Amlou Almond Butter Toast with Figs

Ingredients

• 1 cup blanched almonds
• 3 tbsp argan oil, or 2 tbsp neutral oil plus 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 thick slices country bread or khobz
• 4 Figs, torn or sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• Pinch of cinnamon

Method

1. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium, shaking often, until they smell sweet and show gold spots, 5 minutes. Cool them slightly — hot nuts make a grainy paste.
2. Blend the almonds alone until they collapse from crumbs into a thick paste, scraping down twice. Be patient; the oil comes out on its own schedule.
3. Add the argan oil, honey, and salt and blend until glossy and pourable. It should ribbon slowly off the spatula.
4. Toast the bread until crisp at the edges, spread thickly with amlou, and top with the Figs, sesame seeds, and a whisper of cinnamon. Leftover amlou keeps a month in a jar and improves your mornings for all of it.