush as my pastry brush right now and switching from a traditional brush was a grat decision. With silicone, there is no straining, no shedding and the brush can be cleaned in the dishwasher. It’s nice to see that there are now smaller, finer brushed available for pastry chefs – and home chefs - who do more detailed work than I do and could use the extra finess of a smaller brush.
