Most of these come from Sharon Tyler Herbst's book "The New Food Lover's Tiptionary" , a book I cannot recommend enough.

• Almonds are not actually nuts, but rather the kernal of the almond tree-fruit. They're related more to the cherry or peach pits than walnuts or hazelnuts.
• Before blanching almonds, taste them with the skins on. If they do not taste bitter, leave 'em on, for a more complete taste.
• To blanch whole almonds, cover with boiling water; set aside for three minutes. Strain, then slip off the skinds by squeezing the almonds between your fingers and thumbs. Blot with paper towels; spread the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees F for roughly 10 minutes.
• Add a small amount of almond extract to baked goods containing almonds, it'll intensify the flavor.
• Almond extract will make cherries taste more vibrant. Add just a drop or two to pies or other cherry-themed backed goods.
• Store or display almonds in a cool, dry place away from all heat sources; also avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, which tends to darken shelled almonds and decrease their stability.
• Almonds can be freezer stored. However, proper packaging must be used to seal the almonds to protect from ice formation and moisture, which can result in mold.

This is not my recipe, and am unsure of where it comes from. But it's a quick to make, and fairly simple clean up. And their addictive as all get out.

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole unblanched almonds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum
foil.

Place sugar in a large bowl.

Beat egg lightly in medium size bowl. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. Add almonds, tossing until coated with egg mixture.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to sugar in a bowl; toss well to coat almonds evenly. Remove coated almonds to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the almonds 1/2 inch apart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until almonds are golden. Cool almonds completely on baking sheet. Store in airtight containers for up to 1 month.

When you toast your almonds, it extracts a bit of the almond oil and chars it, giving the almond a deeper flavor that adds complexity to whatever recipe you add almonds. And it's ultra simple. I'll give you two ways to do it.

Via the Saucepan

Place your almonds in a heavy, ungreased skillet. Stir often over medium heat until golden brown, 5- 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Via the Oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread nuts in one layer on ungreased shallow pie tin or baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.

Sometimes I wonder if I've gone to far. I wonder if my process of acquiring knowledge of all things food can ever so slightly cross the line from trivial pursuit to dangerous obsession. If one can point others to the most concise resource for almond information online, who, aside from those in the almond industry, would look at me with pity and shame.

I mean think about it.. how many people in your day to day dealings can tell you that the nonpareil is the dominant almond on the American markey today? That the nonpareil is the standard from which all other almond varities are judged. The nonpareil is the benchmark for all other almonds! Does anyone really care?

(I hear a collective "No" from the daily readership)

I mean, I could tell you all that there are hundreds of varieties of almonds, much in the same way there are hundreds of varieties of apples or pears. There's the carmel, the california and the mission (these three, along with the vaunted nonpareil make up almost all of the almonds in America). But there's also the butte, the padre and the ruby. There's also the wood colony, ne plus and the livingston. I can tell you this, but in truth...does anyone care?

I can tell you that almonds are graded by three primary criteria...the thickness of the shell, the smoothness of the paper, and the size of the kernal.

I can tell you that there is prussic acid naturally occuring in bitter almonds. Most California almonds are of termed 'sweet' rather than 'bitter', and thus have far less of this poison, if any at all. But because we Americans come from a paranoid stock. we have (or rather our government has) banned sales of bitter almonds, completely ignoring the fact that heat breaks down prussic acid.

The result of this is that those pesky europeans, who have far less fears of foods than we do, have no qualms of harvesting bitter almonds and, you know, actually making the almonds safe to eat. Thus they can press an oil that is more fragrant and flavorful than the bland oil pressed from sweet almonds. They also are used to make bitter-almond extract, which imparts highly concentrated almond flavor, and very sparingly (one bitter almond per
100 sweet almonds), to add nuance to marzipan. In Italy, bitter-almond paste is used to make the crisp amaretti cookies, and bitter-almond extract gives amaretto liqueur its character.

Europeans make Marzipan and amaretto; we make crappy mass produced chocolate. Leave it to American know-how to water down the taste of a nut.

So yeah, this is what I know about almonds. I'm still not sure if this knowledge is a good thing, as all it seems to do is annoy the wait staff and baristas of my local hang outs.

Amygdalus communis L. is probably the oldest nut gathered (and later farmed) by humans. It's is small, encased in a shell that looks like a peach pit, and tastes great when used to flavor amaretto (and for those of you who want to send me gifts, Amaretto is my favorite liqueur...hint, hint). But almonds are much more more than that.

Originally found and farmed in Central Asia, in China and Mongolia, almonds were able to become popular becuase they were easy to transport. For those who later traveled the trade routes throughout the orient, and then later on the Silk Road, almonds were most certainly a quick snack one could eat while on horseback. Never underestimate convenience when it comes to popularizing foods. Of course, the fact that almond plants grow well and quickly also helps. Another tip if you want to popularize a food...make sure it's ubiquotous. Apparently one could not swing a dead cat without heating almond plants while traveling the Silk Road.

Remember this name: Father Junipero Serra. This is the guy who brought almonds to California as he was setting up missionaries in southern California. Considering that in 2003, California had produced 1.08 billion meat pounds. That, my friends, is a lot of almonds. Wholesale cost of almonds per pound? $6. Six dollars multiplied by 1.08 billion equals a booming almond economy.

But more to the point, almonds mean marzipan, which also originated in the Orient. Of course, the noble houses of Europe later called an exclusive dessert on their dinner tables, and served as a luxury gift for the Empire's highest dignitaries. It also was supposed to have medicinal powers, which leads me to believe that the following dialogue occured on many occasions:

Doctor/Barber: You are ill. I have determined that you have a slowing of the blood. For this, I perscribe....leeches!

Patient: Are you sure about the leeches? Perhaps marzipan would quicken my blood.

Doctor/Barber: Nope, nope. Who's the doctor here anyways? It's leeches. Leeches and a salt lick.

Patient:(under his breath) Bastard!

Back in 4,000 BC, almonds were found in most every ancient civilization. The Middle East, Israel, Greece, Egypt all grew almonds and used them in their diet. References to the almond is all through the bible, even figuring prominently in the design of the ancient Hebrew seven-branched lampstand...the Menorah. When Moses was instructed to build a tabernacle in the desert he was told to furnish it with holy vessels, including gold lampstand.

Jehovah: Moses...I want you to build a tabernacle in my name. And include a gold lampstand.

Moses: Oh yes My Lord. And how shall I design the gold lampstand?

Jehovah: I will leave that to you.

Moses: Thank you my Lord. I shall shape it in the shape of ...an almond plant!

Jehovah:(under his breath) Bastard!

Oh there is so much to look forward to when researching almonds...oddly enough, most of them involving chocolate.Jordon almonds, Almond Joy, Chocolate covered Marzipan. Almond Ice cream, Almond bread....Mmmmm. I'm gonna be busy. Plus, as an added benefit, they're good for you, as they're chock full of monosaturated fat...which sounds really, really impressive if I knew what that meant.