One Nut, Two Names & a Day Off

"Thinking I need to stop making chocolate-hazelnut semi-freddo just because I can."

That was my Facebook status update on Thursday night. I wasn't home, I wasn't thinking about being home and then all of a sudden, the image of a frost-coated spring form pan lined with plastic wrap and filled with a mysterious milky-white substance popped into my head.

In the wake of my cornmeal, and subsequent muffin, experiments I had some left over hazelnuts, as well as some eggs & heavy cream I'd picked up when I got the nuts.
I could say it was a surprise, "oh me oh my, look what I'm doing with these filberts! Lawdy, lawdy!" (not sure why I'd sound like Gina Neeley, but whatever) But in truth, I knew exactly what I was doing. I'd planned on having extra nuts and I'd planned on making a semifreddo...the homemade "Nutella," however, was a welcome surprise.

Here, I feel I should mention that I, like George Costanza, “love how there are two nuts that are named after people…Hazel and Filbert.” Technically speaking, George was wrong; as the nut itself appears to be the filbert (Corylus maxima) that comes from the hazel tree. Why it is that the names are virtually interchangeable is beyond me.

Anyway, what I’m throwing at you…when I should be in bed, considering I’ve got to be up early and on a train to New Jersey for a Labor Day Grill-Fest…are recipes for semifreddo and a homemade hazelnut spread. The semifreddo recipe is a good one because it’s versatile; takes about four hours to make; and I’m guessing if you’re like most people who doesn’t own one, it beats buying an ice cream maker for frozen desserts.

The hazelnut spread (slash Nutella) is my own twist, mainly because I went a little nuts with the hazelnuts in the semifreddo and had to beef up the spread with some chocolate-mint sauce from Robert Rothschild Farm I got, who knows, somewhere.

One more thing. There’s an easy way and a hard way to make the semifreddo…you can either toss the cocoa powder into the mix or you can heat the cocoa powder in the heavy cream, then let the cream cool down. And I mean, seriously cool down because you’re going to be whipping that cream later. I’m giving you the easy version and trusting you can figure out how to let cream cool on your own.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Semifreddo

¾ Cup Hazelnuts, blanched, toasted & cooled
1 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
2 cups Heavy Cream
¾ cup Egg Whites (decent brown eggs should yield about ¼ cup of whites, per egg)
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Grease a 10-inch spring form pan and line with plastic wrap or parchment paper.

In a food processor grind the hazelnuts, 3/4 cup sugar and cocoa powder together, pulsing to avoid over blending so it does not become a paste (but you’re going to have to work really hard to accidentally make hazelnut butter).
Whip the cream using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer, until it holds fluffy, soft peaks. Transfer to the refrigerator.
In a clean dry (preferably copper) bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping until glossy and stiff, about 30 seconds more.
Fold into the whipped cream, then fold in the ground nut mixture. Spoon the mixture into the spring form pan. Smooth the top.
Freeze at least 4 hours or overnight*.

* I suggest overnight, because everyone’s freezer is different. My freezer might as well be a blast chiller, but yours might suck, so plan ahead if you’re making it for a party.



Homemade Nutella Hazelnut-Mint Spread

1 Cup chopped hazelnuts
¾ Cup Powdered Sugar
¼ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Tbsp Chocolate-Mint Sauce (conversely, you can infuse your oil with the mint)
1/8 Cup Canola Oil

Place hazelnuts in the work bowl of a food processor and process until nuts start to clump together in a ball, approximately five minutes.
Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate-mint sauce (if using), and process again for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture turns dark and the ingredients are well combined.
Slowly drizzle in enough oil to make a spread.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 weeks.

Next Time: Labor Day and whole bunch of shout-outs...La Rabbitnostra, Smoke on Wall Street & some Brooklyn Juice Guys.

By the way...Happy Labor Day!