No. 3

To Chop and Shred Almonds

Pour Hacher et Effiler les Amandes

Chopped.—When the almonds are partly dry, chop them up and sift them through a sieve (Fig. 94), chop again all that remains on the sieve and continue until there be no more to pass through.

Shredded Almonds.—Are freshly peeled almonds dried well in a cloth, then cut into thin fillets on their length, or else put them into a special machine that shreds them also, but they never look so well, as the machine cuts them into all sorts of shapes, while with the knife, they are cut into uniform lengths.

← No. 2 Conde Almond or Filbert Preparation Elementary Methods No. 4 Almond Milk →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer's two methods produce what a modern shop sells as ground almonds and slivered almonds. The whole procedure hinges on moisture: the nuts must be blanched and peeled, then dried to the point where they are no longer slippery but not yet brittle.

"Partly dry" is the whole trickAlmonds straight from the blanching water smear and paste under the knife; almonds dried hard shatter into dust. Spread the peeled nuts on a cloth or tray until the surfaces are dry to the touch but the kernels still cut cleanly; Ranhofer gives no timing.
PeelingBoth preparations assume blanched almonds. Cover shelled almonds with boiling water for about a minute, drain, and the skins slip off between finger and thumb.
The sieve-and-rechop cycleChopping, sifting, and rechopping only the coarse remainder is what gives an even grind. A food processor pulsed in short bursts approximates it, but it will produce fines and oily paste at the same time; the sieve step is still worth doing if you want uniform texture.
"Fillets" means sliversCutting each almond lengthwise into thin strips gives the slivered almonds used for garnishing. Ranhofer has them "dried well in a cloth" -- surface-dry but freshly peeled rather than hardened; nuts left to dry out are apt to split crosswise.
The "special machine"Ranhofer names no more than "a special machine" that shreds almonds. His objection is to shape: it cuts them into all sorts of shapes rather than the uniform lengths a knife gives.
Yield and keepingOne pound of shelled almonds gives roughly 3 1/2 to 4 cups chopped. Because cutting exposes the oil, both forms go stale quickly; use within a few days or freeze in a sealed container.
ToastingThe recipe stops at cutting, which is correct for uncooked pastry work. If the almonds are for a garnish, toast them afterward at 350F for 5-8 minutes, shaking once, and watch closely at the end.

A Little History

Ranhofer put this among his "Elementary Methods," the section of basic preparations in the book by the chef of Delmonico's. Chopped and shredded almonds ran through the whole repertoire of a restaurant like Delmonico's, and here they form the base of the almond milk in the recipe immediately following this one. His preference for the knife over the shredding machine is a small window on the period.