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Hazelnut Recipe Contest
Winners
For the past three years, The Hazelnut
Council has sponsored a recipe contest opened exclusively to food professional.
The large number of entries received have included everything from soup and salads,
to ice cream and pies. Here are a few of the outstanding hazelnut recipes submitted
by chefs.
Warm
Parfait of Chevre, Sauteed Spinach
and Toasted Hazelnuts:
4 tbs. olive oil
2 1/2 cups medium yellow onions, sliced
24 oz.chèvre
2 lbs. fresh spinach leaves, cleaned, stemmed and coarsely chopped
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste
2 cups hazelnuts, skins removed, coarsely chopped and toasted
24 each baguette slices, toasted
Caramelize onions: Place 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in heavy skillet. Turn
heat to medium. Cook the onion slices, stirring frequently, until they are deep
golden brown but not burned, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white
pepper. Reserve warm.
While onions are caramelizing prepare chèvre: Place chèvre in a mixer
and whip on medium speed until soft. Place in pastry bag with a medium round tip.
Set aside.
Sauté spinach until just wilted in remaining olive oil. Season to taste
with salt and white pepper.
While spinach and onions are still hot, layer ingredients into 12 martini or
parfait glasses in the following order: chèvre, spinach, onions and toasted
hazelnuts. Repeat layers, ending with toasted hazelnuts. Serve while still warm
with toasted sourdough.
Crusty Hazelnut Corn Cakes with Grilled
Mushrooms and Dried Cherry Relish
Chef Susan Goss
Zinfandel Restaurant, Chicago, IL
5 cups
chicken or vegetable stock
6 tbls
minced shallot
2 tsps
kosher salt
11/2 tsps freshly ground black pepper
2 tsps
chopped thyme leaves
1-2/3 c.
yellow cornmeal
1 c.
finely chopped, skinned,
toasted hazelnuts
2/3 c.
chopped parsley
1/4 c.
maple syrup Corn oil
Additional maple syrup, clover blossoms and thyme sprigs
to garnish
Bring
stock to a boil. Add shallots, salt, pepper and thyme. Slowly whisk in cornmeal
until smooth. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking, until thick and beginning to
pull away from sides of pan, about 10 minutes. Add hazelnuts, parsley, and maple
syrup. Remove from heat and stir well. Spray a 2-inch half pan or 9x12-inch pan
with vegetable oil spray and scrape cornmeal mixture into pan. Smooth top. Refrigerate
uncovered until firm.
Cut chilled hazelnut corn cake into 18 squares. Heat
a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add enough corn oil to film the bottom. When
oil is almost smoking add corn cakes in batches, top side down. Lower heat to medium
and sauté cakes until browned and crispy. Flip cakes and sauté until heated
through. Cut cakes diagonally into triangles. Overlap three triangles down the center
of a warm plate. Spoon two tablespoons of Grilled Mushroom Dried Cherry Relish down
center of cakes. Garnish plate with warm maple syrup, clover blossoms and thyme
sprigs.
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