Tuesday, February 5, 2008
nutella primer
After a citrus-fixated January, I thought I’d celebrate the sticky and the gooey in February. How better to start than with World Nutella Day. Nutella, a mass-produced creamy gianduja paste, merges chocolate and hazelnuts into a sum easily greater than their parts. Not so into vanillin and modified palm oil? Natural inspirations abound.
Ooh, I’m intrigued by your citrus-fixated January….
Thanks for mentioning World Nutella Day; I hope you enjoy :)
Hi there - First off, awesome blog! I check it daily - I look forward to your genius writing and your hubby’s photo skills. Plus, you’re REAL - meaning you’re honest and kind enough to let us know if the end result was bad even though the pics look gorgeous!
I just found a recipe for home-made Nutella! Can you believe it? I am not much of a cooker or baker, nor am I creative in the kitchen, but i love reading your adventures in cooking and baking (and the photography, of course) so I thought I would post the recipe here for you to try out ;)
Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread (easy version)
Yield: about 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups whole raw hazelnuts
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
up to 1/4 cup vegetable or nut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Toast until the skins are almost black and the meat is dark brown, about 15 minutes. Stir the nuts halfway through baking so ensure an even color.
2. Since the skin is bitter, you’ll want to discard them. Wrap the cooled hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel, and rub until most of the skins have come off. Don’t fret if you can’t get off all the skins.
3. Process nuts in a food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until they have liquefied, about 5 minutes. At first, you will get coarsely chopped nuts, and then it will turn into a fine meal. After a little while, the nuts will form a ball around the blade, and it will seem like you only have a solid mass. Keep processing. The heat and friction will extract the natural oils, and you will get hazelnut butter!
4. When the nuts are liquified, add in the sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Slowly drizzle in enough oil to make a spreadable consistency. Since the mixture is warm, it will be more fluid now than at room temperature.
5. 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.
source: http://www.sugoodsweets.com/blog/2005/12/nutella/
Duh - I didn’t notice each word was a different link, above. Sorry!