CORNERING THE MARKET
20
Almond Facts
MAY | JUNE 2016
of the few gluten-free flours that tastes good and does not
have a gritty texture.” Through her work, she has had the
opportunity to work with many gluten-free flours to try
to understand the plight of those trying to cut gluten from
their diets. These other gluten-free flours create baked
goods that look like those made from regular flour, but
tend to have an earthy off-taste, are dry and are often
gritty. Almond flour breaks this pattern. It keeps baked
goods moist and lends a light, buttery taste. It also adds a
nutritional component to recipes, whereas regular flour is
essentially a nutritional zero.
Attendees at the 2015 annual meeting may recall
a series of live recipe demonstrations, two of which
featured almond flour. Raimondi led those demos and
the experience was not one she will soon forget. “It was
nerve-wracking, but I really enjoyed it! The first recipe I
demonstrated I worried too much about following a script
I prepared before-hand. I was so nervous that I even forgot
to put the almond flour in the hummus recipe. Luckily
the audience noticed!” she recalled. “The second round I
made cookies and just talked my way through how I bake.
I was much more comfortable and relaxed unscripted. I
give those Food Network stars a lot of kudos for being so
poised – it’s a lot harder than it looks!”
Of all the recipes she’s attempted, yeast-leavened
cinnamon rolls are Raimondi’s favorite to make. “This
recipe was extremely difficult to figure out because it
needs a blend of gluten-free flours in addition to almond
flour in order to create the chewy, yet fluffy dough,” she
explained. “I always feel a huge sense of accomplishment
when I pull them out of the oven and they look exactly like
their wheat flour-based counterparts.”
When it comes to her favorite recipe to eat, however, she
turns to almond-flour crusted chicken parmesan as her go-
to recipe for dinner parties and French macarons. “The
macarons come in so many flavors that you can never eat
just one! I feel so fancy eating them,” she said.
If there’s one insider tip people should know about cooking
with
Blue Diamond’s Almond Flour
, Raimondi recommends
paying close attention to how eggs are added to baked
goods. “If you are having some issues with your baked
goods falling apart or not seeming light enough, try
adding your egg whites separately from the yolks, and
perhaps add one extra egg white. Beat the whites until
they have thickened up like a meringue and then set aside.
Blend the rest of your ingredients together according to
the recipe and then fold in the egg whites lightly at the
end. This will create more air pockets in your batters and
doughs, which will create lift in your baked goods,” she
explained. “Doughs and batters are typically denser with
almond flour than wheat flour. Don’t worry though, your
baked good will come out very moist!”
Enjoy trying Almond Flour recipes for yourself by
visiting
.
