Hazelnuts are one of autumn’s great offerings. Loved by confectioners the world over, where would gianduja from Piedmont or French praline be without the hazelnut?
The sweet tasting kernel can be eaten raw but roasted they take on a whole new meaning with even crunchier buttery notes working equally well in savoury hazelnut recipes.
Roasted hazelnuts are ideal used in everything from soups to meat dishes, dips like Catalan romesco or whole or chopped up into a salad to add another level of crunch and complexity.
How To Cook With Hazelnuts: The Recipes
If you’re not familiar with hazelnuts savoury side we have put together an eclectic list of hazelnut recipes to show you just how easily they can go down the savoury route.
From a pumpkin lasagne adding essential crunch, to the heady heights of haute cuisine with chef Nuno Mendes' recipe with asparagus or even creating a toasty bed for raw sea bream. Of course, we wouldn’t be complete without the classic chocolate and hazelnut cake as well as a couple of other hazelnut desserts to show you what this nut is capable of.
Enjoy the hazelnut in it’s many guises!
PEAR AND GORGONZOLA SANDWICH
Here is an elegant lunch of pear and gorgonzola sandwich with an arugula and hazelnut salad.
RED CABBAGE, APPLE AND HAZELNUT SALAD
A sharp, crisp and cruchy side salad this is a great dish accompaniment to meat dishes or with a creamy cheese.
POLLO A LA BRASA
This hearty chicken main course is inspired by Peruvian flavors. Hazelnuts are used to make a wonderful mint sauce in this stellar recipe from chefs Gaggan Anand and Daneil Chavez.
LASAGNA WITH PUMPKIN, GOAT'S CHEESE AND HAZELNUTS
This lasagna champions autumnal ingredients and looks quite spectacular with the vibrant orange pumpkin against the white goat cheese. Hazelnuts add essential crunch.
CHARRED LEEKS AND WHITE ASPARAGUS, HAZELNUTS AND MILK SKIN
Chef Nuno Mendes gives hazelnuts the royal treatment in this refined and beautiful dish.
CREAM OF BASMATI RICE WITH CARROTS, LIME, HAZELNUT CRUNCH AND PUFFED RICE
Chef Omar Allievi created this unusual sweet dessert using traditionally savoury ingredients. Hazelnuts are the integral topping.
HALF-COOKED SEA BREAM ON HAZELNUT CRUNCH
Italian chef Carlo Cracco created this original dish of raw sea bream gently infused over a bed of crunchy hazelnuts.
HAZELNUT CAKE WITH BUTTERCREAM
Rich, nutty, and delicious, this hazelnut cake topped with liqueur-spiked buttercream also happens to be gluten free. It's a winner all around!
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TORTE, WITH WAFER AND HAZELNUT CRUNCH
Chef Tommaso Arrigoni from Milan brought us this elegant dessert where the hazelnuts add essential crucnh next to a rich chocolate mousse.
HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE CAKE
Of course, no one can resist a hazelnut and chocolate cake, a winning classic.
How To Remove Hazelnut Skin
Whilst the hazelnut kernal is sweet, you might want to remove the bitter skin. Here's how:
As halloween approaches check out our special spooky themed recipes.