Bake out of the ordinary with this nut-infused take on the classic apple pie.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 cup raw macadamias, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts or a mixture, frozen or chilled
- ¾ cup plain flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg, beaten, plus one for glaze
- 2-3 tablespoons chilled water
Filling
- 4 large baking apples, cored and sliced into ¼ inch slices
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
Crumble
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts and/or pistachios
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons soft butter
Instructions
- To make pastry, place the nuts, flour, cornstarch and sugar in a blender and process until nuts are finely ground. Add egg and pulse to combine, then add water in a slow drizzle until mix forms a dough.
- Transfer to a floured board and knead gently until smooth. Cover in plastic wrap and allow to sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (Pastry can be made a few hours ahead of time).
- Place apples and remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix with hands until apples are thoroughly coated in mixture.
- To make crumble, combine oats, flour, nuts, and sugar in a bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and add to mix. Rub in with fingertips until evenly distributed.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lay a sheet of parchment on a baking tray.
- Roll the dough out to a rough oval to fit tray, about ¼-inch thick. Carefully lift onto parchment.
- Lay apples over pastry, leaving 2-3 inches at edge. Fold pastry over apples, creating pleats to enclose the filling. Whisk remaining egg with a teaspoon of water and brush evenly over pastry.
- Scatter crumble mixture over apples then transfer to the oven.
- Bake 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized.
Description
Nuts add a silky texture so you don’t need to add anything else for a luscious creamy soup.
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ cup dense nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias, Brazil nuts or a mixture
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt, to serve
Raisin, Nut and Cumin Agrodolce
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons golden raisins
- 4 tablespoons nuts – pistachios, pine nuts and walnuts work great with these flavors
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add fennel seeds and toast for 1 minute. Add olive oil, garlic and spices and cook 1 minute, until aromatic. Add nuts and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring until nuts are aromatic but not browned. Add carrots and stock and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or until carrots are soft but haven’t lost their color. Cool slightly, then place carrots in blender with half the liquid. Puree, adding remainder of liquid as you puree until desired consistency. If still too thick, add some more stock, wine or, for a creamy version, milk.
- Season to taste and return to heat.
- To make agrodolce, toast cumin seeds in a dry pan on medium heat until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add honey, stir to just melt, then stir in lemon, golden raisins and nuts. Remove from heat.
- Spoon soup into bowls and top with a swirl of yogurt, followed by agrodolce.
Description
A nutty alternative to the typical burger!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8 ounces mixed mushrooms such as shiitake, cremini, portobello (shiitake will add the depth of umami), diced
- 1 teaspoon chopped sage leaves
- ½ cup grated carrot or butternut squash
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup finely chopped nuts of choice
- 2 cups cooked rice (brown, black forbidden or short grain)
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup mixed nuts, processed to a fine powder (or buy nut meal, such as almond or hazelnut)
- Ciabatta buns, Dijon mustard, arugula and plain Greek yogurt, to serve.
Tomato Salsa
- 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, diced macadamias and/or walnuts
Instructions
- Combine salsa ingredients and set aside.
- Heat half the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the shallot, mustard and cumin seeds and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sage, and sauté until soft and browned, 4-5 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, squeezing off any excess moisture.
- Place the sautéed shallot, mushrooms, nuts, rice and ½ of the panko in a food processor. Pulse until just combined, but still coarse. Add carrot, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and pulse just to mix in. Season to taste.
- Transfer to a large bowl and fold in ¼ cup panko. Test to see if mixture holds together to form burgers. If too wet, add more panko.
- Combine remaining panko with nut meal. Shape mixture into 4 burgers and roll in crumbs. Place them on a large plate, cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Heat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with remaining oil and cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes each side or until golden brown and crisp.
- While burgers are cooking, grill or toast cut sides of brioche, spread with Dijon and place lettuce on base. Top with a burger and a dollop of yogurt. Spoon a mound of tomato salsa on top, add the top bun and serve right away.
Description
This is your chance to create your own nut delight, whether sweet, salty, bitter, sour or umami. These nuts can be used just to nibble on their own, or as added flavor in a dish. For example, pepper dusted cashews over a salad in place of pepper, honey cinnamon macadamias over cereal rather than sugar, or soy almonds in stir fry. There are many methods for flavoring nuts – here are a few ideas.
Roasted Nuts
There are a few different ways to add seasoning to nuts in the oven:
- Toss 1 cup of nuts in a teaspoon of oil, then dust with spices of choice – chili, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, Chinese five spice, mustard powder or any other powdered herb. Lay on a lined baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes at 350°F until golden brown.
- Place nuts in a casserole dish, drizzle with olive (or preferred nut oil) and scatter fresh sprigs of herbs over top, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage or bay leaves. Even a few thin slices of lemon or orange zest work well. Toss to combine. Place in 350°F oven and bake for 10–15 minutes, tossing once or twice during cooking, until nuts are golden brown and aromatic. Cool and place in sealed jars with the seasonings and zest so flavors can develop.
Sautéed Nuts
Sautéing provides a rich coating for nuts and is best eaten straight away or within a week. These are great on cheese platters and in rice, pasta and stir fries.
- Melt a mixture of 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan.
- When melted, add a teaspoon of powdered seasoning, such as the combinations listed above, and stir until well blended.
- Add a cup of nuts of choice and stir to coat. Cook over medium-low heat, tossing pan constantly, until nuts are golden brown. Pour into a strainer and allow to cool.
Caramelized Nuts
Stove Top:
- Place 1 cup of nuts, ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Seasonings such as cinnamon and nutmeg can be added while stirring.
- Pour onto parchment paper and allow to cool, then break apart with hands. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
Oven then Stovetop Version
- Toast the nuts in the oven first. Next, make a traditional caramel in a saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter and toss in the nuts when ready. Try using a bit of Grand Marnier or other liqueur in the caramel and then pour onto parchment paper to cool.
Sweet-Dusted Nuts
Whether it’s cocoa, mint powder, cinnamon or vanilla, making sweetened nuts is simple and a great alternative to chocolate and candy. Sweet-dusted nuts are great chopped and sprinkled on oatmeal, yogurt or ice cream.
- Toss nuts in whisked egg white, just enough to coat, then add powdered spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or ginger, and a sprinkle of sugar.
- Toss well then transfer to a lined baking sheet and bake on a low heat, 250°F, for 30-40 minutes or until golden and the mixture is caramelized on the nuts.
For Cocoa- or Mint-Dusted Nuts:
- Soften ¼ cup honey until runny. Add a few drops of vanilla if desired, then add 1 cup roasted nuts and toss to coat well. Strain off excess liquid.
- Place cocoa in bowl, add nuts and toss to coat all nuts. The best way to do this is to lift and shake the bowl. Spread on a lined tray to dry.
- For Mint-dusted Nuts, combine ¼ cup each: powdered sugar and cornstarch. Add a few drops of peppermint essence.
- Add nuts to coat and proceed as above.
