Test #1: Almond extracts

M

marilynfl

Moderator
Since I plan on improving the burnt almond cake recently published to make it MORE ALMONDY and because the Pittsburgh bakery mentioned that he puts a secret ingredient in his cake, I thought it might be an imported extract. So I ordered Dr. Oetker's Bitter Almond.

As a test vehicle I made crème anglaise from The ART OF FRENCH PASTRY by Jacquy Pfleiffer. It's a simple dessert sauce using whole milk, heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla bean. I left out the vanilla bean as I wanted the sauce as neutral as possible to test the almond extracts.

This was NOT my preferred test base, as eggs will add a definite profile. But I plan on using hs pastry cream (basically, crème anglaise with added starch) for the burnt almond cake tests so I felt it was the closest I should get.

These are the two extracts I tested: Simply Organic Almond Extract versus Dr. Oetker Bitter Almond Aroma (all of the text on the packaging was in various languages, none of which were English. But the word AROMA was listed after various words for almond (bitter-madel; amandel; amandes ameres; aci badem). I'm assuming that means extract in those languages, but I could be wrong.

IMG_2486.JPG

I put a tablespoon of the cold sauce into two small bowls and
  1. added a drop of each. No taste or smell.
  2. added a second drop to each. Slight smell but no taste.
  3. added two drop to each. Immediately, the German extract had a very nice almond/cherry scent. The Simply Organic was also scented, but not as much. Score one for Dr. Oetker.
HOWEVER, upon swallowing the Dr. Oetker version, I noticed a strong chemical taste in the back of my throat. And it lingered. No such tell-tale with the Simply Organic. That alone is enough to decide this test: I won't be using the Dr. Oetker for the cake pastry cream filling.
 
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marilynfl said:
Since I plan on improving the burnt almond cake recently published to make it MORE ALMONDY and because the Pittsburgh bakery mentioned that he puts a secret ingredient in his cake, I thought it might be an imported extract. So I ordered Dr. Oetker's Bitter Almond.

As a test vehicle I made crème anglaise from The ART OF FRENCH PASTRY by Jacquy Pfleiffer. It's a simple dessert sauce using whole milk, heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla bean. I left out the vanilla bean as I wanted the sauce as neutral as possible to test the almond extracts.

This was NOT my preferred test base, as eggs will add a definite profile. But I plan on using hs pastry cream (basically, crème anglaise with added starch) for the burnt almond cake tests so I felt it was the closest I should get.

These are the two extracts I tested: Simply Organic Almond Extract versus Dr. Oetker Bitter Almond Aroma (all of the text on the packaging was in various languages, none of which were English. But the word AROMA was listed after various words for almond (bitter-madel; amandel; amandes ameres; aci badem). I'm assuming that means extract in those languages, but I could be wrong.

View attachment 2715

I put a tablespoon of the cold sauce into two small bowls and
  1. added a drop of each. No taste or smell.
  2. added a second drop to each. Slight smell but no taste.
  3. added two drop to each. Immediately, the German extract had a very nice almond/cherry scent. The Simply Organic was also scented, but not as much. Score one for Dr. Oetker.
HOWEVER, upon swallowing the Dr. Oetker version, I noticed a strong chemical taste in the back of my throat. And it lingered. No such tell-tale with the Simply Organic. That alone is enough to decide this test: I won't be using the Dr. Oetker for the cake pastry cream filling.
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Yeah, I’m with you, that’s a deal breaker.
 
Thank you for posting the test and the results.

The aroma of almond extract is one of my most powerful memory cues. It takes me back nearly 60 years, to the very first time my Mom made Christmas cookies. I catch a whiff of it, and I'm 4 again...
 
michael-in-phoenix said:
Thank you for posting the test and the results.

The aroma of almond extract is one of my most powerful memory cues. It takes me back nearly 60 years, to the very first time my Mom made Christmas cookies. I catch a whiff of it, and I'm 4 again...
Click to expand...
Me too. My Christmas cookies wouldn’t be the same without it, because that’s how mom made them. I adore the smell!
 
Huh…I never smelled it until my late 20s when my first roommate made one of her mom’s Croatian pastries.

In Mom’s kitchen, we had artificial vanilla, anise oil (from the pharmacy) for pizelles, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice mix. That was it.

My kitchen? It’s like a mini Penzy’s.
 
marilynfl said:
Huh…I never smelled it until my late 20s when my first roommate made one of her mom’s Croatian pastries.

In Mom’s kitchen, we had artificial vanilla, anise oil (from the pharmacy) for pizelles, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice mix. That was it.

My kitchen? It’s like a mini Penzy’s.
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Lol, yes, and after penzey’s cinnamon nothing else comes close!

Also, a friends son made his own wedding cake and gave me all his tips, pans, etc after. He also included the lemon extract he used. Walmart brand. Up to this point I’d never considered how different something like this might be, brand to brand. I grew up with mccormick extracts. Boy howdy was this stuff awful by comparison. So much so I threw it out (and it was a big bottle, plus I hate waste). Even though I have a meyer lemon tree, some things still call for extract too. Good ingredients make all the difference imho.

We never used imitation vanilla growing up, but in the past few years I’ve noticed a drop in quality. I had a big bottle from smart and final (house brand) that lasted me years and was great. When I had to replace, they changed their brand. I’d heard good things about Costco, so got that. It’s awful and weak. I need to give it away. And because I like to keep a large bottle (leaves out small McCormick bottles) I ended up with Nielsen-Massey. It’s not a huge difference when vanilla isn’t the main taste, but it’s the strength and taste I was used to before. Also, using their paste is a huge upgrade in icings. It’s a game changer.
 
marilynfl said:
which organ did you sell to pay for Nielsen-Massey?
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lol, yes. I figured I got away with the smart n final brand for a long time (years) and now had to make up for it. I buy the big size, budget for it, so just rip that expensive bandaid off all at once.
 
I know this is vanilla sacrilege, but after spending the money on all those high-end vanillas, I discovered a Mexican "blend" vanilla that is super cheap and delicious. I use it in all my baking, and it's even good in vanilla-forward recipes like pastry cream and other custards. It is called "Molina" and was recommended to me by a neighbor back in the 90s. I haven't bought expensive vanilla since then, and probably never will. I haven't had any negative comments or complaints.

It does not contain coumarin, nor does it taste like traditional Mexican vanilla. It is simple vanilla, just like Mom used to use.

Target sells 8 oz. for $1.69. Sounds scary, but I hope they don't catch on and raise their prices!molina.jpeg
 
michael-in-phoenix said:
I know this is vanilla sacrilege, but after spending the money on all those high-end vanillas, I discovered a Mexican "blend" vanilla that is super cheap and delicious. I use it in all my baking, and it's even good in vanilla-forward recipes like pastry cream and other custards. It is called "Molina" and was recommended to me by a neighbor back in the 90s. I haven't bought expensive vanilla since then, and probably never will. I haven't had any negative comments or complaints.

It does not contain coumarin, nor does it taste like traditional Mexican vanilla. It is simple vanilla, just like Mom used to use.

Target sells 8 oz. for $1.69. Sounds scary, but I hope they don't catch on and raise their prices!View attachment 2720
Click to expand...
Humm, so it’s part real vanilla and part imitation?
 
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