Almond Hedgehog

Ingredients

• 400 g almond kernels (unpeeled)
• 400 g cream cheese
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• lettuce leaves
• cherry tomatoes

Instructions

1. 1.

   Place almonds in a bowl and pour enough boiling water over them so they float, letting them soak for a few minutes until the skins begin to loosen.

2. 2.

   Drain the almonds in a colander and rinse briefly with cold water.

3. 3.

   Using your thumb and forefinger, press each almond on its blunt end to force the skin out and let it slip off.

4. 4.

   Whisk the cream cheese with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Lightly oil a shallow bowl, fill it with the mixture, and pour onto a plate lined with lettuce leaves.

5. 5.

   Insert peeled almonds close together into the cheese using their blunt sides.

6. 6.

   Arrange halved cherry tomatoes decoratively on top.