Almonds de Provence

If you learn one thing about me from reading this blog, you will probably learn that I love a good snack. My favorite parties are cocktail parties, my favorite dinners are tomato salads eaten standing at the kitchen island, while the man pours tiny juice glasses of malbec for me to try. When the man is off doing the things he does and I'm left to my own devices for dinner? Crackers - or baguette - and cheese. Hands down, always. Call me a simpleton, I love snacks. I'm more prone to picking a bit of this and a bit of that and making it into a meal. Its genetic: my mother has been eating cheddar on triscuits (if she eats anything at all between the hours of 12pm and 6pm) since long before me. Snacking, the way it happens in my house, is a learned behavior.

These almonds are perfect snacking, bright with lemon zest and fresh thyme, smoky and crunchy all at once. They are infinitely customizable, and delicious not only as cocktail snacks but also coursely chopped and added to salads (i like to top this salad with them) We enjoyed them this week with an undoubtedly French spread (more on that tomorrow) with some baked goods, kir, and a wedge of brie topped with that peach chutney. The nuts add a bit of protein (important when your snacking for dinner,) and a satisfying crunch.

Almonds De Provence

If you hate thyme and lemon zest, (Who are you??) feel free to sub in brown sugar and five spice powder, or chile powder and lime zest, or cinnamon and sugar ( I like to make those at Christmas) the beauty of this is the ability to customize to fit any palette.

1 egg white, beaten until loose
12 oz raw almonds
zest of one medium lemon
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, minced
2 teaspoons herbs de provence
1 teaspoon kosher salt


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
In a small bowl, beat your egg white until loose. Dump the almonds and give them a quick toss to ensure they are coated. Remove from the bowl using a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Make sure you aren't taking any excess egg white with you, the almonds should just be coated, not sitting in a pool of egg white on the baking sheet. Lay out the almonds in a single layer and season liberally with the zest, herbs, and salt. give anothe quick toss and spread out the almonds in one layer.

Bake on the middle of the rack for 15-20 minutes, or until they are dry and slightly toasty.