Allariz Macaroons

How to make Allariz almonds .

Perhaps one of the  most famous sweet recipes in Ourense.

A dessert that rivals the Carballiño canes , the delicious  bives from Trives , the autumnal bica from chestnuts , the fried donuts or the pancakes .

Allariz is one of the most beautiful and welcoming towns in the interior of Galicia. For me it has a special meaning because it is where some of my best friends live.

The antecedents in the typical Alaricana confectionery could go back to the 13th century, when the commercial activity of the Jews installed in the town facilitated the arrival of almonds, pine nuts, sugar … basic ingredients in the preparation of sweets.

It was in the convent of the Poor Clares that the famous macaroons began to be made, since they were exchanged with the Jews since their foundation. They were made with egg whites in honor of Santa Clara.

Although there are not many almond trees in Galicia, the almond has always been present in its pastries. Álvaro Cunqueiro already said it  :  

“Surprisingly, today that there are hardly any almond trees in Galicia, the great expense that Galicia has traditionally made of almonds. All the Galician cakes, the Compostela, the Mondoñedo, have almonds. In southern Galicia, in Ribadavia, in Allariz, excellent almonds continue to be made . Some villas, such as Villalba, for the patron saint’s festivities, make excellent almond biscuits, which come out hard from the crust but soft, sometimes almost custard inside. In Vivero and Ortigueira they make colinetas, a kind of cake tart with almonds… endless desserts ” 

As it could not be otherwise since the year 1996 at the end of summer a small tribute to this dessert is paid by celebrating the Feria do Amendoado (Almond Fair) , where you can buy and taste it.

I invite you to cheer up with this recipe, they are really exquisite, and I recommend that you do not stop visiting this wonderful villa if you travel to Galicia, neither will leave you indifferent.

Preparation of the almond base

1. We grind the almond in a mincer, it is best to have it in two batches to obtain two different grammages: one very ground, almost flour, and the other a little thicker so that it is noticeable when eating.
2. We place the ground almond in the oven at about 120º for about 10 minutes. We will ensure that the almond releases its oils and aromas, at the same time that some of the moisture that the raw almond usually has disappears.
3. You can also do it in a pan by toasting the almond at low temperature.
4. Let the toasted almond cool. We reserve.
5. We preheat the oven to 180º Cs (above, below and air).
6. We separate the whites from the yolks.
7. The latter can be used in a multitude of desserts, for example in the tocinillo de cielo , do not think of throwing the yolks.
8. Place the cold ground almonds in a bowl (the one we have bought or the one we have chopped) and add the white sugar.
9. We help ourselves with a spatula and make sure it is well mixed.
10. Next we add the whites without beating, little by little. With the help of the spatula we are making a paste until it is homogeneous.

Baking the almonds and final presentation

1. We prepare a baking tray with the wafers placed on it, I recommend putting baking paper underneath to prevent them from sticking.
2. We put three piles on each wafer. The piles should not be very large and should be slightly apart.
3. When putting them in the oven, their volume increases a little so that if we make them very large they will come out of the wafer.
4. If we put them too close together they will lose the typical shape of the three parts and will become a round ball.
5. Before cooking, sprinkle a little sugar on the surface.
6. We introduce the tray in the oven over moderate heat at 150º C for 20-25 minutes. Until they are golden, you will see it in the oven.
7. If we go over time the almond will be very hard.
8. Once cooked, place them on a rack, allowing them to cool, thus preventing the wafer from softening.

And we already have one of the most famous Ourense desserts. It rivals directly with the Carballiño fried canes or the chestnut tart that is prepared in the Magostos .

I hope you put a little piece of Ourense in your kitchen, you will not regret it. Be sure to enjoy all the sweets that we have in Ourense in our dessert recipes.

Here you have a step by step in photos where I show how to prepare this recipe for Allariz almonds .  Do not miss any detail so that you get some delicious tart and the first.

Tips for some delicious Allariz macaroons

• With this recipe you will get about 12-15 almonds, perfect for a good after-dinner. It is a very simple dessert and especially quick to prepare. In 10 minutes you have everything assembled and the oven works alone, so I would say what even a child can do.
• The important thing is the quality of the ingredients with which we are going to work. The almond that I have used is marcona type but you can choose the one that you like the most.
• To make it faster the best thing is to buy the already ground almond. In almost all large stores and supermarkets you can find it. But if you can’t find it or want to grind the almonds just as I indicated in the recipe.
• The main ingredient in almonds , as you can imagine, is almonds .
• This, being a food of plant origin, does not contain cholesterol but does have high levels of unsaturated fatty acids.
• In addition to having a high content of vitamin E, it is the nut with the highest fiber content and a very important source of minerals such as calcium.
• For all these reasons, it helps us to lower cholesterol levels, prevents coronary heart disease and is an ideal substitute for calcium intake in people who cannot consume dairy products.