Blanched Almonds,Sliced Almonds,Silvered Almonds,Almond Flour(Almond Meal),Almond Butter : From Whole Almonds | Kitchen Basics

Almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E,magnesium and potassium which provides relief to the arteries and veins,thereby improving blood circulation.These also lowers the bad cholesterol(LDL) and
 acts a double barrier against diabetes.Though there are many more health benefits with the intake of almonds but the talk for today is something different.This can be considered as kitchen basics.This post may be well versed among bloggers but to all my non bloggers and new cooks out there,may be enthusiastic to know more about blanching,slicing almonds,making your own almond flour,almond butter at home.I wouldn't say that without a knowledge of these you can't survive in kitchen but if you are a kitchen manager,then definitely you should try to cut down costs of things that you buy for your pantry too.The whole almonds are much cheaper compared to all the processed ones;blanched,sliced,almond flour etc.But if you are a working mom and can't spare out time,then the case is different.However,if you wish to watch your favorite shows with a bowl of soaked,drained almonds then this is definitely for you.It hardly requires much efforts.I had been blanching almonds ever since I started baking.Now,my next upcoming post needs almond flour and I thought that's the right time to make a post on this topic.If you feel this is useful,do try it out and enjoy !!!

A few almond recipes from my space if you are interested to try-
Eggless Almond Cookies
Homemade Chocolate Almond Spread
Neapolitan Christmas Cake
Chocolate Almond Cake(Julia Child's cake)
Whole wheat Almond Biscotti

Ingredients
whole almonds 1 cup
boiling water 2 cups



Method
FOR BLANCHING ALMONDS

• Boil two cups of water in a sauce pan and then almonds in the water.Switch off flame and let the liquid stand for 5 mins.Drain water and rinse them under cold water(or boil the almonds in water for exactly a minute,switch off flame and drain the water).Using the thumb and index finger,gently press to peel off the skin or squeeze the almonds to remove skin(don't squeeze to hard else they will pop across the room).Place on paper towels to dry and use as required.

FOR SLICED AND SILVERED ALMONDS

• Boil two cups of water and add the almonds in water and switch off flame.Let it stand for 6 mins  and then drain water.Wash under cold water and then drain in a colander.Using your fingers,gently press to remove skin and split in halves(if possible).Pat dry on paper towels.

• Place them each on cutting board and using knife start slicing thin to get 4-5 slices per almond.If you are making silvered almonds,then cut in  quarters and place them on a baking tray.
• Pre heat oven to 300 degrees F and place the tray and roast them for 3-4 mins until lightly toasted and dry.
• Remove from oven and cool completely.Store in air tight ziploc bags or containers.

FOR ALMOND FLOUR(ALMOND MEAL)

• Repeat the same step just like for blanched almonds(see above).

• Now add the blanched almonds in a blender and using the pulse button several times,pulse to powder it as fine as you can to get almond flour.If you use almonds with skin,add directly to the blender which yields almond meal.The motor and the jar shouldn't get hot while doing this,if at any point you feel the heat,then stop and pause to cool.Then repeat pulsing.The almond releases oil and turns into almond butter if blended too strong.The consistency is not very fine ground,you can sieve the flour to remove any big pieces.Store in air tight bags.This can turn rancid if left out for very long.I usually make almond flour as and when required for a particular recipe or make a day or two ahead.

PS:If you plan to use immediately for a recipe that has granulated sugar in it then add the sugar with almonds and pulse.That gives a finer texture than the plain almond flour.But if you plan to store almond flour then do the above mentioned steps.

FOR ALMOND BUTTER

• Pre heat oven to 300 degrees F and spread the whole almonds on a baking sheet.Now,place and lightly toast them for 6-7 minutes.Remove from oven and cool.
   

(The second pic on the left (below) shows almond meal and the almond butter is in the ramekin)

• Add the almonds in a blender and grind from coarsely chopped to crumbly then fine ground (I could get almost smooth but still had very fine grains too,I stopped when my mixer got very hot).Give a break,scraping the sides of the blender and keep running the blender/grinder a couple of times more till the almonds leave out oil and starts to come together.At this point when you can no longer blend it add any neutral oil(a tbsp) as required little by little.Blend again until you get a smooth finish.Almond butter is ready to use with your favorite recipes or proceed further to make chocolate almond spread.