flipAlmond Orgeat Syrup
Almond Orgeat Syrup
Why this dish? Orgeat, a sweet almond milk perfumed with orange flower water, was the cool drink offered to ladies in Parisian salons and gardens; diluted with fresh water, it refreshed Berthe and her models during long summer sitting sessions.
A milky syrup of pounded almonds scented with orange flower water; pour a little in a tall glass and fill with very cold water, and it turns white like a cloud.
On scorching days, when the light vibrates too much to hold the brush, nothing beats a glass of well-chilled orgeat. We pound the almonds in a mortar with a little water, strain through a cloth, and perfume with a dash of orange flower water that smells of the South. I offered it to my models between poses; it kept them still, and the milky glass on the table made, upon my word, a pretty motif.
- •Sweet almonds — a good handful (almond milk)
- •A few bitter almonds — very few (flavor)
- •Sugar — twice the weight of almonds (syrup)
- •Orange flower water — a dash (flavor)
- •Water — as needed (extraction and dilution)
Almond Orgeat Syrup
A milky syrup of pounded almonds scented with orange flower water; pour a little in a tall glass and fill with very cold water, and it turns white like a cloud.
Why this dish? Orgeat, a sweet almond milk perfumed with orange flower water, was the cool drink offered to ladies in Parisian salons and gardens; diluted with fresh water, it refreshed Berthe and her models during long summer sitting sessions.
On scorching days, when the light vibrates too much to hold the brush, nothing beats a glass of well-chilled orgeat. We pound the almonds in a mortar with a little water, strain through a cloth, and perfume with a dash of orange flower water that smells of the South. I offered it to my models between poses; it kept them still, and the milky glass on the table made, upon my word, a pretty motif.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sweet almonds — a good handful (almond milk)
- A few bitter almonds — very few (flavor)
- Sugar — twice the weight of almonds (syrup)
- Orange flower water — a dash (flavor)
- Water — as needed (extraction and dilution)
Ingredients
- Almond powder (or blanched almonds) — 200 g (almond milk)
- Water — 500 ml (extraction)
- Sugar — 350 g (syrup)
- Orange flower water — 1 tbsp (flavor)
- Bitter almond extract — 2 drops (flavor (replaces bitter almonds))
Method
- Mix almonds and water, let infuse 1 hour, then blend to obtain almond milk.
- Strain firmly through a clean cloth to extract all the milk.
- Heat this milk with sugar without boiling until completely dissolved, to obtain a coating syrup.
- Off heat, add orange flower water and almond extract; let cool and store chilled. Serve 1 part syrup to 5 parts iced water.
How it was made : Orgeat was made from sweet almonds with a few bitter almonds for flavour; also sold ready-made by lemonade vendors, it was one of the quintessential 'ladies' drinks' of the 19th century, along with lemonade and fruit syrups.
The contemporary twist : Served over crushed ice with a lemon zest, it is the elegant, non-alcoholic ancestor of today's syrups.
Berthe Morisot · Charactorium
