Read Online Nuts in the Kitchen by Susan Herrmann Loomis - Free Book Online
Authors: Susan Herrmann Loomis
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some of the cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the pasta is moist enough to suit you. Serve immediately.
Green Beans, White Peaches, and Almonds
Makes 6 servings
Credit for this dish goes to Chef Alain Passard of the restaurant Arpège, in Paris, where I tasted it some years ago. What I loved most about it were the immature green almonds sprinkled on top. They are the perfect, tender-crisp foil for the juicy white peaches and succulent green beans, an unusual little element whose delicacy is echoed with almond oil on the green beans and in the vinaigrette.
Come midsummer, green almonds are in the marketplace, hidden in their furry green shells. They are soft, juicy, and tender for just a moment before they begin to toughen up, develop their brown skin, and turn into the almonds we all know.
FOR THE GREEN BEANS:
2 pounds (1 kg) green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons almond oil
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
¼ teaspoon ne sea salt, or to taste
1 large shallot, minced
3 tablespoons almond oil
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE PEACHES:
2 pounds (1 kg) white peaches, peeled and pitted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup (120 g) shelled green almonds (about 1½ pounds/625g in the shell)
Note: Green almonds are available by mail order from www.greenalmonds.com. If you miss the season and want to make this salad, use regular, blanched almonds.
1. Bring 3 cups (750 ml) water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Steam the green beans until they are tender through but still a vivid green, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the beans to a large bowl and toss them with the almond oil. Reserve.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and the salt. Add the shallot, whisk, then slowly whisk in the oils. Season lightly with the pepper.
3. Cut each peach into thin wedges. Add the peaches to the raspberry vinaigrette and toss gently.
4. To assemble the salad, evenly divide the beans among six serving plates. Top each plate with an equal amount of peaches. Dust with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve immediately.
Avocado with Pistachio Oil and Chives
Makes 6 servings
Simple and pure, this is the perfect combination of ingredients. I use pistachio oil produced in Burgundy by the Leblanc family, which is like an elixir filled with the flavor of the best Turkish pistachio nuts, lightly toasted, carefully pressed. You can order Leblanc pistachio oil from ingoodtastestore.com, and I suggest you do so. It is well worth it. Otherwise, substitute the best possible extra virgin olive oil and use 3 tablespoons of pistachio nuts.
4 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 12 slices each
1 small bunch of chives
3 tablespoons pistachio oil
Fleur de sel
2 tablespoons pistachio nuts, salted or unsalted, lightly toasted and minced
4 chive blossoms or any small, edible flower
Note: To choose a perfect avocado, test it very gently—it should have the same firmness as the end of your nose, firm but with a bit of give.
If you have an abundance of avocados, refrigerate them; they will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week.
1. Arrange 8 avocado slices on each of six plates, fanning them out nicely.
2. Mince the chives and, in a small bowl, mix them with the pistachio oil. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the avocado slices and season with fleur de sel.
3. Evenly sprinkle the minced pistachios over the avocado.
4. Separate the individual blossoms from the chive flowers and sprinkle them over the avocado. Serve immediately.
Parsley, Green Olive, and Walnut Salad
Makes 6 servings
I remember the way my mouth filled with the bright, green herbal flavor of parsley when I ate this salad at a restaurant in Gaziantep, Turkey. Bright and flavorful, it manages to be delicious and feel healthy and cleansing at the same time.
In Gaziantep, this salad is the traditional
Green Beans, White Peaches, and Almonds
Makes 6 servings
Credit for this dish goes to Chef Alain Passard of the restaurant Arpège, in Paris, where I tasted it some years ago. What I loved most about it were the immature green almonds sprinkled on top. They are the perfect, tender-crisp foil for the juicy white peaches and succulent green beans, an unusual little element whose delicacy is echoed with almond oil on the green beans and in the vinaigrette.
Come midsummer, green almonds are in the marketplace, hidden in their furry green shells. They are soft, juicy, and tender for just a moment before they begin to toughen up, develop their brown skin, and turn into the almonds we all know.
FOR THE GREEN BEANS:
2 pounds (1 kg) green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons almond oil
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
¼ teaspoon ne sea salt, or to taste
1 large shallot, minced
3 tablespoons almond oil
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE PEACHES:
2 pounds (1 kg) white peaches, peeled and pitted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup (120 g) shelled green almonds (about 1½ pounds/625g in the shell)
Note: Green almonds are available by mail order from www.greenalmonds.com. If you miss the season and want to make this salad, use regular, blanched almonds.
1. Bring 3 cups (750 ml) water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Steam the green beans until they are tender through but still a vivid green, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the beans to a large bowl and toss them with the almond oil. Reserve.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and the salt. Add the shallot, whisk, then slowly whisk in the oils. Season lightly with the pepper.
3. Cut each peach into thin wedges. Add the peaches to the raspberry vinaigrette and toss gently.
4. To assemble the salad, evenly divide the beans among six serving plates. Top each plate with an equal amount of peaches. Dust with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve immediately.
Avocado with Pistachio Oil and Chives
Makes 6 servings
Simple and pure, this is the perfect combination of ingredients. I use pistachio oil produced in Burgundy by the Leblanc family, which is like an elixir filled with the flavor of the best Turkish pistachio nuts, lightly toasted, carefully pressed. You can order Leblanc pistachio oil from ingoodtastestore.com, and I suggest you do so. It is well worth it. Otherwise, substitute the best possible extra virgin olive oil and use 3 tablespoons of pistachio nuts.
4 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 12 slices each
1 small bunch of chives
3 tablespoons pistachio oil
Fleur de sel
2 tablespoons pistachio nuts, salted or unsalted, lightly toasted and minced
4 chive blossoms or any small, edible flower
Note: To choose a perfect avocado, test it very gently—it should have the same firmness as the end of your nose, firm but with a bit of give.
If you have an abundance of avocados, refrigerate them; they will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week.
1. Arrange 8 avocado slices on each of six plates, fanning them out nicely.
2. Mince the chives and, in a small bowl, mix them with the pistachio oil. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the avocado slices and season with fleur de sel.
3. Evenly sprinkle the minced pistachios over the avocado.
4. Separate the individual blossoms from the chive flowers and sprinkle them over the avocado. Serve immediately.
Parsley, Green Olive, and Walnut Salad
Makes 6 servings
I remember the way my mouth filled with the bright, green herbal flavor of parsley when I ate this salad at a restaurant in Gaziantep, Turkey. Bright and flavorful, it manages to be delicious and feel healthy and cleansing at the same time.
In Gaziantep, this salad is the traditional
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