One tomato, two tomato
One tomato, two tomato
Seems everyone is crazy for Nutella; that chocolaty, hazel-nutty spread that goes so well on a spoon at 2am. I love hazelnuts and chocolate, but Nutella is to sweet for my taste (except at 2am). And I’m appalled by their current TV commercial campaign that promotes Nutella as a wholesome option for children at breakfast. Really? I love to give my kid a sugar injection first thing in the morning. Keeps ‘em focused!
I needed an alternative. One that’s loaded with real nuts and chocolate, no fillers, while going easy on the sugar. A few years ago David Lebovitz posted a recipe for chocolate-hazelnut paste made from cacao nibs and hazelnut oil. Last summer I bought a box of TCHO roasted cacao nibs at their factory in San Francisco, thinking I would make his recipe. Equally inspired by Lebovitz, TCHO and Nutella, I created my own version, with whole roasted hazelnuts, roasted cacao nibs, and a bit of sugar. Viola! Naked Nutella. At only 3 grams of sugar per tablespoon, my daughter can have it on toast for breakfast. But she’ll have to fight me for it.
Naked Nutella
4/26/12
A chronicle of my adventures growing, preserving, cooking and eating from my garden and everywhere.
Naked Nutella Recipe
By Tammy Kimbler
Ingredients:
4 oz quality cacao nibs
1.5 c raw hazelnuts
3 tbs sugar (to taste)
1 tbs raw nut oil (I used sunflower seed)
Instructions:
Toast the hazelnuts on a pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. In a dry skillet, lightly toast the cacao nibs to release their oils. I initial ground the cacao with my mortar and pestle, but then switched to the food processor. Pulse the nibs, nuts and sugar for a few minutes to grind them fine. With the motor running, stream in the oil. The whole batch will quickly transform to liquid gold. Let the processor run full blast for at least 5 minutes. The oil and sugar will heat up, liquifying them both. The finished product will have a pleasantly gritty texture, with bits of nib, nut and sugar suspended in liquid. Pour into a jar and refrigerate, as the mixture is highly perishable. It will solidify in the fridge, but quickly melts back to a paste at room temperature. This made just shy of one pint. Share it if you can!
Known to many for my incredible ability to organize, I tackle gardening and life with equal verve. Obsessive, is that a bad thing?