Raw Almond Frangipane Cream

There are berries galore out there right now. Peaches and cherries are also starting to show up at the markets. So much fruit, so little time! If you're like me, your fridge is full to bursting with awesome produce. At the moment, I have blueberries, cherries and peaches waiting for me to eat them. The cherries we usually eat like candy. They're so sweet and amazing right now; it's hard to stop eating them once you start. You can't eat just one!

As for the blueberries and peaches, I think they'll do quite nicely mixed together as a cobbler or perhaps just as they are with some raw almond frangipane cream on top. I love this stuff. It's the recipe I've made the most out of Ani Phyo's Ani's Raw Food Desserts. Though, I refuse to spell it the way she does. It just reminds me of chatspeak and I really can't abide that. I get that she's trying to differentiate between foods made with animal products and the raw, vegan versions, but I still just can't get behind it. But that's a whole other discussion.

This almond cream is so easy to make and tastes great on pretty much any kind of fruit you can throw at it. Though maybe don't actually throw things at it or you'll have a fun afternoon of cleanup on your hands. I haven't met a fruit that didn't like this almond cream, so put it on whatever you want. It's also great as a whipped cream substitute on pies and ice cream sundaes and the like.

The only downside to this recipe is that you need to plan ahead. You really need to soak the almonds for a good while before you blend them or it won't be very creamy. If you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, you should use that. Otherwise, just use your food processor or regular blender; you'll just have to blend for a few minutes longer. Unfortunately this won't work with an immersion blender so if that's all you have, maybe try to borrow a food processor from a friend in exchange for some of your almond cream?

Raw Almond Frangipane Cream (recipe from Ani Phyo's Ani's Raw Food Desserts)

1 cup raw almonds, soaked at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight.
1 cup filtered water
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Combine all of the ingredients in your blender or food processor. If you have a high-speed blender (lucky you!) then you'll only have to blend for about 30 seconds. For the rest of us, you'll want to blend in your food processor or blender for 3-5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides at least once.

This will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge or for several weeks in the freezer. Why not make a double batch and freeze some for later?