Almond cream is a versatile treat used in desserts, tarts, and drinks. It can be made with various ingredients, including ricotta and agar-agar flakes for a vegan option. Ogeat syrup-based almond cream is a popular addition to liqueur-based drinks and ice cream. French frangipani custard is a delicious option for tart making.
Almond cream is a simple treat with a myriad of ways to use it. In its simplest form, it is a sweetened custard that contains finely ground almonds or liqueur that has been flavored with the seed. Home cooks use almond cream between the layers of a cake, to fill tarts, to garnish cakes, and for berry mouse cups. The bartenders create a variation made with heavy whipped cream and almond-flavored syrup.
Almond Creme’s sweet, creamy texture lends itself to any number of variations, and while it ends up on many types of desserts, it can be used to garnish waffles or pancakes, topped off with a bowl of fresh fruit for an easy lunch, or eaten by the spoon in the middle of the night when no one is looking. A Spanish version with Arabic roots, called bienmesabe, includes lemon zest, simple sugar syrup and cinnamon in addition to ground almonds and is commonly served as a topping for ice cream.
Not to be outdone, the French have perfected a frangipani custard that adds egg, butter, and vanilla to finely ground almonds and flour. Tart making is a no-brainer because these ingredients are all processed together into a velvety, rich pastry, then tossed into tartlets. Despite the little effort the patties require, the results are both exquisitely delicious and dreamy.
Luckily, a few tweaks can transform a delicious but wickedly custard of almonds into something so nutritionally sound that a person can actually feel virtuous as they lap up the bowl. Swapping ricotta for heavy cream and artificial sugar or naturally sweet herbal stevia with a handful of coarsely chopped almonds does the trick. If that’s not rich enough, a drop or two of almond extract seals the deal.
Even vegans do not have to suffer from withdrawal from almond cream. A dairy-free variant can be built with almonds, almond extract and agar-agar flakes in addition to maple syrup, for a healthy sweetener, and water. This version is a little more complicated and requires cooking and straining, but the results are delicious and succulent.
Liqueur-based drinks or ice cream are even better with a dollop of ogeat syrup-based almond cream. This syrup, a favorite of bartenders around the world, is made from sugar and ground almonds along with rose water or orange. Historically, barley was also part of the mix, but most syrup brands today don’t include it.
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