Almond Brown Butter Food

BASIC ALMOND BUTTER

Steps:

• Finely grind the almonds with the salt in a food processor. Add the oil and process, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

BROCCOLI WITH ALMOND BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Place broccoli florets and 1/3 cup water in a large microwave-safe bowl.
• Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes; remove and drain any liquid.
• In small skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.
• Cook 3 minutes, until golden, swirling pan to prevent burning.
• Stir in almonds.
• Remove from heat.
• Pour over broccoli.
• Add onions and toss.

ALMOND BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and continue to heat until golden brown with a nutlike fragrance. (Bottom of pan will be covered with brown specks.) Pour butter through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a bowl and discard solids. In a small skillet heat brown butter, almonds, and lemon juice until heated through.
• Serve sauce over fish, chicken, rice, or vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, or green beans.

I.C. HALIBUT WITH ALMOND BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Assemble your immersion circulator, setting the water to 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). If you like a slightly softer, less steak-y texture for your fish, try going with 135 degrees F (57 degrees C).
• Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until the butter solids turn light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the browned butter, place in a small bowl, and cool to room temperature. Leave the remaining butter in the saucepan until you're ready to make the sauce.
• Thinly slice one of the lemon halves into 8 slices. Juice three more lemon halves, which should produce 1/4 cup juice. If you're shy on juice, juice another half. Strain the juice and set aside for the sauce.
• Pat the fish dry with paper towels and season with 2 teaspoons of the salt. Divide between two gallon-size vacuum-seal or high-quality freezer zip-top bags. Place 2 lemon slices on the skin side of each fillet and add 1 tablespoon of the browned butter to each bag, being careful to work butter between the fillets to prevent sticking. Seal the bags using a vacuum sealer set to "gentle" or "moist."
• Transfer to the water bath. If using zip-top bags, let the bags sink into the water so that the air will be squeezed out via displacement. When the mouth of the bag is almost at the water line, carefully seal the bags. Cook the halibut in the water bath for 20 minutes. (If one of the bags floats, carefully reopen and try the sink-and-seal method again.)
• Return the remaining butter to medium-low heat and add the almonds. Cook until the butter foams and the foam turns brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the lemon juice; the butter will bubble dramatically. Stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and set the butter sauce aside for serving.
• When the halibut is finished, remove it from the water bath. Cut the bags open with scissors, then very carefully remove the fish to a paper towel-lined sheet pan and pat dry with additional paper towels. (The dryer the better.) Brush the skin side lightly with some of the oil.
• Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat for 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of the oil and swirl the pan to coat. When the oil starts to smoke, add two of the halibut fillets, skin-side down, and brush the flesh side lightly with additional oil. Cook until the skin is browned and crisp, about 1 minute. Carefully flip with a narrow metal spatula or "fish turner" and cook on the second side until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Carefully transfer to a serving platter and repeat with the remaining oil and fillets.
• Drizzle the almond and butter sauce over the top of the fish. Garnish with the parsley and serve.

ALMOND BROWN BETTY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Toast slices of bread and cut into cubes. Place in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, graham crackers, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; mix to combine.
• Heat butter in a small saucepan over low heat until melted, about 3 minutes. Stir in almond extract.
• Spread half the apples and pear in the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish. Top with 1/2 of the bread mixture. Drizzle 1/2 of the butter mixture on top. Repeat layers once more with remaining ingredients.
• Bake in the preheated oven until apples are soft and bread topping is crunchy, about 1 hour.

BROWN BUTTER ALMOND TORTE WITH SOUR CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the torte:
• In a small saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and continue to heat until golden brown with nutlike fragrance. (Bottom of pan will be covered with brown specks.) Cool butter to warm and stir in vanilla.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan, knocking out excess flour.
• In a food processor finely grind whole almonds with flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until they hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar gradually, beating until meringue just holds stiff peaks. Fold in nut mixture gently but thoroughly. Fold in butter gently but thoroughly (batter will deflate) and spread in pan.
• Sprinkle top of batter evenly with sliced almonds and bake torte in middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from side of pan and a tester comes out clean.
• Cool torte in pan on a rack 15 minutes and invert onto rack. Flip torte right side up and cool completely. (Torte may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.)
• Serve cake with sauce.
• To make the sauce:
• Working over a heavy saucepan pit cherries. In pan bring cherries, sugar, and water to a boil. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to sauce, stirring. Simmer sauce 2 minutes and cool to room temperature. (Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before serving.) Makes about 3 cups.

ALMOND BROWN BUTTER CAKE WITH PLUMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set the oven to the middle position.
• Brush an 8-inch cake pan with melted butter, line with a round of parchment paper, and brush with a little more butter. Cook the butter over medium heat until the solids settle to the bottom and the butter turns a deep tawny brown and smells nutty, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
• Sift the flour and sugar together and add the ground almonds.
• Beat the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks.
• Add the flour mixture in a steady stream and mix until smooth. Add the brown butter and the almond extract and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan, arrange the plums in a circular pattern on top, and sprinkle with the sliced almonds. Bake until the top is golden brown and the sides of the cake have pulled away slightly from the pan, about 45 minutes.
• Cool the cake in the pan. Sift a little powdered sugar over the top before serving.
• Variation: Substitute 1/2 pound pitted, whole fresh cherries in place of the plums.
• To make 12 individual cakes: Brush a muffin tin with melted butter and distribute the batter, fruit, and almonds evenly. Bake until golden brown and cooked through- about 25 minutes.