Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the almonds in a pie plate and bake for 8 minutes, or until fragrant and browned; let cool. Crack the almonds coarsely with the side of a large knife.
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the apricots, cut side down, and cook over moderate heat, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the apricots and cook for 1 minute longer. Transfer to a plate.
Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet. Cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the breasts and cook over moderately low heat until just white throughout, about 7 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to the plate with the apricots.
Add the ginger, scallion whites, lime zest and chile to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the wine and simmer over moderately high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the maple syrup, apricots and chicken and simmer just until heated through; season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the chicken to plates and spoon the sauce on top. Sprinkle with the cracked almonds and scallion greens and serve.
Yield: 4 servings

In a small bowl, combine the chicken and 1/2 teaspoon of the fish sauce. In another bowl, combine the tofu with another 1/2 teaspoon of the fish sauce. In a medium glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the remaining 5 tablespoons fish sauce with the water, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lime juice, the vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne.
In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until done, about 12 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a wok or large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until just done, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove. Put another tablespoon of oil in the pan. Add the tofu and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove. Put the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pan, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add the pasta and the fish-sauce mixture. Cook, stirring, until nearly all the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, tofu, and 1/3 cup peanuts. Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon lime juice, the bean sprouts, and half the cilantro. Top with the remaining peanuts and cilantro.
Yield: 4 servings