Almond Float I Recipes

ALMOND FLOAT

Steps:

• Place the milk, sugar, and 2 cups (460ml) water in a medium pot over high heat. Scald the milk, or bring it to just below the boiling point. In a small bowl, mix the powdered gelatin in 3 tablespoons of cold water with your fingers until completely dissolved.
• While the milk is heating, peel and dice the pineapple.
• Once the milk is almost boiling and giving off small amounts of steam, remove from the heat, add the softened gelatin and stir to dissolve. Add the almond extract and stir. Pour into a large baking dish (preferably 9-inch by 13-inch) lined with lightly oiled plastic wrap and chill - the liquid should come about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the dish. The almond jello can be made 1 day in advance, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated.
• While the jello is setting, peel and dice the mango. Combine the mango, pineapple, lychee nuts with syrup and orange segments in a deep serving bowl.
• For the jicama, peel off the thick outer skin and cut the white flesh into small (1/4 inch) cubes.
• Add the jicama to the other fruits. Stir gently to combine. When the almond jello is firm, cut into diamond shapes and add to the fruit cocktail. Seasoning the dessert with a pinch of salt is optional. Serve immediately.

CHINESE ALMOND FLOAT DESSERT

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium bowl, combine the gelatin and the sugar, stirring to mix them well.
• Pour the boiling water over the gelatin/sugar mixture, and stir until completely dissolved.
• Stir in the almond extract, evaporated milk, and the cold water, mixing well.
• Pour the gelatin into a bowl or serving mold if desired.
• Chill until firm.
• To serve, first cut the gelatin into 1-inch squares or diamonds, then serve topped with the canned fruit and the syrup from the can. The almond float may be prepared in advance and refrigerated (not frozen) until ready to serve.

ALMOND FLOATING ISLANDS WITH CUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• For the rum custard sauce
• Put the milk, cornstarch, and sugar in saucepan, and stir occasionally as you heat it. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. When the milk comes to a strong boil, pour it all at once into the yolks while beating continuously with a whisk. The quantity of boiling milk as compared with the quantity of egg yolk is such that the egg yolk will be cooked by the hot milk and not require further cooking. Strain the custard immediately through a fine strainer into a bowl, and stir in the cold cream. When lukewarm, add the vanilla and rum. Set aside until serving time.
• For the butter caramel:
• Put the sugar in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons of the water, and stir just enough to moisten the sugar. Place over medium heat, bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture turns caramel-colored (10 to 12 minutes). When caramelized, remove from the stove, add the butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water, and stir until well mixed. Divide the caramel among eight individual molds with a capacity of 1 to 1 1/2 cups each. Let the caramel cool, then butter lightly around the sides of the molds.
• For the meringue-nut mixture:
• Beat the egg whites until very firm. Sprinkle the sugar quickly on top while beating at high speed with the whisk, and continue beating for another 10 seconds. Fold in the chopped almonds.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag without a tip, and squeeze it into the caramelized molds. Tap the molds on a potholder set on the table, so there are no air bubbles in the center of the meringue. Arrange the molds in a roasting pan surrounded by lukewarm tap water. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until well set in the center and puffy. Remove from the water, and let cool.
• When cool, the individual desserts can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

ALMOND FLOAT

Steps:

• Combine gelatine and sugar in pan.
• Stir in milk and water.
• Heat, stir until sugar dissolves.
• Cool for 5 minutes.
• Stir in almond essence.
• Pour into 9" square pan.
• Refrigerate until set.
• Cut into diamonds.
• Float in sauce.
• May need to warm pan very slightly remove from pan- don't warm to much or it will melt.
• Sauce:.
• Dissolve sugar in warm water.
• Stir in almond essence.
• Add mandarins and juice and mix gently.
• Serve cold.

ALMOND FLOAT ASIAN DESSERT

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring water to a boil; add gelatin and sugar and cook until dissolved.
• Remove from heat; stir in milk and almond extract.
• Pour into a 13x9 glass pan and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours).
• In the recipe I found on the Web, it says to use the cans of fruit undrained; however, this is not what I remember from my recipe and I would recommend draining them.
• In a large serving bowl, gently stir together the fruit cocktail, lychees and mandarin oranges.
• Cut gelatin into cubes, preferably diamond-shaped.
• Gently combine with fruit.
• Garnish with cherries, if desired.
• Chill well before serving.

COFFEE ALMOND FLOATS

Steps:

• In a small pitcher, dissolve coffee granules in hot water. Add the milk, brown sugar and extract. Place a scoop of ice cream in each of two chilled glasses; pour coffee mixture over top.

HAWAIIAN ALMOND FLOAT

Steps:

• Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup of the water.
• In a sauce pan, bring remaining 1 cup water to a boil. Add softened gelatin and stir until gelatin is dissolved.
• Stir in sugar, milk and almond extract.
• Pour into an 8 inch square pan and chill until firm.
• To serve, drain peaches, saving the liquid. Cut peaches into smaller pieces. Put back into liquid and add lychees and cherries.
• Cut almond gelatin into diamond shapes. Carefully put into fruit mixture. Makes 8 servings.

ALMOND FLOAT I

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the sweetened water per recipe instructions. 2. Blanch almonds. Place half of them in a blender with water and blend to a smooth paste. 3. Strain mixture into a bowl through a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather up corners of the cheesecloth and squeeze out every last drop of liquid then discard residue. 4. Repeat this process with remaining almonds and the second quantity of water. 5. Break agar-agar in 1-inch sections and place in a saucepan with remaining water. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until agar-agar dissolves and begins to thicken. Then stir in almond liquid and cook 1 minute more. 6. Pour the mixture into a shallow rectangular pan. Let cool then refrigerate until set. Cut in 1/2-inch cubes or diamond shapes. 7. Transfer to a deep serving dish. Serve with enough sweetened water poured over so almond cubes float. Garnish with slivered almonds, fresh strawberries or canned fruit such as mandarin orange sections, pineapple chunks, lichees or fruit cocktail. NOTE: This dish has many names-Almond Curd (because it's similar in consistency to bean curd), Almond Junket, and Almond Lake. It can be converted to a party punch by cutting the almond curd into finer pieces and using more of the sweetened water. VARIATIONS: * For the sweetened water, substitute the heavy syrup of any canned fruit. * In step 2, grind the almonds instead then bring to a boil with 3 cups water and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Strain through the cheesecloth as in step 3.The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.