Sliced Almonds (Almond Flakes)

Sliced Almonds are blanched almonds cut lengthwise into thin, flat ovals, pale cream all the way through with no brown skin. They are wafer thin, so they toast fast to a golden colour and shatter delicately rather than crunching, which is why they read as a finishing touch rather than a nut you chew on.

Sliced is not the same cut as slivered. A slice is a broad flat oval that lies down and covers a surface, while a sliver is a thick matchstick that stands up in a dish. Reach for these when you want even coverage on top of something: the flat face is what browns and what catches the light.

How to use them

Press them onto the sides of a cake, over a frangipane or bakewell tart, across muffins, croissants and sweet breads. Scatter them on trout or green beans amandine, over roasted vegetables, over yogurt and fruit bowls, and through granola and cereal. In Afghan, Persian and South Asian kitchens they finish sheer khurma, firni, halwa and festive rice. Technique tip: toast them dry in a wide pan or on a sheet at low heat and pull them the moment the edges colour, because the thin ones burn several seconds before the rest.

Details

Also known as

Almond Flakes, Flaked Almonds, Almond Slices, Blanched Almond Slices, Badam Slices, Amandes effilees (French), Almendra laminada (Spanish), Mandeln Blattchen (German)