Almond Board Media Tour

Image courtesy of the Almond Board of California

Go ahead. Ask me about my favorite nut. Since last week I've been on the road praising the delicious virtues of almonds. On April 17, the Almond Board of California kicked off a multi-city media tour at The Drake Hotel in Toronto's Queens West neighborhood. Joined by fellow Almond Innovators, Chef Anthony Rose, formerly of The Drake, and Mixologist Matthew Biancaniello, of The Library Bar in Los Angeles, we demonstrated just how versatile almonds can be.

Anthony started the event with a tasty spin on the classic pot sticker. His version featured almond butter, giving the appetizer a subtle nuttiness to compliment the mushrooms inside. He followed that up with a halibut dish that sung the flavors of spring, adorned with toasted chopped almonds. Matthew mixed up two innovative almond cocktails: Lost in Laos, a kaffir lime-infused gin drink with almond milk, and the Nutty Monk, perfect proportions of Benedictine, almond oil and lemon juice, topped with cocoa nibs.

Image courtesy of the Almond Board of California

I made almond milk panna cotta with almond brittle and strawberry-rhubarb preserves. I demonstrated just how easy it is to make brittle. Panna cotta is one of my all-time favorite desserts and it's equally simple. Steeping almond milk with a combination of roasted almonds, almond paste and almond extract enhanced the rich almond flavor. I chose to pair my panna cotta with a strawberry-rhubarb preserves, but you could swap that out for any other seasonal fruit you prefer.

Image courtesy of the Almond Board of California

You can find the recipe for my almond milk panna cotta here. 

What's In Season: Rhubarb

The days are longer and the air is getting warmer. As of late March, spring has definitely sprung! That means gardens across the country are sprouting the leafy green beginnings of rhubarb. Though technically a vegetable, rhubarb is so often used in desserts that it's like an honorary fruit. Rhubarb's pucker tart flavor is often tamed by strawberry (not to mention a load of sugar), but don't let that classic pairing limit you.

Using one simple compote recipe, you can make a variety of rhubarb-flavored treats. Use the compote to fill tarts, fold into sweetened whipped cream to make a Rhubarb Fool, or mix into your favorite muffin recipe. Gild the lily of a pound cake, panna cotta or ice cream by dolloping the rhubarb compote on top. You can also strain the compote and drizzle the rhubarb syrup on Greek yogurt. Or mix the syrup with some gin, club soda and a twist of lime for a killer cocktail.

Experiment with your favorite flavor combination and find out how versatile rhubarb can be!


Basic Rhubarb Compote:

Wash and trim 2 pounds of rhubarb, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a heavy saucepan, combine with:

1.5 cups sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
Pinch of salt
For additional flavor, add any of the following:

• Fresh grated ginger
• Lemon zest
• Orange zest
• Hulled, chopped strawberries
• Vanilla bean
• Rosewater (use sparingly)
• Mint
• Basil
• Rosemary

Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rhubarb is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Remove herbs, if necessary. Cover and chill the compote. Keep refrigerated.