Balsamic Smoked Almond Paste

BALSAMIC SMOKED ALMOND PASTE

It’s difficult to believe that this is all nuts. The texture is much like a chunky dried fruit paste, only this has a melt in your mouth component. Guests will ask what fruit it is for sure. Fig, is it fig? No, no, it’s all nuts except of course for the flavorings. This is what vinegar does to nuts? Wow!

Makes 1-3/4 cups

1 c. Blue Diamond smokehouse almonds

1 c. walnut halves

1/4 c. light brown sugar

1 t. dry mustard

1/2 t. ground allspice

2 t. liquid smoke

3 T. Balsamic vinegar – Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamic Di Guiseppe Giusti Modena

1/2 t. pink Himalayan salt

Place nuts in processor and process till evenly mealy.

Add remaining ingredients and process again, turning off the unit periodically to spoon up from bottom and/or down from and around sides. When the ingredients turn an even color of dark brown and gums up into a ball it’s done. If it gums up before the color is even throughout, take a spatula and break it up into pieces in the unit and process again to reach your color goal.

Transfer to covered container and refrigerate to use as desired.

Notes: Eating this paste from the container is as pleasurable as adding it to a recipe. Of course I wanted a fruit salad after I made it.

1 sliced banana

1 unpeeled red apple, cored and cubes

cinnamon

1 T. Balsamic vinegar – Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamic Di Guiseppe Giusti Modena

1 T. Grade A maple syrup

a few leaves fresh cilantro

1 T. Balsamic Smoked Almond Paste

Place the fruit in a serving dish.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Drizzle with Balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.