With grocery prices being what they are, I’m always looking for ways to stretch ingredients. What’s the most flavor, the most oomph, the most bang for the buck I can extract? This month’s recipe uses just one cup of fresh, raw hazelnuts and turns it into three cups of rich, nutty hazelnut cream, infusing every bite with luxurious hazelnut flavor.
I buy bulk-bin hazelnuts to stock my pantry. I love that I can scoop up just enough for any recipe I’m making. My favorite producer is Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards: They’re a family-owned and -operated farm in Lynden, and their hazelnuts are always fresh and flavorful. Both the downtown and Cordata Community Food Co-Op locations have Holmquist Hazelnuts in their bulk section for $16.59/pound.
While that price may seem like a splurge, this recipe uses only 1 cup, or 4.5 ounces of hazelnuts — which comes to a very reasonable $4.66. Any brand of hazelnuts will work with this recipe, but take care to make sure the hazelnuts are fresh and haven’t been wilting on a supermarket shelf. Their rich, nutty flavor really is the star of this show.
The difference between scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin lies in whether the dish includes cheese. While both feature thinly-sliced potatoes layered together and baked, scalloped potatoes generally only use cream or béchamel sauce, while potatoes au gratin include grated cheeses. This recipe for scalloped sweet potatoes with hazelnut cream gives the traditional dish an elegant makeover with fork-tender, deeply hued sweet potatoes and a rich, earthy hazelnut sauce — no dairy necessary.
Part of the beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. The hazelnut cream requires only two ingredients: raw hazelnuts and water. Soak raw hazelnuts in water, rinse, then blend with fresh water. Rinsing and using fresh water for blending removes any possible bitterness that could linger in the hazelnuts, particularly since we’re leaving on the skins. The resulting texture is very similar to heavy cream, and during baking, the hazelnut cream will coat the sweet potato slices and bubble around the edges.
Scalloped sweet potatoes with hazelnut cream
Hazelnut cream ingredients
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts (about 4.5 ounces)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- Black pepper to taste
Method
1. Add the hazelnuts to a heat-proof container with a lid. (I used the blender pitcher we’re going to use in step 3.)
2. Add boiling water just to cover the hazelnuts, then cover the container and let the hazelnuts soak for at least one hour and up to overnight. If soaking overnight, let the hazelnuts and water cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
3. Rinse the hazelnuts with fresh water, then add 2 cups of cold water to the soaked hazelnuts. Blend thoroughly until the hazelnuts are creamy and the consistency of fresh whipping cream. This will take several minutes. Halfway through blending, stop the blender and scrape down the sides before continuing.
4. Add the nutmeg, salt and black pepper to taste. Blend to combine.
Scalloped sweet potato ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon room-temperature butter (dairy or vegan)
- Salt to taste
- Hazelnut cream
Method
1. Once the hazelnut cream is blended and ready for use, prepare your baking dish. Butter a 9-by-9-inch baking dish, coating the bottom and all the way up the sides. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Scrub and peel sweet potatoes. Using a mandolin if you have one, or a sharp knife, slice the sweet potatoes into ⅛-inch rounds. Lightly salt the sweet potato rounds and toss to combine. Layer the sweet potatoes into the prepared baking dish. You can either layer the potatoes on top of one another in overlapping rows or stand the sweet potatoes up on their sides in rows.
3. Pour the hazelnut cream evenly over the sweet potatoes, using a spatula to get the cream into the sides and corners of the pan if necessary.
4. Cover tightly with a metal lid or foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the top is bubbling and just starting to brown.
5. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
I like to serve this as a main dish with a massaged kale salad on the side, or over a lentil and quinoa pilaf for a heartier meal. Pair with a rich, creamy white wine, like a Chardonnay, or a Roussanne or Marsanne from Rhône, France.
Other uses for hazelnut cream
Pour over oatmeal or ice cream, use in French toast batter, whisk into yogurt, or stir into your coffee or fruit smoothie. For a thicker consistency, closer to a frosting-like texture, blend 1 cup soaked and rinsed hazelnuts with 3/4 cup fresh water. Spread onto toast with honey and cinnamon, use as a fruit dip or swirl into brownies.
Hannah Green's Rooted Recipes column appears monthly.
