Tag: nuts

Biscotti

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

The absolute crunchiest!

  • 250g plain flour
  • 250g caster sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 50g shelled pistachio nuts
  • 100g whole almonds
  • 100g skinned hazelnuts
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan (180C)
  2. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and half of the beaten eggs
  3. Then add half of the remaining egg mixture until the sticky dough comes together (only add the remaining egg if needed)
  4. Mix in the nuts and lemon zest
  5. Divide the mixture into thirds and, with damp hands, roll into chunky sausage shapes
  6. Place each sausage on baking parchment on separate baking sheets (because they spread a lot) and slightly flatten them
  7. Bake for 30-40 mins until golden, then remove from the oven and leave on one side for 10 mins to cool and firm up
  8. Meanwhile, reduce the oven temperature to 130C fan (150C)
  9. With a serrated knife, cut the baked dough into 1 cm slices and lay them on their side back on the lined baking sheets
  10. Return the biscotti to the oven for 15 mins then flip them over and cook for a further 15-20 mins until golden brown
  11. Leave to cool and store in an airtight jar

Sugar and spice candied pecans

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

This is All Things Nice. The ultimate more-ish munch

  • 70g dark brown sugar
  • 130g white sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 500g pecans
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tbsp water
  1. Pre-heat oven to 150C fan (170C)
  2. Mix sugars, salt, smoked paprika, chilli, cinnamon
  3. Beat egg white and water until frothy
  4. Add nuts and stir to coat
  5. Sprinkle over sugar mixture and stir again
  6. Spread onto lined baking tray in single layer
  7. Bake for 30 mins, stirring occasionally
  8. Remove from oven and separate nuts as they cool
  9. Store in a big jar

Romesco

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Sauce or dip? Sauce or dip?… Either way, it’s nutty, sweet, savoury and more-ish. This is the postbox red Spanish cousin of muhammara. Highly recommended with paprika crisps or roast cauliflower or a grilled pork chop.

  • 100g blanched almonds
  • Handful breadcrumbs
  • 2 red peppers
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 50ml olive oil
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Pre-heat the grill to high
  2. Halve the peppers, remove the seeds and lay skin-side up on a baking tray. Pop the whole garlic cloves beside them
  3. Grill the peppers and garlic for 15-20 mins until the skin is blackened
  4. While the peppers blacken, toast the almonds in dry pan for 4-5 mins until golden
  5. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with a plate. Leave to steam for 10 mins and then peel the skin off
  6. Peel the papery skin off the garlic cloves
  7. Put the roasted peppers, almonds, garlic, vinegar, smoked paprika, oil and salt into a bowl and blitz to a chunky paste. Add more oil if you’d like it looser

Thai chilli cashews

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Crunchy, spicy, toasty and incredibly more-ish. Amazing alongside a beer in the sunshine.

  • 150g cashew nuts
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 heaped tsp chilli flakes
  • Small squeeze lime
  1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat
  2. Tip in the cashews and drizzle over the oil
  3. Cook and stir for a few minutes until the cashews are golden brown
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir constantly until the sugar melts and there’s no liquid left – this should only take a minute or so
  5. Tip onto a plate to cool

Dukkah

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

This nubbly, nutty, spiced mixture is so good sprinkled over salads or steamed green veg. Use to garnish hummous or just dip bread in oil and then into this.

  • Large handful flaked almonds
  • Handful walnut pieces
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • Salt
  1. Put all the ingredients expect the allspice and salt into a small frying pan
  2. Heat over a medium flame until they start to turn golden
  3. Tip into a mortar and use a pestle to crush gently into a rubbly crumble
  4. Store in an airtight container once completely cool

Muhammara

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

A little bit sweet, savoury, a bit sour, nutty and happily russet red. Such a delicious taste and texture combination. Dip all the pittas in it!

  • 3 red peppers
  • 50g fresh breadcrumbs
  • ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 50g walnuts, lightly toasted and finely chopped
  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt

You can use a food processor or pestle and mortar to make this dip, but I quite love the chunkier texture if you chop it by hand.

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  2. Put the peppers on a tray and roast for 30-35 mins, turning occasionally, until they are cooked and the skin is blackened
  3. Put the quite-floppy peppers in a bowl, cover with a plate and leave for 15 mins
  4. Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin and seeds
  5. Chop very finely and scrape into a bowl
  6. Add the rest of the ingredients and a large pinch of salt and stir well
  7. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature, sprinkled with some chopped chives for a beautiful green contrast to the rusty red

Caramelised chilli nuts

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Sweet, savoury, spicy, crunchy and nutty – possibly my favourite ever snack. You will probably burn your tongue in your eagerness to put them in your mouth. I don’t recommend this, but I do understand it.

  • 200g mixed whole nuts (I usually use blanched almonds and cashews – also works well with peanuts. Outstanding with macadamias. Not walnuts)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  1. Toast the nuts in a dry pan (ideally a non-stick one as you’ll be melting sugar in it in a minute). This is an exercise in patience, as you’ll want to do it quickly but the best results are achieved by taking it slow over a low-ish heat. You want them golden all over and not even a tiny bit burnt
  2. Turn the heat up to medium, add the butter and stir to coat the nuts as it melts
  3. Sprinkle over the sugar, salt and chilli flakes
  4. Now you’ve got to pay attention. This is where it could all go deliciously right or disastrously wrong. Stir the buttery nuts constantly, moving them around the pan to coat them in the sugar as it melts and caramelises. This will only take a couple of minutes. If you leave to go and answer the door/check your phone they will burn.
  5. When they’re all coated and glistening (and oh SO hot), tip them out onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper and leave to cool completely. The caramel will harden into a crisp coating around the spicy, salted, toasted nuts.

I’m sure these would be delicious chopped roughly and sprinkled over a salad, but they never, ever get that far in my house. It’s a struggle to make them last more than an hour.

Nusstorte

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Nut cake. Possibly Swiss in origin? Who knows. I’ve never seen a recipe for this version of it anywhere but my grandmother’s handwritten notes and my typed-up-and-converted-to-metric copy. This is another family tradition that goes back generations. Always my mum’s birthday cake. Incredibly light, moist, and flavourful.

  • 6 eggs
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 200g ground hazelnuts (if poss, grind them yourself from whole – it gives a better texture and moisture)
  • 3 tbsp dry, white breadcrumbs (you can use plain flour instead, or rice flour if you want to keep it gluten free)
  • 1 tsp almond essence
  • Apricot jam
  1. Pre-heat oven to 160C fan (180C). Grease and line 2 round baking tins (or a single springform tin)
  2. Separate the eggs and whisk the whites into stiff peaks
  3. In separate bowl, beat together the sugar, yolks and almond essence until mixture turns pale yellow
  4. Alternating, fold in the breadcrumbs, egg whites and hazelnuts a spoonful at a time
  5. Pour into the tins and bake for about 40 mins. (If making as a single cake, not 2 layers, bake for an hour)
  6. Once baked, risen and golden on top, remove carefully from tin and leave facedown to cool on a rack
  7. Once cool, warm the apricot jam slightly to loosen it and use to sandwich the layers together
  8. Ice with the chocolate glaze below and decorate with toasted almond slivers arranged in flower patterns

Serve with schlagsahne (whipped cream) and a strong coffee

Chocolate glaze

The only chocolate icing recipe you’ll ever need.

  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 30g butter
  • 80g dark chocolate
  • 3 drops veg oil
  1. Melt together and dissolve all ingredients until smooth (bain marie or careful microwaving equally legit)
  2. Remove from the heat, stir well and add the oil
  3. Cool slightly and spread over the cake – this quantity will do the top and sides