Home Cooking with Georgia Grinders

Georgia produces 50% (or more) of the peanuts consumed in the entire nation, and for the first time in history, Georgia boasts its own peanut butter manufacturer. Jamie Foster, known for her NaturAlmond products, has recently launched her Georgia Grinders line of peanut and cashew butters. We had the privilege of attending a dinner at the home of the editor of Pretty Southern to try some amazing dishes prepared by Jamie using her all natural nut butters.

“Our nut butters are perfect for baking, making dips and sauces, churning homemade ice cream and pairing with different cheeses and jams. Depending on what you pair it with, the sweet or savory flavors in the nut butters emerge,” she says. Her true commitment to her products shines through as she chats with us through dinner. She reverently shares that each time she tastes her almond butter that she can feel the presence of her grandfather whose recipe she uses to painstakingly create each jar she makes.

We arrived to find medjool dates that had been stuffed with almond butter and goat cheese, wrapped in bacon, and a wheel of brie topped with jam and almond butter and baked in a puff pastry crust. Both were rich and flavorful with the butters lending the perfect complement to the other ingredients. Our entrée was baked filet of salmon with an almond butter and soy sauce glaze and panko sesame crust with an orzo salad with cashew butter dressing both of which were a fresh and unique twist on these classic dishes. For dessert we had a peanut butter chocolate chip cheesecake and a special after-dinner beverage that originated as a base for a peanut butter ice cream that didn’t quite set properly and the addition of Kahlua. For the record, I preferred it as a cocktail!

We all left with a jar of peanut butter and the recipes for the dishes we shared. I enjoyed the salmon so much, I thought I should share Jamie’s recipe with you all. I plan to try it at home and hope you will too.

1 ½ tablespoons NaturAlmond Almond Butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce (Jamie used Light soy sauce)
1 tablespoon mirin (seasoned rice wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon hot sauce
1 ½ lb. salmon filet(s)
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons almonds, chopped, sliced or slivered
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 425°F before lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spraying with vegetable oil.

In a small bowl, combine almond butter, soy sauce, mirin, honey, ginger, garlic and hot sauce until smooth. Immerse the salmon in the sauce and then place fish on the lined baking sheet. Spread a little more sauce over the top.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, chopped almonds, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the fish and bake just until fork tender, about for 12 – 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet(s).

While the food items we sampled were complimentary, we received no additional remuneration. The opinions included herein are honest and unsolicited.