What if we could make green almonds? That is where I started. Sure, green or young almonds are available in the Spring, their tender juicy core balanced by the astringent and bitter tender shell. I wanted really green almonds. I felt we could blend the nutty notes of an almond with herbs to create a unique and familiar condiment. In looking back at what we have done it is just a simplified dried pesto. I made an intense parsley puree and blended it with blanched slivered almonds. I then took this green almond paste and dried it in the oven to create a crunchy green almond crumble. These green almonds will accent a sardine dish we are currently working on.
The basic outline for making these green almonds may be applied to many other nuts and many more herbs. As I stated, we have just made an ultra dry pesto, though its use in dishes changes because now we can add a unique texture to dishes along with nuttiness and herbal accents.
