Rosemary Balsamic Almonds

Our inspiration for these almonds as a delicious apéro gourmand (gourmet appetizer) comes from Le Pichet, our favorite French restaurant in Seattle, Washington. Le Pichet offers a special menu available all day called Le Casse Croûte whose name in French means simple small snacks that you can eat any time of the day. On this menu they feature Amandes à l’espagnole: “Almonds sautéed in olive oil with coarse sea salt.”

Here is our own take on this dish, a quick recipe that pairs nicely with your choice of wine or beer. For wine, we recommend a pinot noir for red and a pinot gris for white. For beer, try an amber style micro-brew.

Rosemary Balsamic Almonds

(Recipe adapted from Alton Brown’s Ginger Almonds)

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh whole natural almonds (make sure they are fresh!)
• 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Toss the almonds in a bowl with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add rosemary and salt.  Heat the almonds in a saute pan over medium heat, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully stir in 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (keep face away from pan as vinegar will steam). 

Spread the almonds into a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pan and cool nuts completely before serving. The almonds may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

For another great apéro gourmand, try Parisian Peanuts.