Pralines/macaroons
A delicate dessert, like a summer afternoon, these meringues will remind you of the famous macarons. They melt in your mouth and are not that difficult to make if you follow the instructions in the recipe.
To prepare meringues, you will need the following ingredients: 250 g of ground almonds, 200 g of powdered sugar, 2 egg whites at room temperature, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and optionally, food coloring if you want to give them an attractive hue. Make sure you have a mixer, a spatula, a baking tray, and parchment paper on hand.
Start by preheating the oven to 160°C and preparing the tray with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the ground almonds with the powdered sugar. Mix well to achieve a homogeneous composition. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, using the mixer on medium speed, until foamy. Then, increase the mixer speed and continue beating until stiff peaks form. At this point, add the vanilla extract and, if desired, the food coloring. Gently mix to incorporate the color evenly.
Once the egg whites are perfectly beaten, gradually add the almond and sugar mixture. Use a spatula to fold in the ingredients, being careful not to deflate the meringue. It is important to mix gently so that the composition remains fluffy.
After obtaining a homogeneous paste, use a piping bag or a plastic bag with a cut tip to form small circles on the prepared tray. Leave space between them, as they will spread while baking. You can use a teaspoon to help you form the circles if you don't have a piping bag.
Once you have finished shaping the meringues, bake them for about 15-20 minutes. It is essential to keep an eye on them, as each oven bakes differently. The meringues are ready when they have a slightly golden crust and easily peel off the paper.
After removing them from the oven, let them cool completely on a rack. These meringues can be served plain or filled with chocolate cream, ganache, or any other preferred cream. Enjoy them with a cup of tea or coffee, savoring their fine texture and subtle aroma. These delights are perfect for a party, a picnic, or simply to indulge your taste buds!
The almonds are blanched, peeled, and left to dry in a warm place. Then they are finely ground and gradually mixed with egg whites (2-3) and sugar. In the resulting mixture, the remaining egg whites are added, beaten well, and heated; then allowed to cool slightly, flour is added, mixed, placed in a piping bag, and squeezed onto a sheet of paper in the shape of small cakes. Two tablespoons of flour can be replaced with cocoa, thus producing darker discs reminiscent of the famous macarons. The prepared pricomigdale are placed on a baking tray and baked. The oven should not be hot. During baking, the pricomigdale should brown and dry well. After baking, the pricomigdale are placed together with the paper on a damp and well-wrung napkin. As soon as they start to detach from the paper, the pricomigdale are removed and placed on a platter. Pricomigdale can also be made with nuts instead of almonds. Pricomigdale can be stuck together in pairs, spreading the flat side of one half with jam or hot fruit spread.
Ingredients: 200 g almonds (or walnuts), 1 3/4 cup sugar, 6 egg whites, 1/2 cup flour
