Almonds are often called king nuts, although they are actually stone fruits. There are three varieties: sweet, bitter and thin-walled almonds. Only some varieties of sweet almonds are suitable for eating raw; all other varieties are pre-processed before consumption. Almonds are eaten roasted or salted and added to baked goods as a spice. Particularly popular are almond flour, as well as shavings and petals, which are often used in cooking to decorate confectionery products.
If you were unable to find crushed and dried almonds on the counter, you can prepare them yourself from whole seeds. There are several options for making almond flakes at home. Some housewives recommend pouring boiling water over the kernels, waiting a couple of hours, rinsing with cold water, and then peeling off the brown skin. This method, although fast, is not the best, because as a result, the almonds lose their whiteness and acquire a yellowish tint. In order for it to retain its natural color, it is better to soak the grains in cold water for a day - the skin will be easily peeled, and the petals will remain snow-white and will become a real decoration for any dessert! Step-by-step instructions on how to peel almonds, cut them into thin slices and dry them in a frying pan will help you cope with the task.

Taste Info Various desserts

Ingredients

• almonds - 50 g;
• water - 1 l.

How to Prepare and Slice Almonds at Home

We split whole almonds with a hammer so as not to damage the inner white part, which is located under the shell - the kernels are brown in skin. These are the ones we will need to prepare the petals. Fill the kernels with cold water so that the liquid completely covers them. Leave it in this form for 1 day, changing the water from time to time to remove the bitterness and yellowish tint that the skin may give.


After a day, we peel the grains using a knife - a universal knife for peeling vegetables will do. The peel is very easy to peel off, just grab the edge and pull it lightly.


We cut the peeled grains as thin as possible - the result should be neat, almost transparent and slightly oblong petals. It’s easier to cope with the task if you chop the almonds crosswise rather than lengthwise, then the plates will be slightly smaller in size, but very thin.


Place the sliced ​​almonds in a dry and always cold frying pan (preferably with thin walls and a non-stick coating so that it is easy to shake and turn over the petals).

Place the frying pan over low heat and dry the petals, stirring from time to time to remove excess moisture.


Literally immediately when heated, the petals will begin to curl slightly and harden. The finished almonds should become dense and crispy - it will take 5-7 minutes to dry, depending on the thickness of the slices. In principle, you can dry it in the oven at a minimum temperature and be sure to make sure that it does not burn.


Homemade almonds are ready to eat. They can be added to baked goods (you can grind them into crumbs in a mortar) and used to decorate desserts.


Also, do not rush to throw away the shells of almond seeds - they can be used to flavor and improve the color of some alcoholic drinks, for example, cognac or liqueur.

Do you know what almond petals are? How to make them at home? If not, then our article will be very useful for you. We wish you success in the kitchen!

general information

First, let's look at the petals. The almond kernels, peeled from the brown skin, are cut into thin slices. In appearance they resemble petals or flakes. They can be eaten salted or fried. But most often, housewives use almond “petals” to decorate baked goods and desserts (for example, ice cream, cakes, biscuits, muffins). It turns out to be a real culinary masterpiece.

We will need:

• 1 liter of water;
• 50 g whole almonds.

Detailed instructions:

Step No. 1. Place whole almonds on the table. We split each of them using a heavy hammer. But we do this carefully to avoid damaging the inner (white) part.

Step No. 2. We take out the kernels in the brown skin. It is from these that we will subsequently make almond petals. Place the kernels in a glass bowl. Fill with cold water. The liquid should completely cover them. Leave the almonds in this form for 24 hours. Don't forget to change the water periodically. Such actions will help rid the kernels of bitterness and a yellowish tint.

Step No. 3. After 24 hours, peel the grains using a utility knife. The peel is removed easily and quickly. You just need to grab the edge with a knife and pull it.

Step No. 4. Transfer the peeled kernels to a cutting board. Using another (sharp) knife, cut them as thin as possible. If you get almost transparent and slightly oblong petals, then we did everything right. For those who want to save time, we suggest cutting the almond grains crosswise rather than lengthwise.

Step No. 5. Place the “petals” into a dry and cold frying pan with a non-stick coating. Dry them on low heat. Be sure to stir. This will get rid of excess moisture. The drying process of almond flakes will take 5-7 minutes.

Step No. 6. Transfer the “petals” to a plate. You can decorate desserts with them or add them to baked goods, after crushing them in a mortar. Many people throw away the shells of almond kernels, considering them useless. However, it can be used to give a richer color to alcoholic drinks (liqueur, cognac, etc.).

Almond Petal Cake

Grocery list:

Practical part

1. Before starting cooking, lay out all the ingredients. Let them stand at room temperature for at least half an hour.
2. Break the eggs into a bowl. Pour in kefir in the required amount. Pour in white sugar, but not all of it, but 150 g. Beat these components using a powerful mixer.
3. Flour should be combined with baking powder. Pour into the egg-kefir mixture through a sieve. Turn on the mixer again. Beat at low speed.
4. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with special paper. Carefully pour in the dough. Be sure to level it out.
5. Place the form with the contents in a preheated oven (200 °C). Baking time for the pie is 10 minutes.
6. Let's start preparing the filling. Place a 100 gram portion of butter in a saucepan. Let's melt it. Next, pour in two types of sugar - white (100 g) and vanilla (bag). Add honey and milk there. Mix. Add almond petals. Cook all this on low heat. We wait until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the stove.
7. It's time to take our pie out of the oven. We distribute the previously prepared filling evenly over its surface. You can immediately notice that the almond petals are covered with a butter-sugar coating. Place the pie in the oven again. This time you will have to wait 10-15 minutes. Before serving, the baked goods must cool and the top crust must harden. Have a nice tea party everyone!

Afterword

Almond flakes not only make the dessert look delicious, but also add calories. Those who watch their figure should take this into account. Calorie content of almond “petals” is 50 kcal/100 g.

It’s unlikely that anyone can convince me that animal milk is good for humans. To be honest, this is not even a topic for discussion. But I have no complaints about nut milk - the color, appearance, and taste of real milk. At the same time - only benefits!

In my opinion, of all the types of nuts and seeds, the best milk comes from almonds.

Indecently tasty almond milk contains tens of times more calcium than cow's milk, and it is absorbed much better. Plus - vitamin E, plus - no lactose and casein, plus - children really like it. By the way, both the process and the result :)

What am I telling you - let's go cook - try it yourself and see everything!

Ingredients:

Almonds – 50 g

Honey – 0.5 tsp. (or dates - 3-5 pcs.)

Salt – ¼ tsp.

Clean cold water – 1 tbsp.

Cooking method:

1. Soak almonds in cold water for 8 - 12 hours. It is most convenient to leave it overnight. But if you plan to peel the skins from almonds, then you need to soak the nuts for at least a day. Of course, change the water and don’t forget to rinse the nuts under running water.

However, you can leave the skins for making almond milk itself. This will not affect the taste and color of the finished product. It only makes sense to peel the almonds if you plan to use the almond cake and want it to be white.

Another reason to peel almonds is to make homemade almond flakes.

How to make your own almonds

It's simple, although somewhat labor intensive. You need to peel the soaked almonds from the skins and, using a vegetable peeler, carefully cut off the petals from the kernels:

Dry the petals in a dehydrator, transfer to a jar and use as needed.

In my experience, one almond kernel produces, at best, 3 whole petals :) So, you’ll have to tinker. But it's worth it! Almond petals can be used to decorate live kitchen dishes in an amazingly beautiful way.

For example, look at this recipe for a healthy dessert:

Now let's get back to milk.

2. Place thoroughly washed nuts (and, of course, what is left of the almonds) into a blender and add a glass of water. Grind for 1-2 minutes:

Keep in mind - the less water, the richer the taste of the milk.

3. Strain the resulting mass through 3-4 layers of gauze and squeeze out the nut cake thoroughly:

By the way, this funny process, similar to milking cows, is a lot of fun for children :)

You can refill the cake with a glass of water and repeat the procedure, but I like a richer taste, so I don’t refill the cake.

5. Basically, almond milk is ready. The taste is amazing!

But you can enhance the impression and grind the almond milk in a blender again with the addition of honey and a pinch of salt.

And if you use dates instead of honey, the almond milk will take on a gingerbread flavor - absolutely delicious!

Decor:

Pour milk into a beautiful glass and get pleasure and maximum benefit!

P.S. I've written more than once about how I prefer not to store food, but they say almond milk can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 36 hours. Shake before use.

You can make a lot of useful things from the remaining nut cake - cheese, ice cream, cookies, bread - I will definitely publish recipes, so subscribe to blog updates so as not to miss anything interesting.

And from the nut milk itself you can make amazingly tasty and healthy drinks, for example:

Bon appetit!