Homemade Almond Milk

  

I’ll own up to the contradiction; enjoying nut milks and other milk alternatives while still consuming dairy.  Cheese on pizza, a dotted covering of fresh, smoked, mozzarella is particularly nice.  Just as likely, every now and again, I’ll walk out of my way for an under sweetened, organic cream strawberry ice-cream cone.  Another delight?  A light, creamy, freshly made almond milk is (though perhaps in a different way) as good as any cheese or ice cream.  

Fresh almond milk has an aftertaste almost of cold cherries, pronounced nuttiness through the liquid smooth milk.  The combination of filtered water and raw, soaked, almonds is blended smooth, then strained.  There are a wide variety of delicious ingredients that may be added to create a wonderfully rich and flavorful drink.  

I like to use glass milk jars and have acquired a few from New York State’s Ronnybrook Farms.  Once made, the nutmilk is stored in my refrigerator till it’s almost ice cold.  The creamy liquid looks charming in ‘of another time’ containers and though it may look like dairy milk, it has its own sweet distinct taste, great just because or as an alternative.  

  

This recipe adds a splash of vanilla and the caramel sweetness of the “kind of dates”, the medjool date.  It adds so much flavor and goodness to morning coffee, smoothies and desserts that it doesn’t occur to me to care about the process of making it, which generally takes about 15- 20 minutes.  

Very Creamy Almond Milk  (first strain)  

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Take out a cheese cloth or sprouted nut bag; pour the blended nut milk through the mesh cloth as it sits on top of a container.  I like to use a large, glass container with a spout, such as a four cup/1 quart measuring cup.  This way I can easily pour the milk into any container or just put directly into the refrigerator.  

• 1 cup soaked almonds (overnight) or blanched almonds
• 3 cups water
• 1 medjool date
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pinch sea salt

   

Low Fat Almond Milk (second strain)  

Add the pulp from the first straining add back to blender. Add another three cups of water to the pulp and re-blend and then restrain, you’re second batch of almond milk.  

• 3 cups of water
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch sea salt

Cook’s Notes:  

Nuts will go rancid and stale quickly.  Best to keep in an air tight container away from light.  Buy fresh, unsalted, raw almonds for your use.  

You will get the best results if you soak the nuts (overnight) in filtered water, let sit in a bowl soaking for 8 hours. In the morning, pour out the water in the bowl and rinse the pre “soaked” almonds.  Peel off the brown outer layer.  Blanching nuts will give you similar results as soaking.  Leaving the brown skin on the nut will make the milk slightly bitter, so recommended to take the time to peel it off.  

Peeling off the almond skins takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes.  

Your almonds are now ready to blend with your desired ingredients.  

Reuse the almond pulp from after the first batch of almond milk, with another three cups of water, this will make ‘full fat and low fat’ almond milk saving money and time and ensuring milk for the week to come!  Enclosed the jars with parchment paper and fasten it with a rubber band.  Fresh nut milk will turn after about four to five days.