"almond" news and stories

Happy National Almond Day!

In light of many recent New Years' resolutions, instead of reaching for a bag of Cheetos, many of you may be snacking on nuts. And almonds are a great choice, being the most nutrient-dense tree nut, providing magnesium, potassium, Vitamin E and -- you guessed it -- a healthy dose of protein.

California provides 80 percent of the world's supply of the crunchy nut, which is often served bare, simply roasted or toasted and salted. Good enough to enjoy on its own, it's also delicious when seasoned -- served spicy with cumin and cayenne in this recipe, spicy-sweet in a honey-sesame crust, or served saccharine, with vanilla, sugar and cinnamon. What's your favorite recipe for spiced almonds? Share it after the jump!

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Happy Chinese Almond Cookie Day!

Popular at Chinese bakeries, Chinese almond cookies are a crunchy twist on the usual butter or shortbread cookies, seasoned by almond extract and often topped with decorative sliced almonds. For being rich with nutty flavor, they're remarkably light and airy. Raves Blogger TeenieCakes of the cookies pictured above, "These cookies were incredibly tasty and had a delicate crispiness."

Garrett McCord created this recipe for SimplyRecipes.com, writing that "Chinese almond cookies are a trademark in Chinese-American cooking. Often relegated as a second string sweet to the more entertaining fortune cookie these don't get the respect they deserve." He insists his version "have a crisp bite and delightfully sandy texture. Almond flour, almond extract, and slivered almonds ensure that you get an intense flavor that will eclipse any paper-filled treat."

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Anise-almond biscotti. Photo: The Brown Eyed Baker

It's not Saturday morning .. yet. But just looking at this picture of anise-almond biscotti from The Brown Eyed Baker makes us forget that we still have an entire work day ahead of us.

That's probably because biscotti can't be enjoyed on a weekday like it can on a lazy weekend: dipped into rich coffee before it's slowly nibbled away at, only to be dunked again before taking a few more tiny bites, and on and on. And if biscotti like this is on the table, Saturday can't come soon enough!

[Via The Brown Eyed Baker]

Photo: The Gourmet Worrier

The only thing better than a handful of fat, juicy Medjool dates is a tart full of plump, juicy Medjool dates. Especially if it looks like this one.

Baked and photographed by the Gourmet Worrier, its gleaming surface -- slicked with an application of melted apricot jam and orange blossom water -- hints tantalizingly at the glories lurking within, and it's easy to imagine the mouthwatering aroma of almonds wafting from the first slice. And the second, third and eighth slices. Come to think of it, it's easy to imagine a plate of crumbs, accompanied by a guilty grin, a very long nap and dreams, of course, of dates.

[Via The Gourmet Worrier]

Petit fours have been becoming increasingly popular over the last few years. They're perfect for those of us concerned about portion control. You can satiate your sweet tooth without overindulging with the bite sized sweets.

There's a certain conception that most people have of petit fours. Most of us think the treats have to be small square or round cakes with a poured fondant icing and a piped decoration on top. There's much more to it than that. Petit four translates from French as 'small oven,' which refers to the ovens after the large items had been baked. The heat in the oven was a lot lower after the bread or large cakes (in the case of the nobility) came out, so things like smaller cakes and cookies that needed lower temperatures could then be baked.

In a strict sense, a petit four can be any small cookie, cake, creme puffs or tartlettes. Even sugar coated nuts and fruits could be considered petit four, technically speaking. According to Larousse Gastronomique, petit fours became popular during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King himself.

When we work on the small desserts for teas or buffets in my pastry kitchen, we use almond cake to make the petit four glacés. It's a very dense almond cake that we then layer with different flavors of marmalade, top with marzipan (only on the top layer), and then pour fondant over in a very thin layer (after cutting the cake into small squares of course). They're so rich it's a good thing we cut them in such bite-sized pieces.