The Seattle Times has published the recipe for the Rhubarb Brown Butter Almond Cake served at the Gates’ dinner for Chinese President Hu. I see an interesting twist in this recipe. The true Chinese almond is actually an apricot kernel, related, of course, to the almond we’re accustomed to here, and there are two main varieties: northern (bitter) and southern (sweet). Chef David Jue brushed his almond cake, which I assume was made with American almond flour, with melted apricot jam.