TOUJOURS PROVENCE
INSPIRATION FROM L’OCCITANE’S ALMOND COLLECTION
In a single day, we get these drops of inspiration from a host of different moments – a wisp of steam rising from our morning coffee, the changing colours of the leaves on the trees on our way to work, a new song on the radio – inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. Most of the time, it’s something simple that gets our creative juices flowing. By the same token, something that has always fascinated me is when ingredients serve as the inspiration behind something else. It never fails to reignite my passion for food and to inspire me to create a new dish!
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to visit Provence between February and March, as winter’s veil slowly begins to lift, you would have been treated to the sight of breathtaking fields of pink and white. This is the time when the almond tree is in full bloom in the south of France..
This incredibly nutritious nut has served as the inspiration behind Provence’s most famous skincare brand L’Occitane’s Almond Collection. Almond oil, which is well known for its moisturising and softening properties, forms the base of all the products in this range, which includes various moisturisers, skin-firming treatments and extra-indulgent shower and bath products.
After receiving a gift box of the Almond Collection recently, I was inspired to create a dish where every element incorporated almond in whatever shape or form. Using almonds in this way was an incredible journey that made me reconsider how I looked at this humble ingredient – it’s just so versatile!
Inspired by L’Occitane’s different products in this range, I came up with a dessert of white chocolate panna cotta made with almond-infused milk (inspired by L’Occitane’s Almond Milk Veil), an almond crumb (Almond Crunchy Muesli Scrub), almond-infused cream drops (Almond Milk Concentrate), and almond syrup pearls (Almond Shower Oil). The result? This dish might very well find its way onto this season’s menu!
