Almendrado Dessert Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Make Basic Dessert Crepes. Keep warm in oven. Soften gelatin in cold water. Dissolve over hot water. Separate eggs( reserve yolks for sauce below). Place egg whites in large mixing bowl, add gelatin mixture; beat mixture until a thick white foam is formed. Continue beating and gradually add sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time about 1 minute.
• 2. Fold in almond extract and lemon peel.Remove 1/3 of the mixture to a small bowl, and another 1/3 to another bowl. Tint one with green food coloring and the other with pink food coloring.Chill the 3 bowl for about 4 to 6 hours.
• 3. To serve, place a dessert crepe flat on serving platter, top with 1/2 the green mixture. Place another crepe on top, and top it with 1/2 the white mixture, repeat with the pink. Continue with the crepes and mixtures in the same order ending with the pink mixture. Top with Almond Custard sauce. Cut into wedges to serve.
• 4. Almond Custard Sauce: Place the first 4 ingredients in the top of double boiler. Cook over gently simmering water until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Add the remaining ingredients. To cool. set in cold water and stir. Spoon on top of Almendrado.

Steps:

• Prepare 8x4x2 loaf pan with non stick spray, set aside.
• Add the gelatin to the cold water and stir. Place this mixture in a double boiler and heat until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and let it cool at room temperature.
• Beat the egg whites until lightly stiff. Gradually add the sugar and salt one tablespoon at a time while mixing. Then add the cooled gelatin, almond extract and lime zest. Mix until well combined. Do not add hot gelatin to the egg whites.
• Divide the egg whites into three separate bowls. Tint one bowl green and one red (the red will really be pink when mixed with egg whites). Fold the food coloring in and mix well to distribute the color evenly.
• Using a tablespoon, layer the green egg whites in the bottom of a glass dish.
• You can also use a mold if you like. Then add the white layer and last the red layer. Spreading the layers with the back of a spoon works well.
• Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 3 hours to overnight.
• To serve invert pudding on a serving platter. Garnish with custard sauce if desired.

Steps:

• Using a food processor equipped with a metal blade, grind 2 cups almonds very finely. Add 3/4 cup sugar, the egg and lemon zest, and pulse to make a cohesive dough. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner. Place remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.
• Pinching off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut, roll them first into balls, then into sugar. Gently press an almond point first into top of each cookie, so that half the almond can be seen. Arrange cookies one inch apart on baking sheet.
• Bake until cookies have barest hint of color but still remain soft, 8 to 10 minutes. (Cookies must be soft when removed from oven to avoid excess hardening when they cool.) Cool completely, and store in an airtight container.