CookEat Recipe
Almond Croccante
A thin crisp almond brittle, pressed into a lightly greased mould while warm and unmoulded when fully cold.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 120 g blanched sweet almonds; 100 g caster sugar; 5 g butter or neutral oil for greasing the mould; ½ lemon, used only as a pressing tool, not squeezed into the brittle.
Step 2
Separate each blanched almond into its two natural halves, then cut the halves into thin slivers lengthways or crossways. Spread on a tray and dry at about 140°C for 10–15 minutes until dry and just pale yellow, without deeply roasting. Keep warm. Lightly grease a shallow smooth heatproof mould, about 18–20 cm across, with the butter or oil.
Step 3
Put the sugar in a clean heavy stainless-steel saucepan over moderate heat. Let it melt, moving the pan gently as needed, until completely liquid. Add the warm almond slivers and stir with a heatproof utensil. Reduce the heat and stop as soon as the mixture reaches a clear cinnamon-amber colour; do not let it become dark or bitter.
Step 4
Carefully transfer the hot mixture into the prepared mould in small amounts. Press it into as thin a layer as possible against the base and walls using the cut face of the lemon held firmly with heatproof tongs, or a lightly greased heatproof spatula. Keep your skin away from molten sugar and the hot mould; do not test or shape the caramel with bare fingers. The lemon is a shaping aid, not juice added to the recipe.
Step 5
Leave until completely cold and hard, about 30 minutes, then unmould gently. If it resists, warm only the outside of the mould briefly in hot water, keeping water out of the brittle. Serve the thin brittle whole or broken into small pieces. Keep dry and airtight; moisture makes it sticky.
Step 6
For the finely chopped almond version, dry the same 120 g blanched sweet almonds gently in a low oven, cool and chop finely. Melt the same 100 g sugar, then mix in the chopped almonds with about 5 g additional butter. Stop at cinnamon-amber, spread thinly in the greased mould using a heatproof utensil, and cool and unmould as above. This is an alternative texture, not an extra layer added to the slivered main version.
Cooked it? Rate it.
Cooked 0 times