[Sca-cooks] Almond powder question

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach BaronessaIlaria at aol.com:
>After searching high and low in the hamlet I call home, I was unable to
>locate a source for almond meal/flour, which I need on short notice. My
>husband's coworker - something of a foodie - said he knew of an Asian grocery
>where he could get some and was kind enough to bring it in to work today.
>Naturally I appreciate his trouble but I am a little concerned. Is almond
>"powder" the same as almond meal/flour? This stuff is extremely fine textured
>(smells divine!) and looks a bit like cornstarch. The can gives directions
>for making it into a drink and has all sorts of intriguing Chinese writing on
>it.  My plan for it was marzipan.
>
>Anyone out there familiar with almond powder?
>
>Ilaria

No, this is an almond-flavored drink mix, unless I'm very much
mistaken, and contains comparatively little, if any, ground almonds.
I have a can of this somewhere in my kitchen, but couldn't find it to
get the ingredients. I STR it contains a lot of sugar, almond
flavoring, and some starch and/or agar-agar for thickening.

I don't think marzipan is in the cards, with this stuff. I've seen it
used as a substitute for almond milk in medieval recipes, and have
decided it might be okay for sweet dishes, but for anything else, it
just doesn't cut it.

You should be able to find ground almonds, though, at any of several
different markets serving various ethnicities. I buy mine in an
Indian supermarket in one-pound bags, but the same place gave me a
price break for a 20-lb box, for the last EK 12th Night.

Adamantius

--
"No one who cannot rejoice in the discovery of his own mistakes
deserves to be called a scholar."
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