So for years my boyfriend and I used to love going to American Hotel for drinks. A cozy little space with a friendly but dignified bartender, of course the traditional wood bar, and I think a fireplace too, right?
If they don’t have one, they totally should. It’s just that kinda place.
One thing they *definitely* did have there that nobody else did was this little dish filled with silky smooth almonds … coated with God knows what, something rich and buttery.
Before that I’d never had smooth almonds. Didn’t know how they got that way til I did a little exploring and wound up discovering the wonderful world of blanched almonds. Did you know about this? I didn’t. Turns out I loved almonds without their dry, textured jackets. How lovely!
Now two things you should know.
1. Never feed me almonds, even though I’m talkin’ bout them here. Turns out I’m allergic, go figure. This recipe is for me to make for the people I love, not for me to eat, k? K.
2. If you’re avoiding dairy cuzza the lactose, ask your doctor but I’m thinkin’ he may say “yes” to some ghee for you. Ghee is clarified butter, without lactose or casein. Woo hoo, right?
. . . . . . . . .
Blanched ‘n Buttered Almonds Recipe
- 3 cups unroasted, unsalted almonds
- 3 tbsp lightly salted butter, melted*
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 4 cups water
In large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add almonds and boil for 1 min. Remove immediately and pour into colander. Rinse with cool water just til they’re not too hot to touch. Squeeze each almond between thumb and forefinger til it pops out of its jacket. Spread almonds out on towel and set aside to dry a few hours or overnight, stirring occasionally to encourage even drying.
Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, toss almonds with butter til well coated. Spread out on parchment. Bake, til golden brown about 10 min, flipping almonds once mid way through. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt to taste. Cool about an hour and enjoy!
PS: Store in airtight container at room temperature.
* Swap out for ghee if you like, but add a tad more salt in that case.
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