Almond Milk

I first came across this non-dairy milk a year or so ago when Sara bought some. We liked it as it doesn't have a strong flavor, and reminds me of skim milk (more so than soy milk). Time passed. I was reading a book on medieval cookery this summer and the authors were pointing out that almond milk was very common in europe for many centuries and that you often didn't find any mention to how to make it since it was so common the authors of such cookbooks just assumed you knew. I thought that was neat (has soy milk likewise been around for a while). Then I happened across a link one day in my internet travels that mentioned the ease of making almond milk.

We don't necessarily need to make it, but I was curious given the above. Here's the modern way. Take a cup of almonds and soak them in 3-4 cups of water (so a 1:3 or a 1:4 ratio of almonds to water) though one person mentioned using 2 cups if you wanted it real thick. Soak them for at least 12 hours, I did mine overnight. Then put the whole thing in a blender and blend. What you then have is almond milk and a bunch of tiny bits of almonds.

So use a sieve or a cheese cloth and strain the liquid. I'm looking for ways to use the almond paste that I've got left over. There must be some baking that can be done. But the resulting liquid was tasty. You can sweeten it with honey or I saw one video that used a couple of dates blended in.

But its that simple: Almonds + Water = Almond Milk. I did notice that there's seperation of the liquid when left in the fridge, but a quick shake mixes it back up. Sara mentioned that the carton's of Almond milk she's seen have "shake before using" on them, but doesn't everything? In any event, its tasty and a good addition to a smoothie.

Why make almond milk? I'm sure there are many reasons for many different people. I think its neat because almonds are a natural part of my pantry. I keep a couple of pounds of them on hand for eating or additions to various culinary endeavors. So this is a product that can now be made from what's on hand.