Post #402841 by Sparkle Mark on Thu, Aug 21, 2008 11:43 AM

I agree with you about the almond powder. I used whole raw almonds, so my process differs due to the initial product.
I start with whole raw almonds and then blanch them for 1 minute and strain into a colander.
This takes care of the rinsing and allows the brown almond skins to pop right off.
several hundred almond skins later I put the blanched almonds on a towel to free them of excess water and put them right into the food processor. (tried slicing up a dozen or so almonds with a chef's knife for entertainment value)
I chop them up using pulse on the old Cuisinart until they are finely chopped.

One of the things that I like about this recipe is the addition of enough sugar to preserve the almond milk for it's overnight soak.
I would have to disagree with you about the addition of bitter almond extract or essential oil. We do not have access to bitter almonds, and traditional Orgeat according to the Grocer's Encyclopedia is made from 10 parts sweet almonds and 3 parts bitter, so I would argue that the addition of bitter almond flavoring would not be out of bounds in making a traditional orgeat. I don't think anyone has actually made Orgeat from barley for a while.

Below is a link to The Grocer's Encyclopedia, it's a pretty bitchin resource.
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/books/book_63.cfm

I do agree with alternative sugars to use especially for simple syrup, I find that evaporated cane juice will reconstitute nicely and makes an excellent syrup. I have some Costa Rican tapa de dulce that I have made falernum from and I find that it imparts a very earthy flavor while making the syrup very dark brown/black.

Best
Mark