Nuts
Toasting nuts
Many dessert recipes using nuts require them to be toasted before using — it enhances their flavour and makes them slightly crunchier. Some nuts can be bought ‘dry roasted’, but it is easy to toast almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pistachios or pine nuts yourself.
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Spread the raw nuts over a baking tray and cook for 6–10 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally to toast them evenly, until they are aromatic and lightly golden. Coconut can also be toasted this way.
Skinning hazelnuts
After toasting hazelnuts, you will need to remove their papery skins to make them more palatable.
1 Immediately wrap the warm hazelnuts, straight after they have been toasted, in a clean tea towel (dish towel). Rub with the palms of your hands to remove as much of the skin as possible. Open the tea towel and remove any remaining loosened skins with your fingernails.
Making nut meal
Almond meal and hazelnut meal can be bought ready-made, but it takes very little time to grind up a batch of nut meal at home.
1 Place raw or toasted nuts in the bowl of a food processor. If grinding a small quantity, it is best to use a small processor for efficiency. Use the pulse button to briefly process the nuts until they resemble fine, even breadcrumbs. Be careful not to overprocess — the natural oils in the nuts will be released during grinding and if processed for too long the nut meal will turn into a nut butter.