Many
times in my career, I have asked chefs for recipes—mostly without
results. However, when I was taken by good friends to lunch at
the Wolseley restaurant on Picadilly in London, I asked the pastry
chef, Regis Negrier, for his recipe for amaretti. Much to my
pleased surprise, the recipe arrived a week or so later by e-mail.
I felt like an idiot for not having
thought of making amaretti for this
book; but the chagrin was worth it. These are not your usual crisp, dry
Italian kind but a truly luscious invention by a German chef much more
like macaroons. I had to modify the recipe slightly as his used
prepared marzipan paste. Both it and the American almond paste
available in tubes cannot be used due to the presence of wheat. I think
that this variation is just about as good as the original.
1 3/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds
3
tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4
cup confectioner’s sugar
1
egg white (at room temperature)
1
tablespoon dried figs, cut into 1/8-inch dice (1-2 whole figs)
1
tablespoon dried apricots, cut into 1/8-inch dice (2-3 whole apricots)
1
tablespoon dried cranberries, cut into 1/8-inch dice
Add almonds, corn syrup, 1/4 cup
and 1 tablespoon of the
confectioner’s sugar and egg white to a food processor and
process for 3-4 minutes until well combined or the mixture looks like
fine wet sand. Using a spatula, scrape contents into a bowl and add
remaining ingredients. Mix well. Divide the mixture into 12 pieces and
roll each piece into a ball using the palms of your hands. Roll the
balls around in the remaining confectioner’s sugar until fully
coated, then place them on a non-stick baking tray.
Let the amaretti dry for at least 1
hour. Place rack in the top third
of the oven and pre-heat oven to 400˚ F. Bake amaretti for 10 minutes
or until golden brown.
Makes 12 amaretti
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