Sunday, January 29, 2023

ALMONDS: Brined, Sugared, and Tamari

From front to back:  Tamari, Brined, and Sugared
I showed you how to make Tamari Almonds in an earlier post.  Here are two more options to add to your pantry:  Brined and Sugared!  The brined almonds are salty and crunchy.  The sugared almonds are sweet with caramelized, cinnamon coating that reminds me of Christmas Markets in Germany.

Sugar & Cinnamon Almonds

 1 cups raw almonds with skin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

 


Preheat oven to 350° F.

Pour almonds onto sheet pan and place in oven for 10 minutes until roasted to light golden (cut one open to see if interior of almond has changed from white to light golden brown).

Remove from oven, and add almonds, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.  Once boiling, decrease heat to medium and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.  The mixture will go from liquid to sticky and then to white and granulated. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until the sugar coats the almonds with a light caramel color.  Once almonds are coated with caramel remove from heat and turn out to a pan covered with silpat or parchment - allow to cool.


Brined & Roasted Almonds 
recipe from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

 8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) raw almonds with skin

1 cup water

1/3 cup kosher salt

 


Preheat oven to 375° F.

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.  Add salt and stir to dissolve.  Add the almonds to the hot brine, remove from heat, and let them soak for 30 minutes.

Drain the almonds and spread them evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast until almonds are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 12 minutes.  Take one out to test - cut open to expose interior which should be light golden brown.  The nuts will still be soft but once completely cooled they will be very crunchy and salty.  

The sugared almonds at the beginning - bringing to a boil.

I like this kosher sea salt and use it for all my recipes.