Thursday, August 20, 2020

The Calming Pandemic Response of Almond Butter

 Made a cup or two of almond butter. Roasting, blanching, and peeling the almonds took upwards of two hours. Nothing onerous in the task, it feels peaceful. Once blanched the almond skins mostly squirt off. They need reblanching when they cool. Sitting in boiled water for a minute constitutes blanching. I watched MST3K while I removed the skins.

Processing in the Cuisinart took 12 minutes. I added two teaspoons of sugar, painting the lily, and two or three teaspoons of coconut oil. Roasting supposedly brings out oil that the raw almond doesn’t release. The addition of oil makes the butter smoother, and imparts a sweet fragrance. I could have made more had I not chomped on quite a few of the roasted beauties that I had prepared.

The time/labour aint straightforwardly worth it if you wish to be a capitalist prod about it. The butter tastes like my effort, tho. It is as good as any commercial brand that I’ve had. I am not kidding anyone. I could buy better bread than I make. A good portion of France’s economy seems based on that thought. Store bought bread provides no feeling of accomplishment, however, nor yeast aroma in our abode. I like having almond butter on my to do list. My almond butter on my bread: It gives a rhythm to my life. That is to say, tho the results please, it is the making that matters. Despite the constrictions amidst the pandemic, happy chores make a widening.