Homemade Almond Paste

an easy, egg-free recipe that tastes better than the store-bought stuff

The thing about bucket lists is they feel like a never ending well of desire. Every time you cross one thing off of it, another one crops up in its place. I suppose that's not such a bad predicament to be in, except I get very anxious about time—how much more of it we have, that is. Living in a rural area, with limited (immediate) access to some of my favorite ingredients helps me knock items off my cooking bucket list (is it okay to have such a thing?). That's how this recipe for Homemade Almond Paste came to be.

Yes, in this day of online ordering, virtually everything is at our fingertips. Except the brand of almond pasta I wanted. I'd picked it up earlier this year on a trip to Montreal. The almond paste is from Germany, and some of the best I've ever used. It spoiled me for any future brands, and when I couldn't track it down online, I took to the kitchen, finally resolved to make my own recipe, as I've been meaning to for years.