As the cold really starts to kick in, our thoughts often turn to comfort food and all those things we usually associate with winter.
Nuts have always been popular at this time of year.
Tasty and luxurious, they come in many varieties but one, in particular, holds a special pride of place in our kitchen - the versatile hazelnut.
One of the smallest nuts, the hazelnut is packed with flavour and loved the world over.
It was originally imported from Turkey and North America, but is now being cultivated locally in ever-increasing volumes.
The freshest hazelnuts can be found at your local farmers market and are most commonly sold raw and still in the shell, but they can also be purchased shelled, making them far more convenient and easy to use.
Like all nuts, hazelnuts are an excellent source of daily fibre, antioxidants, and good fat, so eating them raw is both tasty and healthy.
Raw hazelnuts can also be ground into a paste and used as an alternative to peanut butter.
One of the most popular uses for hazelnuts is dukkah, a Middle Eastern spice blend of roasted and crushed hazelnuts, coriander, cumin and sesame seeds.
Dukkah is eaten by dipping bread into olive oil and then into the spice blend.
Simple and delicious, not much can beat the flavour of freshly roasted spices and nuts.
Roasting hazelnuts whole is the easiest way to remove the skins.
Place them on an oven tray and roast for five to seven minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to cool and rub them between your hands, letting the skins fall out between your fingers to the tray below.
Store in an airtight container and they will keep for a couple of weeks.
A quick and tasty salad of blue cheese, crispy bacon and ripe pears is one of our favourites.
Combined with whole roasted hazelnuts, it's a dish we look forward to every year.
Bold in its flavours yet delicate and perfectly balanced, it sums up everything we love in winter salad.
A simple shortbread is given a real boost with the addition of coarsely crushed roasted hazelnuts.
This recipe is the easiest I've come across and is great for baking on holidays because it contains so few ingredients.
Nothing goes better with hazelnuts than chocolate so, for a winter treat, try a chocolate hazelnut soft-centred pudding that is so good you'll want to make it every time your friends are over.
They are so easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time. The hardest thing is deciding when to take them out of the oven and how gooey you want them.
Hazelnuts.
That neighbour's tree suddenly no longer looks safe.
Serves 6
120g hazelnuts, roasted and skinned
50g sesame seeds
25g coriander seeds
20g cumin seeds
sea salt and pepper to season
For dukkah, combine all ingredients and blend or grind in a mortar and pestle to a semi-coarse texture.
Place mixture in a non-stick frying pan and roast over a moderate heat, stirring until aromatic.
Cool and store in an airtight container.
For flatbread, mix together 2 cups of plain flour, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a good pinch of salt and enough cold water to mix to a soft dough.
Allow to rest on a floured surface for 15-20 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 pieces, roll out as flat as possible and place in hot, non-stick pan until lightly browned.
Turn flatbread over to brown the second side.
Serves 4
200g quality dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter
3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
half cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup hazelnuts, processed
Place chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until melted.
In a separate bowl place the eggs, sugar and flour and mix until combined.
Fold in the chocolate mixture and divide between four 200ml greased, oven-proof ramekins. (We always cut a small baking paper disc to line the bottom of the mould as well, which makes turning the puddings out much easier.)
Place puddings on an oven tray and cook in a 200degC oven for 15min.
The edges should be set and the centre soft.
Remove from oven and gently turn puddings out on to a serving plate.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.
100g caster sugar
200g unsalted butter
300g plain flour
1 cup roasted, skinned, crushed hazelnuts
Beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy, the longer the better.
Sift the flour on to a bench or work surface.
Add the crushed hazelnuts and the creamed butter and sugar.
Gently knead together until a very soft dough starts to form.
Sprinkle bench with extra caster sugar, place dough on top and sprinkle dough with a little extra sugar as well.
Gently roll out with a rolling pin until about 7-8mm thick.
Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper and place into a pre-heated oven, 160degC ,and cook for eight minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown.
Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.
