Amaretti di Gavi: Unlike Saronno's amaretti, which are macaroons, these are almond paste through-and-through, and extraordinarily chewy, with a long almondy aftertaste that really does perk up the day.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces (100 g) almonds
- 4 ounces (100 g) bitter almonds (use all sweet if you cannot find bitter, adding a few peach pit
- nutmeats if you have them)
- 4 ounces (100 g) hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup (60 g) extremely fine corn meal
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 1/4 cups (500 g) sugar
- 8 egg whites
- Powdered sugar
- Oil for greasing the cookie sheet
Preparation:
Peel the almonds, if need be, and shell the hazelnuts. Grind the nuts (if you use a blender, give short bursts, and stop before the nuts liquefy or give off their oil) to a fine powder with the sugar, then add the corn meal and the yeast and mix well.
Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
While it is heating take a large bowl and whip the whites to soft peaks. Work in the almond mixture. Grease your cookie sheet, and set down mounds of dough the size of large walnuts, leaving space between them because they will grow as they bake. Dust them with the powdered sugar, set them in the oven until they turn light gold (you don't want them to overbrown). Remove them from the oven and serve them when they have cooled.
Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
While it is heating take a large bowl and whip the whites to soft peaks. Work in the almond mixture. Grease your cookie sheet, and set down mounds of dough the size of large walnuts, leaving space between them because they will grow as they bake. Dust them with the powdered sugar, set them in the oven until they turn light gold (you don't want them to overbrown). Remove them from the oven and serve them when they have cooled.
