The Sobremesa 33.

homemade almond butter

We’ve made it to Sobremesa 33. The same number minus 1 that I turned last week when I found out I (a) had covid, (b) had to cancel my birthday party, (c) had to cancel holiday travel plans (d) had to spend the birthday in isolation, (e) had to also spend it with a mask on + on the other side of my apartment from my partner so he didn’t get it. Spoiler! He got it anyway!

Not to throw a pity party here. I was VERY lucky to only have mild symptoms (thank u triple vax!) and to even have a partner with me to take care of me during a sick and somewhat depressing time. I *also* avoided FOMO as it seemed everyone I knew either had it also, or were quarantining so they could go see their families for the holidays.

Sigh.

I started this newsletter in 2020, back when zoom parties and social distance picnics were all the rage. I also saw people become more interested in cooking. Remember making your own sourdough? (full disclosure - I hilariously killed mine…twice.) Remember making Alison Roman’s Caramelized Shallot Pasta? (if you haven’t yet - do yourself a favor and make that asap)

And to live in a city like NYC where most people do not cook (why would you when you have a handful of superb restaurants within walking distance + a seamless delivery available at any hour by just the touch of your fingertips?) it was actually really freaking cool to see everyone get so fired up about cooking and eating.

Alas, here we are in December 2021. Omicron is here. Many restaurants in NYC have just said fuck it and are closed until January. I don’t blame them. They’re tired. They deserve a break. And most of us need to stay inside for a bit in order to stay safe and not put others at risk / overrun hospitals. We know the drill.

So, let’s get back to cooking for ourselves for a bit.

There’s many elaborate and time-consuming dishes I could provide you right now to pass the time. Perhaps they could even be Christmas themed! But in case you didn’t hear - Christmas is cancelled this year (for at least 18k of us here in NYC!) So I think we should bring it back to the basics.

Which leads me to today’s recipe.

Have you ever made your own nut butter?

A few weeks ago it dawned on me I was spending hundreds of dollars on almond butter every year. I put it in my smoothie every morning, I spread it on toast, I top it on my ice cream, I slather it over apple slices, and I eat it out of the damn jar. I love almond butter! *shouts from the rooftops*

I honestly never considered making my own at home. I figured there was some magical trick to make nut butters that could only be made in commercial kitchens by nut professionals with special magical nut butter equipment. Guess what - not true! If you have some nuts, a high powered blender (like a Vitamix or better yet, a food processor), you TOO can make nut butter! Yes, you!

And guess what? No additives necessary. Most store-bought nut butters are laced with some sneaky ingredients that aren’t too good for you, like palm oil and hydrogenated oil. Boo. But with homemade nut butter, the natural fats will actually make it creamy on its own 💅

I would recommend ordering nuts in bulk (5lb should do it!) to make this recipe worth it. Nuts are crazy expensive when you purchase a normal-person amount from the grocery store. And that way, you can make a bunch, tuck it in your fridge, and enjoy for weeks :) Maybe throughout Omicron, I dare say?

This recipe is for Almond Butter, but you can substitute with any nut you’d like. I’ve done it with cashews and it was delish.

Almond Butter

Makes 16 oz

Ingredients

3 cups roasted almonds (you can also purchase raw, but this way you can cut down the cooking time a bit)

Let’s do it!

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F

2. Place your roasted almonds on a rimmed baking sheet. We’re going to roast them a bit more to get some of the natural oils to release (which will help make smooth butter).

3. Bake for about 10 mins. You’ll start to smell them get reallyyyy roasty. They’re ready when you see them *glistening* with oil.

4. Cool for about 5 mins.

5. Add to your Vitamix or food processor.

6. Get to churning! Patience is key here. It can take several minutes of tamping the nuts down and scraping the sides of the pitcher to make sure the nuts are really incorporating.

7. You’ll see it go from a chalky paste, to a chunky mess, to then….wait for it…. smooth almond butter! Hold in there.

8. This is the time to season it if you’d like to add some sass. Cinnamon, maple syrup, coconut flakes, cocoa nibs…have fun with it.

9. Transfer to an airtight container and let cool. Then, store in your fridge for several weeks.

Stay safe out there.

xox love ya mucho,

Tessa