For my last blog post of 2007, I want to share an interesting technique I learned back in Maryland. These candied almonds are completely addictive - you can't stop at just one. They slowly toast as the sugar caramelizes, and once hard, they clang together like tiny pieces of glass. Candied almonds are the extent of my contribution to the holiday goodies this year. And if I would have had the time, these go over the top when individually dipped in chocolate.

This technique is one of my favorites. After everything you learn about working with sugar and do everything to avoid its crystallization, you now go against the grain. Here you want to force crystallization, a technique called sablage (which literally translates to gritting from French).

10 ounces whole blanched almonds
4 ounces sugar
2 ounces water

Blanched almonds can be very expensive, so blanch your own. Simply place the skin-on, whole almonds into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for one minute, then drain and rinse with cold water. You'll be able to easily pop the nut out of its skin. Let the almonds dry completely overnight.

Preheat your oven to the lowest setting. Set up a silpat or sheet of parchment paper, along with a bit of vegetable oil and two forks. Place the nuts onto a baking sheet and into the oven - just enough to take any chill out of them. Do not toast. Place a large, stainless-steel fry pan over medium-high heat and cook the sugar and water to softball stage. Softball stage means cooking sugar to approximately 235°F to 240°F (118°C-120°C). You can use a candy thermometer to test the temperature. Be careful, as this sugar is extremely hot and can badly burn you.

Once the sugar has reached the proper temperature, add the almonds and stir. Turn the heat to medium-low. At first, they will look glossy.

As you continually stir, the sugar will turn milky and start to crystallize. This is called sablage and here you can see the almonds look sandy.

Continue to cook the almonds. Slowly, but surely, the sugar will start to melt again. The almonds will gradually toast from the heat of the pan, and the sugar will start to caramelize.

  

Be careful not to overtoast the nuts or burn the sugar.

As soon as all of the sugar has melted and caramelized, pour the nuts directly onto the silpat and immediately pull apart using oiled forks. They will be extremely hot. If you can't separate them quickly enough, you can also flatten them out and, once cool, just tap the ones that are glued together and they will fall apart.

Let cool completely before transferring to a serving bowl. I candied 4 kilos of almonds in the last 2 weeks, so make lots. These make a great snack at any party. They are even a nice addition to cheese trays. Click here for more pictures.

Finally, I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and here's wishing you a spectacular new year!

Tagged as: [ almonds candied chocolate howto pastry ]

Tonight I attended the 7th Annual Volunteers Are Stars Gala Dinner & Awards in Richmond. A big congratulations to Ian Lai who was awarded with the 2007 Star of Richmond, which honors the "individual in the community who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the non-profit sector". Yayyyyyy!!! We were all happy to see the community at large recognize Ian's effort, time, and dedication to his amazing project, the terranova schoolyard society. Ian serves as an inspiration to all of us.

If you are interested in helping Ian give back to the community, please contact him by clicking here.

Tagged as: [ volunteer ]