Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are one of the better known products of Washington and Oregon. The two states between them grow about 3% of the world's hazelnuts (Turkey is the hazelnut king), with Oregon accounting for most of those, and Washington growing a mere 3%. There are two native species of hazelnut (or filbert; the nut's the same) in North America; the Beaked Hazelnut, Corylus cornuta is a native of the Pacific Northwest, though it's rarely used for human consumption these days, in its time it was a staple for native Americans. Tukwila, six miles south of Seattle, was named by the Duwamish for the prominence of large native hazel groves.

Modern hazelnut growers in Oregon, and Washington trace their history back to the work of Felix Gillet, a French barber who established a plant nursery in California in 1871. Growers in Calfifornia spread the various cultivated hazelnut species to the west coast. Today the Oregon hazelnut growers have their own cooperative. Washington's hazelnut industry is dominated by Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards, a multi-generational family farm founded in 1928, and which concentrates on the sweeter-tasting, thin-skinned, vaguely football shaped, DuChilly hazelnut.

In terms of nutrition, according to the Hazelnut Council, hazelnuts are not only an excellent source for protein and fiber, they also offer vitamin E, and other important antioxidants, in addition to arginine, folate, heart healthy B vitamins, and calcium, magnesium and potassium, associated assisting in lowering blood pressure. The fat content in hazelnuts that are dry roasted or raw is almost 91 percent “healthy” monounsaturated fats and less than four percent saturated fats.

If you're the frugal sort who purchases hazelnuts in bulk, you might need to remove the thin, papery skin, since it can be a bit bitter. Heat the hazelnuts in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. When you see the skins start to curl, and flake off, remove the nuts from the oven, and put a handful at a time in a dish towel (remember, they're hot!). Fold the towel over the nuts, and rub them vigorously, and you can remove most of the skin.

I'm partial to using hazelnut meal, a coarse flour made of pulverized roasted hazelnuts, as a substitute for a third to half of the flour called for in tart or pie crust recipes, or oatmeal cookies. Hazelnut oil is intensely flavorful, and is lovely in salad dressings. A few tablespoons substituted for canola or corn oil in baking imparts a faint but discernible hazelnut flavor, though it's not a good oil for frying or sauteing.

You'll note that many hazelnut recipes call for toasting the hazelnuts for a minute or two in a pan on the stove, or in a hot oven. This is an important step, and not one to be skipped even if you're using commercially roasted hazelnuts. Toasting brings out the essential flavor of the nuts, and makes the texture just a bit more crunchy. The three or four minutes it takes to toast the nuts is well worth the time and effort. Do feel free to substitute hazelnuts for other nuts in your favorite recipes; they seem to do particularly well in place of English walnuts.

I've been saving hazelnut recipes pretty much since I discovered locally grown hazelnuts at the farmers markets, so here are a few of my favorites. You can make your own nutella, that sweet chocolate and hazelnut spread. This one's a super one to make ahead for gift-giving.

One of the joys of the Northwest are greens, and in the Pacific Northwest you can get lovely fresh greens, and artisan cheeses pretty much all year round. Here's a lovely recipe for Green Salad with Dried Cherries, Caramelized Hazelnuts, and Fresh White Goat Cheese, with a dried cherry hazelnut-oil vinagrette.

The salad would go quite well with Roast Chicken with Apple-Hazelnut Stuffing, and for dessert, you could follow with either Lemon-Hazelnut Raspberry Bar, or these lovely Chocolate, Hazelnut, Grand Marnier Crinkle Cookies.

Samson Estates Winery, a little west of Everson, WA, produces wines made from Washington grapes, their own raspberries, blueberries, and black currents, and an astonishing hazelnut dessert wine. Samson Estates Winery Oro Hazelnut Wine is made by fermenting lightly roasted, crushed, Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards hazelnuts in sugar and water, then fortifying the wine with neutral grape spirits to bring the alcohol level up to 18 percent. The wine is named "oro," or "gold," for its lovely warm gold color. If you can't make it out to Everson, Fred Meyer carries their wines.