Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are not only easy to find growing in northern areas, they are also one of the more distinctive tasting nut. They have a robust flavour that pairs well with both savoury dishes like mushroom pea stir fry, or, of course, in sweet concoctions, especially with chocolate, like nutella...

For Thanksgiving, my family and I drove to Aggasiz to the Hazelnut U-pick

You can visit them too at Hazelnut U-Picks

I was particularly interested in seeing the trees, because I know they are around Vancouver, and so being able to identify them would help my foraging abilities. But also because I had read that Hazel trees make the best garden stakes, and I understood why as soon as I saw how straight these offshoots are.

The Hazelnuts grow out of a flower, they are the center of the flower, and they harden on the tree,

then the nuts fall to the ground. I was surprised to learn that the nuts are harvested off of the ground.

Just like this.

We got 10lbs, which cost us 20$

Then, in honor of my sister, who got us both hooked on the stuff in France, I made nutella.

I followed a recipe from this sweet blog Su Good Sweets I will reprise it here for you.

Su Goods, Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Yield: about 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 cups whole raw hazelnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

1. Preparation: Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make the caramel: Combine the sugar and water in a 3- to 4-cup saucepan. To prevent crystallization, don’t stir it again during the cooking. Cover and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the lid and wipe down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush or a scrunched up paper towel dipped in water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar’s completely dissolved. Uncover and cook until the syrup looks like pale amber maple syrup. If your pan’s dark and you can’t gauge the color of the syrup, spoon a drop or two onto a white saucer. Swirl the pan gently, continuing to cook and test the color until the syrup turns medium amber.
3. Immediately pour the caramel onto the lined baking sheet. Tilt the sheet to spread the caramel as thinly as possible. Let harden completely, about 15 minutes.
4. Toast the nuts: Meanwhile, place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until the skins are almost black and the meat is dark brown, about 15 minutes. Stir the nuts halfway through baking to ensure an even color.
5. To get rid of the bitter skins, wrap the cooled hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Rub until most of the skins come off, but don’t worry if some remain.
6. Make the nut butter: When the caramel is completely cool, break it into small pieces and pulverize in a food processor. Try to get the caramel as fine as possible at this stage (it won’t get finer once you add the nuts).
7. Add the nuts and process until they have liquefied, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Be patient; the nuts will go from a fine meal, to forming a ball around the blade, to nut butter. Add the cocoa, vanilla and salt and process until smooth.
8. Transfer the spread to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for1-2 months. For best results, stir the chocolate-hazelnut spread before using.