Nut
Almond
Also called blanched almonds, flaked almonds, Almonds
The seed of the almond fruit — sweet almonds for cooking, not bitter almonds, which are a different, regulated flavour. Whole, flaked or ground, they toast into the finish of a tagine, the thickness of a mole, the crunch on fatteh. Marzipan is a separate, sugared paste.
Origin
Iran and the wider Mediterranean, now a vast Californian crop. Blanched almonds have had the brown skins slipped in hot water; the skin-on nut is slightly more tannic and rustic.
Flavour
Sweet, milky, buttery when raw; toasty and deeper when browned. Rancid almonds taste like putty. Bitter-almond extract is benzaldehyde — a drop, not a splash.
How to use it
Toast in a dry pan or a moderate oven until the colour just turns, then add at the end of a tagine, kabsa or kabuli pulao so they stay crisp. Ground almonds thicken mole and some stews; cook them enough that the raw flour taste goes. Flaked almonds burn in a minute. Salted cocktail almonds do not belong in a sweet or a rice dish. If a recipe says 'blanched', skins will speckle a pale sauce — slip them. Store-bought almond meal goes stale; smell it.
Storage
Fridge or freezer, airtight. Pantry heat turns the oil. Ground almonds stale faster than whole. A floury smell means the bag is done.
Recipes using it
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