Hazelnut Brittle Croccante di Nocciole

By Gina DePalma

If it is at all possible for a nut to be enigmatic, the hazelnut is the best candidate. Traveling incognito, hazelnuts are often known by their alias here in the United States: filberts. Open a can of Planter’s Mixed Nuts and you will find that hazelnuts are by no means dominant like the peanut, nor are they coveted as the treasured cashews. Always a little hard to find in mass quantities, you will often have to search beyond the bags of walnuts, almonds and peanuts in the supermarket to find hazelnuts, in or out of the shell. And speaking of the shell, it is downright frightening. Seemingly impenetrable, my mother would not let me even attempt cracking open a hazelnut when I was a kid, whisking it out of my hands if I dared to dig it out of the bowl of nuts she would bring out after dinner on Sundays.

Demystified, hazelnuts are now a part of my daily routine, as I have bags of fresh, imported hazelnuts from Italy at my disposal. Every day around noon, I pop a few in my mouth for a midday treat. I love their succulently sweet tinge and their rich, roasted aroma. Perhaps it is because they seemed so mysterious to me as a child that I now think of them as an indulgence, and I love to lavish them in cookies, cakes and gelato.

The origin of hazelnut cultivation in Italy dates back to Roman times, but exactly when the hazelnut found its way from Asia to Europe remains a murky debate. We know that Apicius included a recipe for hazelnut candy in his cookbook, and that Romans would burn torches of hazel wood at wedding ceremonies as a symbol of fertility. Pliny claimed that they were native to Damascus, yet ancient Chinese manuscripts dating back 5000 years reveal that hazelnuts are one of the five sacred foods bestowed upon humans by the gods. Hazelnuts received their pseudonym as a consequence of their annual harvest, which takes place in the month of August, conveniently timed with the feast of St. Phillbert on August 22 nd – aha, things are starting to make more sense! If August seems like a peculiar harvest time, you are correct; unlike any other fruit-bearing tree, the hazel blooms and pollinates in the winter. The blossom remains dormant until the early spring, when the nuts begin to form and eventually ripen in late summer.

The hazelnut, or nocciola, as it is known in Italian, is harvested in several regions of Italy, but the best come from in and around Alba in Piemonte. Although Turkey provides about 70% of the hazelnuts consumed worldwide, Italians prefer to use their own crop, as well as exporting some of their treasures to lucky worldwide consumers such as myself. I have tasted hazelnuts from the United States, Turkey, Israel, Spain and even Australia. Call me a snob, but I think those produced in Piemonte are the best, with an unmistakably rich aroma and deep golden color. Consequently, hazelnuts pop up in many of the traditional sweets of Northern and Central Italy, including two of my favorites, torrone, or nougat candy, and panforte. When hazelnuts are paired with chocolate, otherwise known as gianduja, the combination is irresistible, as millions of fans of Nutella can attest. I love the flavor comibination hazelnuts and raspberries; try substituting your regular pb&j with nutella and raspberry jam and I think you will agree.

Hazelnuts are a much easier find these days than they were a few years back, so do yourself a favor and forgo the hazelnut-flavored coffee and opt for some reality in the form of whole, roasted hazelnuts. The first place to look is in your local gourmet or specialty shop; health-food stores are also a good source. L’Epicerie , a website devoted to hard-to-find pastry ingredients carries unsweetened hazelnut paste, hazelnut flour, and the whole, roasted hazelnuts used in the recipe for Hazelnut Brittle below – all from imported directly from Piemonte.

Since the holidays are a time for visiting friends and family, I think a ribbon-adorned tin of Hazelnut Brittle makes a perfect hostess gift. It is also nice to have some on hand for munching while doing all of those dreamy, Madison-Avenue inspired Christmas activities: caroling, wrapping presents, decorating the tree, blowing on mugs of steaming cocoa in front of the fire…. The bottom line is, brittle is yummy, and pretty easy to make, so for a holiday treat, it is a no-brainer, right?

In Italy, brittle is called “croccante,” and it is an especially popular way to showcase the local nut crop, whether it be hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts or even pistachios.

Now that you are suitably inspired, be sure to follow the directions carefully when you make your own croccante - use a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot, and have a bowl of ice water on hand for safety’s sake.

Happy Holidays – Buone Feste – to one and all!!!

Hazelnut Brittle Croccante di Nocciole

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
8 Tablespoons (4 oz. one stick) unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups skinned, toasted hazelnuts*

Line a 13x9 inch jelly-roll pan, with parchment or wax paper, then lightly grease the paper with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

Crush the hazelnuts, breaking them into large pieces by placing them on the counter and pressing down with a small saucepan. Place the nuts in small bowl near the stove.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter and corn syrup together over low heat. Add the water, and then stir the sugar. Clip a candy thermometer to side of the pan, and turn the heat up to medium-high. The mixture will come to a boil. Continue to cook the mixture until it turns deep golden brown, registering 350°F on the candy thermometer. Immediately turn off the heat and very carefully remove the candy thermometer.

Using a large wooden spoon, metal slotted spoon, or heat-proof spatula, stir in the salt and vanilla extract then stir in the hazelnuts. Make sure that the caramel coats all of the nuts. Turn the mixture out onto the baking sheet and spread it towards the sides of the pan so that the nuts are in a single layer. Let the brittle cool completely before breaking it into pieces and storing in an air-tight plastic container. Keep in a cool, dry place. To prepare the brittle for a garnish or topping, break it into small pieces and then chop it using a large chef’s knife.

*You will need roasted or blanched, skinned hazelnuts for this recipe. If your hazelnuts are not skinned, you can skin them yourself easily. Place the hazelnuts in an even layer on rimmed cookie sheet, and roast them in a hot oven (375 degrees) for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the skins blister and crack. Transfer the nuts to a clean dishtowel while they are still hot, and roll them back and forth in the towel until the skins rub off. You may need to repeat this process if some of the skins are stubborn.

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