LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2015

FLAVOURS  PURE & SIMPLE

Tropical Cashew

Roast 1 cup (250 mL) unsalted cashews. Process until nut butter begins to form. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) coconut oil, 1 tsp (5 mL) agave syrup, 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla, ¼ tsp (1 mL) each ground ginger, nutmeg and salt. Taste and sweeten with 1 tsp (5 mL) more agave if you wish. Makes ¾ cup (175 mL) USES: Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) to a mango banana smoothie, slather on banana bread, or substitute for part of the peanut butter in a cookie recipe.

Double Chocolate Hazelnut Roast 1 cup (250 mL) hazelnuts. If nuts have skins, rub in a tea towel; discard skins. Pro- cess until nut butter begins to form. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) coconut oil, 1 tbsp (15 mL) mild-flavoured honey, 4 tsp (20 mL) un- sweetened cocoa powder and ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) cocoa nibs. Makes ¾ cup (175 mL) USES: Use in a panini with sliced bananas or dollop into pancake batter before cooking, then top with fresh berries.

Salted Caramel Almond Roast 1 cup (250mL) blanched unsalted almonds. Process until nut butter be- gins to form. Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) al- mond or vegetable oil and ½ tsp (2 mL) kosher salt. Process until smooth. Turn into a bowl, swirl or cut in 1 to 1½ tbsp (15 to 22 mL) dulce de leche. Makes ¾ cup (175 mL) USES: Spread and sandwich between ginger or chocolate wafers. Dollop into slightly softened chocolate ice cream, then refreeze.

➤ To make these flavoured nut butters, follow the method for Peanut Butter (recipe p. 141) by toasting the nuts (times will vary based on the freshness of the nut), then process them while warm adding in the flavour enhancers featured in the recipes on this page and next. ➤ Nut butters are super easy to make at home, but you need a good-quality, powerful food processor such as a KitchenAid or a blender such as Vitamix, as the motor can burn out. If you are unsure, check with the manufacturer. In testing these recipes, my food processor yielded a slightly smoother result in less time. No matter which you use, be sure to stop processor or blender every minute and scrape down the mixture, which also allows the motor to cool slightly. TIPS

136  FOOD & DRI NK AUTUMN 2015