Breaking the Nut Barrier

This time of year, walnuts end up most often in nut bowls and in holiday baked goods.

They’re terrific in salads, too. Warm walnut-crusted goat cheese is wonderful with wild greens and makes a nice light lunch or a dinner starter.

Another nut from the nut bowl is the cashew, usually the first to disappear from the party mix. Chile-roasted cashews are a slightly different snack, perfect for popping into your mouth with a swig of cold beer or a sip of an icy margarita during a fall football game.

Pistachios, their shells often dyed red, add color to the nut bowl; in orange-pistachio cookies, the naturally greenish nuts add crunch and a toasty flavor.

Hazelnuts, also known as filberts, have a slightly bitter brown skin that is best rubbed off after they have been lightly toasted. They also make a great crust when crumbled for halibut served with apple vinaigrette; it’s a perfect fall dinner party entree.

And last, but not least, is the ever-loved peanut, an American favorite. Not really a “nut,” it is actually a legume that buries its “peas” underground and is especially good in chocolate-peanut fudge cakes with peanut butter cream.

HALIBUT WITH HAZELNUT CRUST AND APPLE VINAIGRETTE

VINAIGRETTE

1 red apple

3 tablespoons hazelnut oil or olive oil

2 teaspoons minced shallots

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh lemon thyme or thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon water

HAZELNUT CRUST and HALIBUT

1 1/2 cups (1/2 pound) hazelnuts, lightly toasted and skins rubbed off

Dash dry mustard

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon dried whole thyme

1 1/4 pounds skinned halibut fillet

1/4 cup butter, melted

Fresh lemon thyme sprigs for garnish, optional

This recipe was adapted from “Pacific Northwest the Beautiful Cookbook” (Collins Publishers, 1994).

VINAIGRETTE

Cut apple in half and core, then chop 1 half.

Heat hazelnut oil in small skillet over medium-low heat. Add chopped apple and cook 1 minute. Add shallots and sugar and continue cooking until apple is tender, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice and remove from heat. Let cool, then puree in blender until smooth.

Pour pureed mixture into medium bowl. Add mustard, then slowly whisk in oil. Add lemon thyme and season to taste with salt and cayenne. Stir in water to slightly thin out.

Cut remaining half apple into 1/4-inch dice and toss with dressing. Refrigerate until needed.

HAZELNUT CRUST and HALIBUT

Place hazelnuts, mustard, salt, cayenne, lemon zest and thyme in food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not so much as to turn it into meal. Place in large, shallow dish. Set aside.

Cut halibut fillet diagonally into 4 pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Dip each piece in melted butter, coating well. Immediately press each piece firmly into nut crust mixture, turning and coating all sides well. Place coated fish on oiled baking sheet.

Bake at 425 degrees until coating is lightly browned and fish is just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Carefully remove fish pieces to individual plates. Drizzle Vinaigrette over them. Garnish with fresh lemon thyme sprigs. Pass extra Vinaigrette on side.

4 servings. Each serving:

951 calories; 1,125 mg sodium; 67 mg cholesterol; 87 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 31 grams protein; 2.48 grams fiber.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT FUDGE CAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER CREAM

CAKES

1/4 pound unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter plus extra for muffin tins

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

4 eggs

1/2 cup flour plus extra for dusting

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

PEANUT CREAM

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

CAKES

Combine chocolate, butter and peanut butter in metal bowl and place over pan of just simmering water, or use double boiler. Stir until chocolate and butter are just melted. Set aside.

Beat eggs, flour, sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl until glossy, about 2 minutes. Mix in chocolate mixture until just combined. Stir in peanuts.

Lightly grease and flour over-sized muffin tins, then divide batter into muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees 35 minutes. (Cakes will be slightly gooey in center.) Let cool in pans 8 minutes, then remove cakes from cups and cool right-side-up on wire rack.

PEANUT CREAM

Combine cream, peanut butter and powdered sugar in bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

Serve cakes while still warm. (Or completely cool cakes and individually wrap them in plastic wrap until needed. Cakes will keep this way up to four days.) Serve each topped with dollop of Peanut Cream.

6 individual cakes. Each cake with 1 tablespoon Peanut Cream:

1,031 calories; 290 mg sodium; 300 mg cholesterol; 78 grams fat; 84 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.82 gram fiber.

WARM WALNUT-CRUSTED GOAT CHEESE SALAD WITH WILD GREENS

VINAIGRETTE

1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced shallots

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbs (such as chives, thyme, basil, oregano and/or marjoram)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil or mixture of 1 tablespoon walnut oil plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

SALAD

1/4 pound goat cheese

1 egg white, beaten until frothy

1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

6 packed cups mixed wild greens or lettuce

VINAIGRETTE

Whisk together shallots, mustard, vinegar, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper in small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil, emulsifying dressing. Refrigerate until needed.

SALAD

Divide goat cheese into 4 equal portions and shape each into 1 1/2-inch-diameter disks. Dip each disk into egg white, then into walnuts, pressing nuts into cheese to coat well.

Place cheese disks on baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees until cheese is just warm, 4 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place greens into large bowl and toss with Vinaigrette. Divide greens onto 4 salad plates. Top each with goat cheese. Serve immediately.

4 servings. Each serving:

256 calories; 318 mg sodium; 13 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 1.28 grams fiber.

ORANGE-PISTACHIO COOKIES

1 cup (1/4 pound) raw, shelled pistachios

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1/3 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange flower water

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup semolina flour

In addition to pistachios, this nice, not-too-sweet shortbread-like cookie includes orange zest and orange flower water. The cookies will keep more than a week if stored in a tightly closed tin.

Place pistachios on baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees until lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside.

Cream together butter, orange zest and 1/3 cup sugar by beating in mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add milk, vanilla and orange flower water and mix until incorporated.

Mix together all-purpose flour and semolina flour in separate bowl. Add flour mixture in batches to creamed mixture until blended in well, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as necessary. Stir in reserved nuts.

Shape dough into log, 1 1/2 inches in width, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or, in freezer, about 30 minutes. (Dough can be kept frozen up to 1 month. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before slicing.) Slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place about 1 inch apart on lightly sprayed baking sheets. Sprinkle lightly with a little sugar.

Bake at 325 degrees about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. When thoroughly cooled, store in airtight container.

24 cookies. Each cookie:

105 calories; 40 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.11 gram fiber.

CHILI-ROASTED CASHEWS

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 pound (about 3 1/2 cups) salted roasted cashews

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon mild chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whisk egg white in medium bowl with 1 tablespoon water until foamy. Add cashews and toss to coat. Transfer nuts to strainer and shake, then let them drain at least 2 minutes.

Mix together sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne in large bowl. Add nuts and toss to coat thoroughly. Spread nuts out in single layer on large baking sheet with sides. Bake at 250 degrees 40 minutes. Stir with spatula and spread nuts out again. Reduce temperature to 200 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer or until dry.

Loosen nuts from baking sheet and let them cool to room temperature on sheet. Be sure to let nuts cool completely and become crisp before storing. They can be stored up to 1 week in airtight container.

3 1/2 cups nuts. Each 1/4-cup serving:

219 calories; 566 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.41 gram fiber.