almonds, the crunchy pleasure of the fields on the plate

Clinging to its tree, the almond likes to be desired. So breaking through its shell for a great chef is like opening a lucky bag. In the heart of the Drôme, the harvest is 15 days ahead of schedule due to the heat wave. Hervé Lauzier is an almond grower and runs the Lavam’din company. In his nets, he harvests 800 kilos a year of Antonieta, a variety of French origin that he is one of the few to produce. An exceptional product that he reserves for a few loyal customers.

Julien Allano, chef at the starred restaurant “Le Clair de la Plume” in Grigan (Drôme), came with Cédric Perret, his pastry chef, for a tasting. The three men have worked together for almost ten years. “It’s a good product, it’s a local product, it’s the real taste of almonds”comments Cédric Perret. “We only work with one producer. It’s Hervé, and it’s over”, adds Julien Allano. Hervé planted his 8,000 almond trees himself 34 years ago. At the time, his project surprised. “The almond tree, for [les anciens], it was a culture of misery. They told me: you are going (…) to die. They didn’t have the method, not the varieties, not the ways of doing things”he explains.

In the kitchens of Julien Allano, the almond is in the spotlight that day. She will sublimate a carrier pigeon, on the spice route.