As part of our neolithic menu plan, I'd like to make cream to go with our berries for pudding. As we're choosing to make this meal vegan I'm wondering if it is easy to make cream using hazelnuts (which seem to be in good supply this year).
hazelnuts now ready for harvest
Is it just a matter of pulverising the nuts with a little water? Any hints and tips?
Nancy Reading wrote:Is it just a matter of pulverising the nuts with a little water? Any hints and tips?
Short answer yes. When I make vegan milk I use 40 grams of nuts to 1 cup (8 oz) of water. For cream I would use about 80 grams to 8 oz. If you want a smooth cream I would use a nut milk bag or a fine mesh strainer.
Steps
1. Using a blender take the nuts and water and blend for about a minute.
2. Using a nut milk bag or strainer filter the cream. If using a bag it is ok to squeeze the bag. If using a strainer use a spoon to move the mix around. Repeat as needed.
3. Wait. It will take a few minutes up to about ten minutes to get the cream out.
4. Enjoy.
I have made a vegan “cream” from sunflower seeds; the same method might work for hazelnuts. Make a thick nut “milk” with very finely pulverized nuts so it feels slippery not gritty. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it thickens more.
let us know how it works. i've done it with cashews, never tried hazelnuts but would love to know. if it stays very thin then using MK Neal's idea above to heat and maybe even add some goodies to make a slightly thicker custard-type thing might be interesting.
A rather belated update, but I did succeed in making a very nice cream to go with our berries:
I started by measuring out an appropriate amount of water and adding only a very little to the whole nut kernels. My handblender has a pot which the cutting head only just fits in to avoid splashing, and I found it quite difficult to cut into the nuts. I blended and blended and added a little more water and blended some more....! I actually feel now that it would have been a whole lot easier with a largish pestle and mortar to crush rather than cut the nuts. We did get a lovely tasting puree - we were aiming more at a 'clotted cream' rather than pouring cream consistency so I only added about half the water suggested in the end. We also didn't sieve it. The nuts were fresh and green, so it did not have a gritty texture at all, although it looks a bit lumpy in the picture.
All in all sweet and delicious with the tart-sweet bramble berries.
Thank you all for the guidance!
Mk Neal wrote:I have made a vegan “cream” from sunflower seeds; the same method might work for hazelnuts. Make a thick nut “milk” with very finely pulverized nuts so it feels slippery not gritty. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it thickens more.
Yes....if more of a 'custard' texture is desired, one can additionally include a bit of tapioca starch. For pasta Alfredo sauce, I've found that homemade almond/cashew milk done like this will, when heated, thicken nicely to the right consistency without added thickeners. A bit of nutritional yeast mixed in and garlic tops it off nicely.
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