Almond Butter

"With a bee in every bell, almond bloom, we greet thee well." Sir Edwin Arnold

Remember my neighbour Nina? She's the one who's prediction that I'd win big at the casino came true! Well, for about the last year I've been supplying Nina with my home made almond butter! She has it on toast every morning for brekkie. Yum! I saw her yesterday and it was time for me to make her another batch. While making the almond butter, I had some flashback memories... In 1995 I went on a back packing extravaganza across Britain and Europe, with my cousin Melanie and her friend. I remember meeting the family in England for the first time and a particular dinner at one of our aunt and uncle's house. They loved to entertain! Champers in the backyard with a few nibbles, roast garlic and brie with crusty loaf as an appetizer, a flat out Spanish spread for supper and a delicious Italian dessert, with amaretto to wash it down. Talk about a Europe bound meal! Mmmm, amaretto. I had never tasted it before and oh boy, was it good! The next time on that trip I tasted an almond so good, was in Sicily. Gosh was it ever hot there! We would do our touring in the evenings, when it wasn't so scorching. Walking along the ancient ruins in the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento, we noticed some locals underneath the trees, picking things off the ground. Of course, being the friendly Canadian back packers we were, we went over to ask what they were doing. They were gathering almonds! I was astonished! First olive trees in Tuscany and now almond trees in Sicily! So, of course, we scavenged some of own and they were simply delicious! Wow, what a memory... How amazing to witness all of those wonderful things at such a young age. No wonder I had to go back home and become a Chef!!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Almond Butter (Nina's fave )

1 cup raw almond, skin on
2-3 Tbsp veg oil, I use sunflower
2-3 tsp honey
1/8 tsp sea salt

.roast the almonds at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 mins, allow to cool
.in a food processor add nuts and the rest of the ingredients, purée

It's that simple! Now, Nina likes her almond butter to have a strong roasted flavour, so I roast hers the whole 15 mins until the nuts are brown inside. You might want to taste a roasted nut at the 10 minute mark ans d see what you think. Also, I would start with 2 Tbsp of oil and wait to see if you need to drizzle in the third. It depends how thick you want your almond butter. Warning: if processed too long, your almond butter will turn into liquid, so keep an eye on it! Try it and let me know what you think. I like almond butter better than peanut butter and I bet you will too! Enjoy!

p.s. amaretto on ice is SUPER yummy...