The recent gusting winds and downpours may have dashed all hope of a summer-like September but every cloud has a silver lining. The hazelnuts at the allotment have been well and truly shaken from their branches. With a headstart on the squirrels I managed to gather up a kilo of hazelnuts. Hopefully there will be more nuts than not inside the shells!
Last years harvest was rather paltry and making honeyed hazelnuts was really just a storage solution. Ironic really as they were all gone within a few days! I’d like to try something more adventurous with them this year, particularly a savoury recipe (vegetarian of course) or perhaps some gluten free baking using ground hazelnuts instead of flour. Any ideas? How would you use them? Answers on a postcard…
Lucky you having such a windfall!
There is a fabulous cobnut and grain bread recipe in The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard, which I recommend. I’ve made it into rolls and loaves and it’s really lovely. Or something like a Swedish nutcake which is ground hazelnuts with skins on, (which is a plus), beaten eggs and sugar for the cake part – and then you fill it with a sour cream and chocolate ganache. Or buy some filo pastry and make a mixture of chopped hazelnuts, apple and bread crumbs and brown sugar and cinammon and roll it up into strudel. Any of those take your fancy?
Ooohhhhh yes ground hazelnut flour – we were looking at a recipe at the weekend grinding chestnuts and using them for flour – I bet hazelnuts taste yummy.
Nina xxx
I bought some yesterday, wish you were nearer!
Joanna – they all sound scrummy, especially the filo pastry option. Very reminiscent of Greek holidays and baklava. I subscribed to Dan Lepard’s blog just last week so will now check him out more throughly (his recipes that is!). Thanks for great suggestions.
Nina – I’ve been keeping an eagle eye out for chestnuts. Flour from nuts is the way to go I reckon.
Papa G – I wish we were nearer too for a whole heap of other reasons.
I didn’t know there were recipes using ground nuts as flour, look forward to seeing what you come up with. My favourites are chestnuts, which I eat raw.
If you’ve got any cooking apples you could cut out the cores, fill them with a mixture of hazel nuts, sultanas and honey or brown sugar and bake them for an hour in a moderate oven
That’s a pretty impressive haul Nic. They look so brown and lovely. I managed to forage a few in the lane the other day, but they were still green. If I had enough, I would make some sort of yummy hazelnut cake.
GYO Red squirrel food?
No, that’s not really the answer you wanted, is it {giggle}
Ann – I’ve made a few cakes with ground nuts and they’ve been lush (not an overstatement!). I like chestnuts roasted but haven’t had them raw. Hard to find them fresh enough once they’ve lingered in the supermarket
Pat – do I have apples? oh yes! great suggestion
Choc – and it would be yummy I’ve no doubt. I liked the look of the pistachio cake you made recently
Bilbo – wouldn’t it be lovely to see a red squirrel down here. hmmm, not gonna happen though sadly