For tonight's monthly Jane Austen Book Club, Meggar made "Almond Knots" from the Jane Austen Cookbook. They were delicious because of the secret ingredient: rosewater. Ours was purchased at the health food store (only place we could locate it locally). The bottle claimed to be mostly water infused with essential oil. Not quite as difficult as collecting a certain variety of roses and steaming the buds in order to collect the condensation, etc. etc. Laura Swartz noted the special flavoring right away! It does make all the difference - whether in 1803 or 2008.
Almond Knots
1 lb. blanched almonds
½ lb. sugar
2 egg whites
2 T. rose-flower water (you could substitute vanilla, but it won’t taste quite the same)
In a food processor, grind the almonds until fine. Add rose-flower water and process into a paste. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir them into the almond mixture. Roll the pieces of dough into ropes about ½ inch thickness. Rolls it lightly in a dish of sugar and form into loose know on parchment-lined baking sheet. Also can shape each 1 T. of dough into a half-moon shape. Place the almond knots closely on baking sheet since they do not rise or spread during baking. Bake at low 250’ F oven for 25-30 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown. Then remove from oven immediately and cool on racks. These crispy and chewy cookies are wonderful for tea time.
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