This is an exciting time for innovation—and for diners! In particular, it’s an exciting time for almonds, which are appearing in various forms and performing many value-added functions on restaurant menus.
I’m seeing chefs using almonds in a range of applications, including breadings (almond flour used as a gluten free, flavorful, nutritional boost to coat and crisp vegetables) and sweet and savory sauces (that are just delectable). Not surprisingly, almonds accompany grain and salad bowls and they’re also ingredients that help hit protein targets in plant-based dishes, sweet and savory baked goods and plant patties. Last but not least, almonds also star in small-batch infused almond milks and in fat-enriched/high protein spreads (to support low carb/keto diets).