Burnt Almonds In The Microwave Recipes

BURNT SUGAR ALMONDS (GEBRANNTE MANDELN)

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine ⅓ cup of granulated sugar with the vanilla extract. Stir until well blended and set aside.
• Line a large baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• IMPORTANT: Use a large heavy bottom saucepan to make these almonds and stir with a wooden spoon. Do not use a nonstick pan.
• Pour the water, 1 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, add the almonds.
• Increase the heat to HIGH and stir the almonds constantly until the water is almost completely gone. The sugar will dry out and start to stick to the almonds. Keep stirring!
• Once the water is evaporated and the sugar is dried out - REDUCE the heat to medium-low. This all happens pretty fast so be ready. Keep stirring on the lower heat until all the almonds have an even shiny candy coating.
• IMMEDIATELY dump in the remaining ⅓ cup of sugar mixed with the vanilla. Keep stirring!
• The fresh almonds will start to pop as they cook and crack, this is normal. Some of the sugar will start to melt and make the almond shiny. Keep stirring until all the almonds are pretty shiny, but still a bit lumpy. You don't want them smooth. The best almonds are the ones that are a little shiny and still lumpy.
• REMOVE from the heat and carefully spread the almonds on the parchment paper. Break them apart as much as you can as they cool. BE CAREFUL as they are very hot. Don't use your fingers.
• It's very hard not to start eating them because the aroma is completely intoxicating. But you need to wait until they cool or you'll burn your mouth! Slightly warm is good - just be careful.
• Once cooled completely store in an airtight container. The almonds will keep for 2 weeks and are terrific for shipping and sharing.

BURNT ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two 9" cake pans with parchment, and spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small bowl whisk together the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside for now.
• In the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to mix and sift the ingredients. Add the softened butter and the remaining 3/4 cup milk to the bowl, and mix on low speed until the flour is moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 90 seconds.
• Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg white mixture in 3 parts, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
• Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until the tops spring back lightly when pressed. Let the cakes cool for 15 minutes, then gently invert them out of the pans, invert them again until they're right-side up, and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
• Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir them together until the sugar dissolves, and heat the sugar syrup until it just starts to boil. Remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in the amaretto or almond extract.
• Combine the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to let the gelatin absorb the water. Once absorbed, microwave the bowl for 10-15 seconds, until the gelatin is liquid. Set aside for now.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, egg, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup of sugar. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Heat the milk over a medium burner until it just starts to boil. Start whisking the egg mixture, and while you're whisking, drizzle a little hot milk into the eggs. Continue to whisk and drizzle until you've added about half of the milk. Switch to whisking the milk, then pour the eggs into the milk mixture while whisking.
• Return the pan to the burner and heat the cream, whisking constantly. Use a rubber spatula to periodically scrape the bottom of the pan so it doesn't scorch. Cook until the pastry cream thickens and starts a very gently bubbling, then cook for about 2 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the liquid gelatin, vanilla extract, almond extract, and butter.
• Pour the cream through a wire mesh strainer into a bowl. It will be somewhat thick, so use a spatula to help work it through, straining out any clumps of egg that have developed. Press a layer of cling wrap directly on top of the pastry cream, and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 2 hours. (To speed the cooling process, the cream can be spread onto a baking sheet and put in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, but don't forget it in the freezer!)
• Right before you're ready to use the pastry cream in the cake, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar together until it forms firm peaks. Gently fold together the pastry cream and whipped cream together.
• In a bowl, whisk together the flour and milk. Pour it through a fine wire mesh strainer into a medium saucepan, straining out any flour clumps. Heat the flour mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens. It will go from being a thin liquid to being a very thick paste. It should have the consistency of a very thick pudding when you're done. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the flour mixture cool completely. To speed this process, I like the fill my sink with an inch or two of cold water, and submerge the bottom of the pan in the water, making sure to not get any in the pan. Stir occasionally while the mixture cools.
• Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until very light and fluffy and no longer gritty, about 5-7 minutes.
• Once the flour mixture is no longer warm at all, and the butter/sugar is light and fluffy, add the flour to the mixing bowl, along with the vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Whip together for 2-3 minutes until well-combined, light, and fluffy. If it seems to separate continue to beat it until it comes back together.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray it with nonstick spray. Place the nuts on the baking sheet and toast them in the oven while you prepare the caramel.
• Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the water dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Insert a candy thermometer and boil the sugar until it starts to turn a golden brown and reads between 310-325 on the thermometer.
• Remove the pan from the heat, and add the hot nuts from the oven. Stir until the nuts are coated with caramel. Add the butter and stir, then pour the nuts out onto the foil-lined baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread them into a thin layer without many nuts overlapping.
• Let the nuts cool completely, then break them apart. If they're in large chunks, chop them coarsely.
• Using a large serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half. Place one layer on a cake cardboard (or your serving plate) and use a pastry brush to brush it generously with the simple syrup.
• Scoop some buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe a ring of buttercream all along the edge of the cake round to act as a barrier and hold in the filling. Scoop 1/3 of the pastry cream onto the cake, and spread it in an even layer until it covers the cake and reaches the buttercream ring. Top the cake round with a second round, and repeat the process of brushing it with simple syrup, piping a ring of buttercream, and spreading the pastry cream in the center.
• Repeat with the remaining layers, until you have a 4-layer cake with 3 layers of buttercream. Spread buttercream along the sides and top of the cake. It doesn't have to be super-smooth since most of the surface will be covered with almonds.
• Press caramelized almonds into the sides of the cake. This is easiest if you use a cardboard cake round-hold the cake in one hand, over the baking sheet full of almonds, and use the other to press almonds into the sides, letting the excess fall back onto the sheet.
• Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe rosettes along the top of the cake. Decorate them with more caramelized almonds, if desired. The almonds will start to get sticky after about a day, so for optimal texture enjoy it on the day it's made, but the flavor is still wonderful several days after.

BURNT ALMONDS

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a large heavy based frying pan.
• Stir over a high heat and keep stirring until eventually the water is absorbed and the almonds are coated in white sugar.
• It is important to keep stirring and gradually the sugar caramelizes, turning to toffee, hence the "burnt" almonds. If you leave them on the heat after this they really will be burnt.
• As soon as all of the sugar has turned to toffee, tip them out onto a large sheet of baking paper (silicon coated paper) laid out on your kitchen bench. It is useful to have a helper at this stage to help spread them out a bit. This makes them easier to snap apart later.
• When cool, break them apart and store in an airtight container.

BURNT ALMONDS IN THE MICROWAVE

Steps:

• In a glass or ceramic microwaveable dish mix all ingredients stirring to make sure everything is mix well. Do Not use a plastic dish for this because it gets hot and melts.
• Microwave for 4 minutes at 600 watts.
• Take out and stir.
• Put back in the microwave for another 2 minutes.
• Take out and spread an a sheet of foil to cool off.

BURNT ALMOND AND CHERRY CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat; cook and stir almonds in melted butter until toasted or slightly burnt, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
• Mix cream, half-and-half, sugar, cocoa mix, and vanilla extract together in a bowl; transfer cream mixture to an ice cream maker. Follow manufacturer's instructions for freezing. Add almonds, chocolate chips, and cherries once ice cream is almost stiffened and continue freezing until ice cream is completely stiffened.