Almonds

The almond has long been prized for cakes, confectionery and as a source of cosmetic oil. For many of us it has a strong association with Spain, where we have seen groves of almond trees (smelt them too if we are lucky enough to be abroad in the spring) and seen shops filled with dozens of different almond biscuits and pastries. Turron is another almond speciality: it’s a grown-up version of nougat made in Spain and Italy using toasted almonds. The flavour of uncooked almonds is delicate and does not keep forever. With a food processor you can grind your own almonds for immediate use and conserve much more almond flavour.