Almonds
On a trip to Morocco with a group of food importers in 1994, I became fascinated with almonds. There I first noticed that not all almonds are alike. The brown, flat dusty nuts I ate there were enormous. The size of my thumb, they had deep ridges and a bright burst of almondy taste. That chance encounter led to many things including a full-time job working with nuts. This experience fueled my passion for the elegant and versatile almond. Through my work in the tree nut and baking ingredient industries, I have gained an insight into the complexities of our global food system.
What does this mean? I create recipes using almonds and experiment with new ways for bakers and chefs to use nut products. I count almond growers among my friends and am always looking for the next great way to use prunus dulcis. Got almond milk?
Learn More About Almonds on My Website
To whet your appetite for all things almonds, here are some of my tips for using them in healthy baking. You’ll also learn about almond flour and almond butter here too.
See Tips for Healthy Baking with Almonds
Green almonds are a symbolic food and springtime favorite. Not only do I love to eat them I also love to explore their rich history.
If you’re mad for French macarons, you might enjoy the map I did for American Almond Products Company. Called Macaronathon it takes you to all the bakeries and patisseries in New York that specialize in delectable French almond macarons.
Almonds shine in savory dishes such as a South-Aisan-style chicken curry with almonds and apricots. This is a recipe I developed for an article in Food and Wine Magazine.
Read the Recipes
Almond varieties do matter. This little known secret was previously reserved only for those working in the food industry. Over 100 varieties grown in the US and as many as 20 are available by variety when you buy from a farmer. (Of course you may need to order 40,000 pounds, which is a full truckload.) I am especially fond of the Italian Romana di Noto almonds from Sicily, bright tasting Carmel variety from California and the creamy almond paste from American Almond Products Company formerly in Brooklyn. (The company is now owned by global chocolate company Barry Callebaut)
Read more about almonds HERE.