Out of their tree For the icing, you will need:

The almond, which is probably the most popular tree nut of all, says Rachel Allen, is also the best in the kitchen. Photography by Tony Gavin

My favourite nut of all, the almond, is a magic ingredient in the kitchen. Whether it’s chopped into salads, ground into cakes or sliced onto granolas and mueslis — when it comes to delicious goodness, this nut has it in spades.

Almonds are thought to boast an incredibly impressive nutrient profile, from high levels of precious antioxidants to oodles of protein, fibre and magnesium. I just adore how they bring a buttery richness to baking when they are used in conjunction with, or instead of, regular wheat flour.

The divine gateau Pithiviers fondant, right, is one that has been made at Ballymaloe for more than three decades. It’s different to a gateau Pithiviers, which is a puff-pastry tart that has an almond filling. This is the cake version, also from Pithiviers in France. Traditionally, the cake was always decorated with angelica and glace cherries, as it often is at Ballymaloe still today, but here I’ve opted for crystallised rose petals.

This cake, like so many cakes that contain lots of ground nuts, also has the added benefit of a long shelf-life, as the almonds bring lots of natural oils, preventing it from drying out.

We’ve been making this spiced chicken with red peppers and almonds recipe, far right, at the cookery school for many years now. It’s a lovely, light, easy-going supper that’s great at this time of the year, and it is perfect for feeding a crowd. The paste can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days, or it can be frozen, too.

The quinoa salad recipe, also far right, is one that I make versions of throughout the summer. Sometimes roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash find their way into it, or chunks of salty feta cheese, or even leftover roast chicken.

But the one ingredient that always seems to make an appearance is the almond. Buttery, crunchy and gorgeously golden . . . it’s time to go nuts.

GATEAU PITHIVIERS FONDANT Serves 6. For the cake, you will need:

110g (4oz) butter 110g (4oz) ground almonds 110g (4oz) icing sugar 75g (3oz) flour 3 egg yolks 175g (6oz) icing sugar 1 and a half tablespoons of hot water Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. Brush the insides of a 20cm (8in) cake tin, and line the base with a disc of greaseproof or parchment paper. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool while you prepare the other ingredients. Put the ground almonds in a bowl and sift in the icing sugar and the flour. Mix well. Once the melted butter has cooled a bit, add in the egg yolks, then whisk to mix the butter and egg yolks together. Pour the butter and egg yolk mixture into the ground almonds, icing sugar and flour mixture. Stir well to combine everything, then transfer the mixture into the prepared tin. Level the top using a palette knife or the back of a spoon.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow it to sit in the tin for 5 minutes before sliding a small knife around the sides of the tin, to make sure it isn’t stuck anywhere, then turn the cake out carefully, placing it on a wire rack to cool.

Next, make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add in just enough hot water to bring it together to a thick but spreadable icing. You may not need all of the water, or you may need more.

Put the cake on a plate and spread the icing over the top, letting it drizzle down the sides if you wish. Decorate the cake with crystallised rose petals (which are edible) — see below.

CRYSTALLISED ROSE PETALS (Pictured) You will need:

12-15 rose petals A little egg white, slightly whisked Caster sugar Separate the rose petals and place a sheet of parchment paper on a flat tray. Using a small paint brush, ‘paint’ both sides of each rose petal with the slightly whisked egg