Culinary Explorer
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Paste di Mandorla Siciliane
Created by Chef Graziella
The ancient almond cookies of Sicily, where Arab and Italian traditions meet in a confection so pure that each ingredient must be perfect. There is nowhere for mediocrity to hide.
These cookies have no flour. No butter. No leavening. They are almonds, sugar, and egg whites, nothing more. This is not a limitation. This is the entire point.
The Arabs brought almonds and refined sugar to Sicily over a thousand years ago. The nuns in Sicilian convents transformed these ingredients into confections that tourists now travel thousands of miles to taste. The secret is not a secret at all. It is restraint. It is using almonds of impeccable quality and then getting out of their way.
What you keep out is as significant as what you put in. Every recipe that adds flour, butter, or extract betrays the original. The almond speaks for itself or it has nothing to say. If your almonds are stale, if your egg whites are not fresh, the cookies will tell you. This recipe is honest. It will not lie for you.
Ingredients
blanched almonds
Quantity
300g (about 2 cups)
granulated sugar
Quantity
200g (1 cup)
large egg whites
Quantity
2
at room temperature
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| blanched almonds | 300g (about 2 cups) |
| granulated sugar | 200g (1 cup) |
| large egg whitesat room temperature | 2 |
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