NUTS!!! (literally ;-))

[jpcher]

Hmmm... so far I can confirm almonds, pecans and walnuts. 

How many are left unconfirmed?

eta: can you describe them?

Oh, and if you have a lot of pecans (about a cup or so de-shelled) DD#2 has a wonderful recipe for pecan bars. Let me know if you're interested.

[sweetonsno]

Almonds, pecans, and walnuts down? Excellent!

The shiny, smooth-shelled ones are probably the hazelnuts. (They'll look sort of like plumpy acorns without the beret.)

The ones that have three sides and are a little bit curved (like a tiny, petrified wooden banana) are the Brazil nuts.

How many more kinds do you have, and what do they look like?

[Softly Spoken]

Okay I looked through the tin and its just the 4 - almonds, pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts...

any suggestions on how to use them? 

[sweetonsno]

I did this the other night, and it was good:

1 small shallot, minced and nuked for 30 seconds to take the edge off and release some of the water
1/3 c. crumbled bleu cheese
1/3 c. finely chopped raw pecans
1 T. cream cheese
salt and pepper

Cream these together. It will be chunky and pretty dry but should hold together easily. If it doesn't hold together, add more cheese. If it's wet, add more pecans.

Roll into balls. Fry in a neutral oil until brown and crispy on all sides. I served it with pear ketchup. (Pears simmered in apple cider vinegar and brown sugar until mushy, then blended until smooth. I seasoned that with ground cloves and ground ginger.)

[jpcher]

Just a few thoughts . . .

Pecans -- pecan pie or bars

Walnuts -- how about a Waldorf salad? http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/waldorf-salad-recipe2/index.html .  Walnuts also work well with any cookie (chocolate chip with nuts!) or brownie recipe you like.

Hazelnuts -- if you have a coffee grinder, grind a 5-6 nuts (more or less to your taste) and add to your coffee beans -- brew the nuts with the beans. Or I've heard tell of Hazelnut butter . . . I've never made it, but I do believe that hazelnut is one ingredient of Nutella -- a quick google search found this: http://thehealthyfoodie.com/2011/09/28/hazelnut-butter-meets-dark-cocoa-powder/

Almonds -- I like slivered almonds with fresh green beans, although I've never slivered them myself. I bet you could lightly chop them for the same flavor. (Someone (sorry! don't remember who, offhand) posted a wonderful recipe for a green bean salad with almonds . . . If you're interested, I'll look up the post.



sweetonsno posted while I was typing -- that recipe sounds delicious!