Vanilla Cinnamon Candied Almonds

Second week of September. The cool mornings began. Sixty degrees at 6 AM Tuesday. I wore a sweater for the first time since May. The kitchen window stayed closed at night. The basil in the garden bolted. The oregano was still going strong. The recao had given up entirely. The cilantro had gone to seed.

Tuesday food bank: arroz con habichuelas and a fish stew (Brian had gotten frozen tilapia donated and we used it). The fish stew was new for the food bank. Yolanda was nervous. I was nervous for her. The stew was good. Mr. Patterson said, "Mrs. Yolanda, this is excellent." Yolanda nearly cried. Mr. Patterson does not give praise lightly. She had earned it.

Wednesday La Cocina cohort 2 began. Twenty-six new students. Different faces from cohort 1. A young man named Hector who was Puerto Rican but had been raised by white adoptive parents and was learning the food of his birth family for the first time. A grandmother named Elaine who had moved from the Dominican Republic in 2008 and wanted to learn Puerto Rican cooking because her late husband had been Puerto Rican and she wanted to honor him. Two college students from Trinity who were studying food systems. A retired postal worker. The usual variety. The class was the class.

I taught arroz blanco again. Same rhythm. The students leaned in at the same moment cohort 1 had leaned in. The smell of the rice. The sound of the sofrito. Yolanda was at my elbow as primary TA. Marcus assisted. Mr. Patterson was the warm front-door person who made everyone feel welcome and then chopped onions for the next class. The team was the team. The night went well. We ate at 8:30. Hector told me, "Mrs. Carmen, this is the food I never knew I missed." I said, "Hector, that is correct." He said, "How is that possible?" I said, "Hector, the body remembers what the brain has not been told. The food unlocks." He nodded. He took notes.

Thursday I sent a picture of the class to Mami. Carmen the aide showed her on the phone. Mami said, "Carmen, the class looks good." I called her after. I said, "Mami, the class is good." She said, "Carmen, of course." Same response as last cohort. The content, the dismissal of the obvious, the underneath of pride.

Friday I made arroz con dulce. Three hours stirring. Mami had asked, again, for funeral version. She ate four spoonfuls. She said, "Carmen, perfect." I wrote it down. Wepa.

After the arroz con dulce — three hours at the stove, the funeral version, four spoonfuls, and one word from Mami that cost her nothing and meant everything — I found myself wanting to stay inside that feeling a little longer without committing to another three-hour project. These vanilla cinnamon candied almonds are not arroz con dulce. But they carry the same warm-spice quiet, the same sense that sweetness made carefully is a kind of language. I made a batch Sunday morning with the kitchen window still closed and the oregano still going in the garden, and I thought: Hector is right. The body remembers. Sometimes you just give it something warm and it knows exactly what to do with it.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups raw whole almonds
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat. Heat your oven to 300°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the coating. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white, water, and vanilla extract until the mixture is frothy and slightly opaque, about 1 minute.
Coat the almonds. Add the almonds to the bowl and stir until every almond is fully coated in the egg white mixture.
Add the sugar mixture. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour over the almonds and stir until the almonds are evenly coated and no dry sugar remains in the bowl.
Spread and bake. Pour the almonds onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer, separating any clusters as best you can. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir gently with a spatula to break up clumps and ensure even browning.
Finish baking. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 10 to 13 minutes, until the coating looks dry and set and the almonds are fragrant and golden. They will still feel slightly soft — they firm up as they cool.
Cool completely. Slide the parchment off the hot pan onto a wire rack or countertop. Separate any large clumps while warm, then let the almonds cool completely before eating or storing. The coating crisps fully as it cools, about 20 minutes.
Store. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Nutrition (per serving)

Vanilla Cinnamon Candied Almonds — The Sweet Thing You Make When “Perfect” Is the Only Word Left