Tuesday, August 18, 2009

hazelnut butter: an object of beauty




Just a quick post tonight to bring you the wonder that is hazelnut butter. I feel that the hazelnut never gets its due in the nut pantheon, at least in the U.S. It has such a delicious and rich flavor, and it complements so many other foods so well. I love hazelnuts and hazelnut liqueur and hazelnut extract, but it shines most brightly in the form of freshly ground butter.

In the above photo, you see one of the last meals that Daiku and I shared last winter in England before coming back to the U.S.: a huge slice of wholemeal toast, slathered with fresh hazelnut butter that I had made and bought at Whole Foods. Addictive, sublime, and elegant would all, sadly, be understatements in describing this simple and healthy treat.

If you want to try hazelnut butter, fresh is the way to go- I am guessing that making a batch with roasted hazelnuts in your food processor would be a much better bet than buying an (often overpriced) jar. Either way, enjoy!
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12 comments:

Sina said...

I.need.hazelnut.butter! ... but I don't have a food processor and I guess my hand blender won't do.


- Sina

vegan.in.brighton said...

Oh yum, i've never tried hazelnut butter!

DJ said...

I think in Europe we appreciate the hazelnut a little more, if only for its exquisite natural sweetness that marries so well with chocolate! Hazelnuts always remind me of Christmas but to be honest I could eat hazelnut butter any time of the year!

Ryan said...

That sounds really good!

We love hazelnut milk around our house.

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

I made hazelnut butter from scratch a few years ago and it was really good! I agree that it's an underappreciated nut here.

Vaala ◪ said...

I love hazelnut butter (and hazelnuts for that matter)! But hazelnuts are very expensive to buy here so it only gets made every so often...

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

It's my current nut butter of choice! yum.

urban vegan said...

I have tried (and have become addicted to) every kind of nut butter except this one....I am SO there. This would be fab with vegan Nutella.

Jody said...

Hmmm, I've never tried hazelnut butter before. Recently, I made peanut butter for the first time in my Vita-Mix. Guess, hazelnuts are up next!

Anonymous said...

This sounds and looks so good. Thanks for the inspiration.
Rachel

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