We had some snow in Paris last month, which was beautiful and heavenly. And no, not just because it covered all the cigarette butts and other stuff that piles up on the sidewalks. But it blanketed the city with a layer of pure white crystals, which lit up the city. Paris is notoriously gray in the winter and you forget how much snow brightens things up, until you go to snow-covered cities and see the difference. (Of course, when all that snow starts melting and getting funky, it's a little different.) But I'm a big fan of snow – so bring it on! And I hope we get more.

Because winter is the time to hibernate indoors, I decided to give my wooden kitchen counters the nourishment and attention that they were lacking. (And no, that's not a metaphor for my life.) My friend Meg brought me two tins of Osmo Top Oil, which did the trick nicely. Although I had to first take everything off the counter, which made me realize how much room I had underneath all the cooking clutter Afterward, I was hesitant to put everything back because I wanted to keep that space as pristine as possible. But work must go on..and on…

I did foolishly decide to give my counter a full two swipes of finish, which tied the counter up for 16 hours. Then, of course, I decided to make some salted caramelized almonds (recipe below) as a hostess gift for a party that I got invited to - since it's a recipe that doesn't require any counter space. It's hard in France to bring wine to a nice party since usually the hostess or host has picked out wines. And bringing a bottle, I think, can make them feel like they have to serve it lest you feel slighted.

And I don't like bringing flowers either, because harried hosts (and hostesses) have to scramble to find a vase. And lastly, I don't live all that close to any exceptional chocolate shops (malheuresement!) – so I decided to stir up a batch of these nuts. They take just a few minutes of standing over the stove, which I was happy to do in a chill of winter.

Then I packed them into little bags, one for the folks having the party and the other, well, I haven't decided yet*. But at least my kitchen - and the counter - is, woefully, back to normale.

-David

*Actually, I ate them.

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Salted Caramelized Almonds
About 3 cups (500g)

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop

These caramelized almonds are incredibly simple and you can make them with ingredients that you likely already have on hand. They work equally well with raw peanuts, although I haven't tried them with other nuts – mostly because they are just perfect as they are!

I did a variation of them on my blog a few years back, so it you want step-by-step photos, head over there.

1/2 cup (125ml) water
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 cups (275g) whole almonds, untoasted and unblanched
Flaky sea salt

Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.