Almond Praline
In my last year of college, I was in a state of limbo. I was studying for two degrees— a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Bachelors of Arts in Communication. Communication came to me a little more naturally. I fell in love with it fairly quickly and my ability to assimilate knowledge was far higher. I would sit and analyse anything that came my way— from a YouTube video to a conversation with a friend, all become anecdotal specimens of my ontological research. Biology took some time. I loved the classes in silos but my ability to engage with it seemed to be confined within the walls of the biology building on campus.
By my senior year, however, I grew a deep interest in Public health. It seemed like the perfect coalition between communication and biology given how human-focussed it seemed to be. I enrolled in a senior thesis looking at the role of extracurricular activities and their deemed value to “success” on campus. The question I wanted to ask was do students take up more extracurricular courses in college deemed to be successful in college—both by reputation and also where they end up immediately after college. I sourced national-level survey data and parcelled it with two thesis professors one in comms and the other in bio. Both profs were equally intrigued and confused which seems to be my personal sweet spot — venture deep into an unknown no one has ever been to.
This project consumed me. I worked on it harder than anything else that whole year. It became my exploration into what a career for me might look like. While my colleagues with computer science degrees were getting hired into tech companies, I was only getting rejections. I applied to banks, research labs, software companies, and even startups with literally no success. Throughout the year I applied to 150 jobs. Interviewed at 20 places and used literally every network I had built. In the back of my head, I knew that this may not really work out. By November of 2016, Trump was president and the career centre on campus suddenly stopped any communication about international students being recruited (for context to new visitors: I went to a liberal arts college in the United States and graduated in 2017).
This research project became all that I really had. Two things happened between November and April of the next year: first, I was accepted to a national conference to present my research. It was the first time, I received an audience outside of my professors to really see if what I worked on made sense. For the most part, academicians deemed it as “interesting,” which in most education circles means “its good enough that I have no questions and seems cool.” To me, it felt like a win. The second thing that happened was kind of cute. The month of our graduation, each department would host a lunch to celebrate the graduating class. This is usually followed by an awards ceremony. The event is super formal with programs that have award winners’ names printed on them. My name wasn’t on it (I wasn’t the best student academically. Context to this can be found above). The awards procession went as planned with winners being announced, many of whom were dear friends. My research professor, Dr Rettig then got up and went to the stage. With the mic in her hand, she started talking about how awards are usually given out and how she worked with some amazing research students this year. All of a sudden she began looking at me and said “but sometimes our students really surprise us with the kind of passion that comes in a lifetime. Archit has been one such student. His research was hard to put a pin on. I never thought it would work, but he really made it his own,” and with that, she announced that I was being given the award in research excellence. I won an award! I hugged my professor and felt so elated knowing that no matter what— if I get a job or not— perseverance is all I need to get where I want.
Making caramel is never easy. There is constant stress till the very end. You can read recipes, watch videos, see others make it, but you will not know how to do make it yourself until you make it. Not once, not twice, but quite a few times. This almond praline takes a little shortcut in the process but it cannot be made without a little perseverance. I hope you try this recipe and stay tuned to next week to reveal how I plan to use it in my ice cream!
Glimpses from the week
Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup whole raw almonds
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of water
A sprinkle of sea salt or Maldon salt (optional)
Method
In a saucepan, add 1 cup of whole raw almonds, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and 3 tablespoons of water cook on medium heat
Cook until the water has evaporated and the sugar coats the almonds— looking like sand. Keep stirring until the sand turns into liquid caramel
In a well-greased baking sheet, pour the hot liquid and let cool
While still hot, add a pinch of flaky sea salt
Serve over ice cream or cake as is or blitz it down for something more decadent like a cinnamon roll
