Nut cracker

Late autumn’s bounty offers us hazelnuts, chestnuts and walnuts. And imagine how your kitchen will smell if you roast them yourself, says Tom Norrington-Davies.

Hazelnuts and sweet chestnuts are our more reliable ‘top fruit’ (an old expression for nuts and stone fruit). As the festive season approaches, chestnuts become ever more common on market stalls. I favour them in soups and stews but, like everyone else, love them roasted on an open fire.

Feeling Christmassy yet? Chestnuts make excellent desserts, too – a practice more common on the continent. A little chestnut flour added to bread dough will make a sweet, dense loaf that is good with cheese. I have included a recipe for a ridiculously easy pud that is rich, wintry and indulgent.

Nuts usually need to be cooked (roasted) and peeled before they are added to dishes. Chestnuts are the only nuts I would recommend you buy pre-prepared – look for them vacuum-packed and ready-cooked in supermarkets and delicatessens. The oil in nuts – which is incredibly good for you – deteriorates fast, so where a recipe calls for ground almonds, it’s far better to buy them blanched and whole, then whizz them in a food processor.

Walnuts and hazelnuts are excellent in winter salads, especially when paired with their own oils. Hazelnuts, roasted and skinned, are good with hot smoked trout or salmon and a knot of watercress.

Walnuts can be ground with oil, garlic and a splash of vinegar to make a great dressing for French beans or just-blanched carrots. They also make a good alternative to pine nuts in pesto – swap half the basil you’d normally use for a milder herb, such as parsley.

Roast pepper and garlic salad with hazelnuts

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babs

November 23

The walnut pie is stunning and a great alternative to pecan pie. Can be a tiny bit dry and very rich but went down a treat with friends at the weekend. Good way to get kids to eat nuts too