SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #154

[L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt]

>From: Dottie Elliott <macdj at onr.com>
>Date: Thu, 12 Jun 97 11:19:30 -0500
>Subject: Re: SC - corn
>
>leslie vaughn 6/12/97 4:04 AM
>
>>On the same line, is there any alternative to the almond milk frequently 
>>present in period recipes?  (Yep, another allergy)
>
>Well, almond milk is made with water, wine or broth. Its a little sweet. 
>Sometimes you seive it to remove the almonds and sometimes you do not. It 
>would change the flavor slightly but you could just use the water, wine 
>or broth depending on the recipe. The almonds add a certain sweetness to 
>the recipe so you *might* try adding a little honey to get that back in 
>the dish. If the almonds are not removed, you might add breadcrumbs to 
>get the thickness that the ground almonds add. Mind you, I have never 
>tried any of this but this is where I would start.  For the custards, I 
>would probably use milk but not for most other things.
>
>If we are talking substitutions, one I found that I like very much is to 
>substitute Apricot Nectar for wine in Pears in wine sauce. (I do this for 
>folks who cannot have alcohol).
>
>Clarissa

Almonds also add a richness you can't get with wine/water/broth. In
addition, almonds, as you stated, thicken to an amazing degree, and not just
when the almonds are sieved out of the almond milk. The milk itself can be
heated and made into Almond Butter or Almond Cheese. So we have several
purposes for those almonds besides protein on non-meat days. 

I don't think I would try to substitute other ingredients unless the almond
milk is there for flavoring only. I'd rather find another recipe that
doesn't depend on  almond milk, rather than risk ruining a dish or altering
it's character to such an extent that it is no longer redacted, but remade.

Just my tuppence worth.

Aoife