Almond (with recipe)

          The edible seed of a peachlike tree, the almond is one of the most nutritious of nuts, containing large amounts of protein, vitamin B, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus. A few almonds go a long way-this is a highly concentrated food! As a meat substitute, almonds are very useful in vegetarian diets. The brown skin of the raw almond is sometimes irritating to the intestines, and it can be removed by blanching: pour boiling water over the nuts, let them sit for a minute, then slip off the skins-take care not to let the nuts get waterlogged. Ground blanched almonds are the essential ingredient of that European delicacy, marzipan. A milk made from crushed blanched almonds is sometimes recommended for stimulation of milk secretion in nursing mothers and as an easily digested healthful beverage for babies and children.

          There are two varieties of almonds-sweet and bitter. The sweet nuts are the ones we enjoy for their flavor and nutritive value. The bitter almond is utterly unappealing in taste, and is poisonous as well, for it contains prussic acid (also known as hydrogen cyanide and HCN). The almond is used to make almond extract for cooking and oil for skin use; refining removes all trace of poisonous elements.

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          ALMOND CRESCENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3 tablespoons honey (or ½ cup raw sugar)

1 cup ground almonds (blanched or unbalanced)

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1½ teaspoons vanilla

·        Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter cookie sheets.

·      Cream butter. Add honey or sugar, almonds, flour, and vanilla. Mix well, flouring your hands to keep dough from sticking.

·   Shape with fingers into crescent shapes and bake for 35 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.

·        Make 50 cookies.