Volume 12, Issue 072 - April 10, 2007

Good Day Chef,

Almond History:

An ancestor of stone fruits such as nectarines, peaches, plums and cherries, the almond is categorized botanically as a fruit. The almond fruit grows on trees closely resembling peach trees in size and shape, and has a tough gray-green hull that looks similar to an elongated peach. At maturity, the hull splits open to reveal the almond shell, which encloses the nut.

Almonds are believed to be one of the world's oldest cultivated foods, but theories differ on how, exactly, they evolved into one of nature's most nutritious foods. One theory holds they originated in ancient China and central Asia, evolving from a wild species, prunus ulmifolia. Others contend almonds originated on the steppes between the former Soviet Republics and northwestern Iran.

What is known is that almonds were a valuable commodity on the "Silk Road" between Asia and the Mediterranean. Explorers carried almonds with them as sustenance, and much of the land they were passing through provided fertile ground for the kernels they dropped along the route. Dry, hot summer and winter rains proved to be ideal growing conditions. Thus, almond trees spread to the Mediterranean, where they flourished in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and throughout the region.

Almonds were mentioned in Assyrian and Babylonian texts, the Old Testament of the Bible, and in records of ancient Greece. A Greek history of plants written in about 3000 B.C. mentioned the almond tree as the only one in Greece producing blossoms before leaves. About 100 years later, the ancient Romans brought these "Greek nuts" home with them. Romans were so thrilled with almonds that they introduced them throughout the Roman Empire, from Egypt all the way to England.

Source: Almond Board of California

BulkFoods.com Spices, Nuts, Chocolates, French Sea Salt, Candy, Dried Fruits, Trail Mixes and Baking Ingredients.

Baked Mussels with Almond Breadcrumb Stuffing

Makes 12 servings

Ingredient:

Almond Breadcrumb Stuffing:
Makes 2 1/4 cups

3 ounces butter, softened
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 ounce chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 ounces dried breadcrumbs
3 1/2 ounces dry white wine
1/2 pound natural sliced almonds, toasted, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

6 pounds mussels, beards removed, washed (about 180 mussels)
3/4 cup lemon juice

Preparation:

Almond Breadcrumb Stuffing:

In bowl, combine butter, garlic and parsley; set aside. Sprinkle breadcrumbs with wine; mix into the butter mixture until well combined. Stir in almonds until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Mussels:

Arrange mussels in rondo. Cover; cook over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes or until mussel shells pop open, shaking pan occasionally. As mussels cook, remove from pan and cool. Discard any shellfish that do not open. Remove mussels from their shells; returning each mussel onto shell half. Cover; chill until service.

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

For each serving, to order:

Arrange 15 mussels on baking sheet. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon Almond Breadcrumb Stuffing onto each mussel. Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until hot. Plate and drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Recipe by Chef Loretta Keller, Bizou Restaurant, San Francisco, CA

Source: Almond Board of California

Almond History Continued:

Spain and Italy eventually became the first major almond producers, cultivating them in their warm, dry climates as a flavorful food and for their light, silken oil. Almonds traveled with explorers from Spain, and it wasn't long before the nuts' fame had spread to the New World.

In the mid-1700s, Franciscan Padres planted almond trees to grace their missions along El Camino Real (The Royal Road), which stretched along the California coast from present-day San Diego to Sonoma. But the cool, wet weather of the coast hindered development of almonds as an annual crop. It wasn't until settlers began moving further inland that they discovered almonds flourished in the Mediterranean-like climate for which central California has become famous. Almond orchards began to prosper in the Sacramento and San Joaquin areas of the state's Central Valley. By the 1880s, research and crossbreeding had produced several of today's prominent almond varieties. And by the turn of the century, the California almond industry was firmly established.

Today, the sweet almond variety grows in the Central Valley. Delicate and slightly sweet in flavor, sweet almonds are readily available in supermarkets.

California is the only place in North America that grows almonds commercially. A $2 billion industry, more than 6,000 growers devote an estimated 530,000 acres in the Central Valley to almonds — California's largest tree nut crop — in a stretch of land extending from below Bakersfield in the south to Red Bluff in the north.

In fact, this region produces 75 percent of the world's almond supply, and virtually 100 percent of the United States'. California almonds are exported to more than 80 countries.

Source: Almond Board of California

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Camembert Affiné, Dried Michigan Pears, Caramelized Almonds, and Māche Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 ounce sliced almonds
8 ounces French camembert
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 ounce dried Michigan pears, julienned
8 ounces clean māche
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
20 (1/4-inch) baguette croutons

Preparation:

To caramelize the almonds:

Make a simple syrup of equal parts water and sugar. Allow the syrup to cool. Gently mix a 3-pound can of sliced, blanched almonds with 4 ounces of the simple syrup so the almonds are fully covered. Spread the almonds out on a parchment-lined sheet pan, taking care that they do not touch each other. Roast the almonds in a convection oven at 325 degrees F for 5 minutes, then turn the pan around and cook for another 5 minutes until the almonds are golden brown. Let cool, store in an airtight container for 1 to 2 weeks.

Slice the camembert in 2-ounce portions.

Make the vinaigrette:

In a bowl, mix the vinegar with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil and taste for seasoning.

For each serving to order:

Place a 2 ounce portion of cheese in an 8-ounce cast iron pan with a little olive oil. Put the pan in a 400 degree F oven for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is softened (but not melted).

Add 1/4 ounce dried pears and 1/4 ounce caramelized almonds. Return the pan to the oven for 2 more minutes.

Dress 2 ounces of māche with balsamic vinaigrette and plate it. Add 5 croutons around the māche.

Remove the pan, add chopped parsley and a little olive oil over the top and then transfer the cheese to the māche.

Source: Almond Board of California