Almond Flour for Macarons

[SteveG]

Where do I get finely ground blanched almond flour for macarons?

A few years ago Sixy asked the question and responses included Trader Joe's, Rainbow Grocery, and Berkeley Bowl. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

Elsewhere online I saw a mention of Trader Joe's stocking almond meal, made from unblanched almonds--I'm probably not interested in that.

In the past I've purchased Berkeley Bowl's almond paste from the little fridge in the bulk area, but it was pretty coarse--is the almond flour more finely ground? Is it made from blanched almonds?

Rainbow Grocery: the same questions apply here, also whether or not it's in a fridge or just in the bulk bins where it could be going stale/rancid.

[SteveG]

Just to follow up, I tried Rainbow first as I live in San Francisco and I generally trust them quite a bit--the almond flour was great.

In the fridge where they keep bulk tofu, tahini, FRESH YEAST CAKES, and other such items, they had beautiful blanched almond flour, whole almond meal, and I think another option--perhaps non organic almond meal or something. The thoughtfully placed thermometer at the top outside edge of the case read 40 degrees, and the finely ground almond meal cost $10 a pound. I don't think this is much more expensive than decent quality blanched almonds would be, and considering how little of it the macarons need it's a nice shortcut.

Whizzed up in the food processor with cocoa and powdered sugar for just seconds, this almond flour was ground so finely I couldn't really identify pieces of it in the sugar/cocoa mix. My first batch of Macarons turned out perfectly with a beatiful foot, though my next two batches were not as good. I'm hoping practice will make perfect every time...

[Atomica]

I'm glad you are aware of the type of almond meal Trader Joe's sells. I strongly advise against using it for baking. I used it in this fantastic cookie recipe I've made many times and did not like the results at all. The fact that the almonds are not blanched also made for a very scratchy feeling in the throat.

[gingersweetiepie]

freeze your food processor bowl, blade, and the almonds beforehand. pulse.
strain (a small drum sieve works but probably isn't cheap). pulse remainder and strain again.
if this is all completely a waste of time for you, mandelin probably does mail order for the home cool. freeze your stock! the stuff sitting at the shelves at trader joe's or health food stores are usually funky.

almondpaste.com

[rabaja]

Mandelins almond flour ( and pastes) is fantastic. I think they have a specific one for macaroons, more finely ground. Call them, they are nice people!

[Bodegadawg]

SteveG,
Why not simply take blanched almonds, and grind them in a food processor, that's worked for me in the past. Watch them carefully, they will turn into almond butter if they are ground too finely.

[Robert Lauriston]

That's what I use. Ground almonds go rancid really fast.

Berkeley Bowl's bulk almond paste is made from blanched almonds, but macaron recipes usually call for almond flour.