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Newletter #1...
The Best Tasting
Almond Milk
The right proportion
of almonds to water and thorough blending result in
a rich and smooth nut milk.
Almond milk is a quick non-dairy beverage
that tastes similar to dairy milk only better! It can
be drunk straight or used as a creamy dairy substitute
with cereals, in shakes, or even to make ice cream.
The ingredients are few and simple; the
key to the best almond milk is in the amounts of the
ingredients. Smaller amounts of water must be used or
the almond milk will be thin and bland, and the almond
milk should be prepared in small batches, to ensure
thorough blending and easy straining. Because almond
milk is so delicious, I started out trying to make a
lot at once. The problem I faced from using large amounts
is that the almonds and water never blended into a homogenous,
smooth cream. Even though the almond milk will be strained
eventually, thorough blending is important for a rich
flavor because it infuses the water with as much almond
as possible. Additionally, thorough pressing of the
almond pulp through a sprout bag or a strainer extracts
the most flavor-and this is easiest with a smaller amount
of almond pulp to work with.
I settled on soaking many almonds, but
making the milk in small batches that use only 1 cup
of soaked almonds and 1 1/2 cups of water. Note: if
you are using a powerful blender like the Vitamix or
K-Tec, you can make double this recipe in one batch.
For a normal-sized blender, use the amounts specified
in the recipe. For a sweetener, dates complement the
almond flavor nicely. Sweeter tooths may prefer honey
or maple syrup. And those avoiding sweets can leave
out the sweetener altogether-almond milk has a subtle
sweetness of its own.
If using dates, first make a date paste
by blending 1 lb of pitted honey dates with about 1/2
cup of water, for about a minute, turning with a spatula
and adding more water if necessary, until a smooth,
thick paste is formed. If you are using a variety of
date other than the soft honey dates, you should soak
the dates in water to cover for 2 hours before making
the paste. Then, drain the dates and proceed. You can
use a blender or a food processor to make the date paste.
I recommend making a large amount of date paste at once-you
can then store it in the refrigerator for up to two
months to use whenever you need a sweetener. In a pinch,
you could use 2 whole dates in the almond milk recipe
instead of paste, but dates work better if blended into
a paste, so that their sweetness fully infuses the milk.
The final ingredient, vanilla extract,
rounds out the flavor of the milk. Purists can use the
seeds of a vanilla bean instead. To scrape the seeds
out of a vanilla bean, cut the bean vertically along
its seam with a sharp paring knife, open it up, and
scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
Almond
Milk
Makes 1 1/2 cups
To make more almond milk, multiply the recipe, but
make it in several batches, using the amounts below
in each batch.
3/4 c whole, raw almonds, soaked at least 8 hours,
rinsed, and drained
(about 1 cup after soaking)
Water to cover almonds by 3 inches,
about 1 1/2 cups
1 T date paste, honey, or maple syrup, optional
(see lead article for instructions for making date paste)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract, or seeds scraped from one vanilla
bean, optional
Blend all ingredients on high speed for about a minute,
until smooth and creamy. To separate the "milk" from
the almond skins and pulp, press through a fine mesh
strainer with a spoon that is set over a bowl to catch
the milk. Alternatively, place a sprout bag over the
mouth of your blender. Grasping the bag and blender
mouth with your hand, invert the blender over a bowl
to catch the milk, as you let the contents of the blender
pour into the sprout bag. Squeeze the sprout bag dry,
squeezing as much milk as possible into the bowl. Pour
the milk into a jar or pitcher. Serve at room temperature
or chilled. Shake well before serving.
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