Swiss Hazelnut Taler Recipes

SWISS HAZELNUT TALER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread the hazelnuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven until toasted and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a damp towel, cover the nuts and rub lightly to remove most of the skins. Allow nuts to cool completely.
• When the hazelnuts are cool, transfer to a food processor or blender. Cover and pulse until ground, although not too fine since this will give a more interesting texture.
• In a large bowl, stir together the ground hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, salt, potato starch and confectioners' sugar. Measure in the vanilla, and butter; knead everything by hand until it becomes smooth and evenly mixed dough. Divide into 8 portions and roll each one into a log about 1 inch in diameter. Stir together the cocoa powder and white sugar; place on a plate. Roll each piece of dough in the cocoa and sugar mixture. Wrap with plastic or waxed paper and place in the freezer until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Slice the rolls of cookie dough into 1/4 inch thick slices and place the cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the centers appear dry and the bottoms are lightly toasted, about 10 minutes.

HAZELNUT LINZER TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roast the hazelnuts until they smell toasty. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Rub off the skins and cool the nuts another 15 minutes.
• In a food processor grind the nuts with the sugar until finely ground but not pasty. With your hands work in the butter, flour and chocolate together. Add the eggs, one at a time. You just need the egg to hold the dough together; you may need only 1.
• Butter a 13 1/2 x 5 x 2 1/2 inch deep meatloaf pan. Spread about 2/3 of dough in the bottom and up the sides of the pan, spread the jam in the middle and top with more dough. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 5 minutes more, then reduce heat to 300 and bake for 1 hour longer or 1 1/4 hours in all. To test insert a cake tester in dough and it should come out dry. Can be made days ahead of time.

TOTENBEINLI (SWISS HAZELNUT 'LEGS')

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the orange juice, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Fold in the flour and hazelnuts, mixing just enough to evenly combine. Form into 1/2 inch by 3 inch sticks, and place onto a baking sheet 1 inch apart.
• Bake in preheated oven until brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

SWISS CHARD PASTA WITH TOASTED HAZELNUTS AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Add the hazelnuts to a small skillet over medium heat. Toast them slowly, shaking the pan often, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove them from the skillet, and when they are cool enough to handle, roughly chop the nuts.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to a large bowl.
• In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add the garlic and use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture constantly until the butter begins to brown and have a slight nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Give the mixture a good stir, and then set it aside to infuse for about 5 minutes longer away from the heat.
• Pour the butter mixture (scraping the garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes) all over the warm pasta. If the pasta feels a bit dry, add a touch of the reserved cooking liquid. Toss to combine and set aside.
• Set the same skillet (without cleaning it) over medium-high heat. Add the chard stems and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chard leaves and continue to cook, tossing the mixture every so often, until the greens begin to wilt and turn bright green, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Add a touch more butter or oil to the pan if it dries out too much.
• Add the Swiss chard and hazelnuts to the pasta and toss it all together. Add the Parmesan shavings and the balsamic vinegar (if you're using it); toss. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Note
• Localize it: You can use kale instead of chard, and any nut will work in place of the hazelnuts. Fresh out of balsamic vinegar? Red wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice will work.