Nuts

Nuts are the essential luxury of German baking. They are used whole, sliced, slivered, chopped, or ground, for everything from batters to frostings. In some tortes they are even a complete substitute for flour. Nuts provide flavor and texture and make wonderful decorations. German baking most commonly calls for hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts.

Always buy fresh, unsalted nuts. Store them in a cool, dry place or, particularly if they have been ground, keep them in a closed container in the refrigerator or freezer. When frozen, they keep many months without becoming rancid.

Grinding Nuts. For medium or fine grinding, use a nut grinder or a Mouli Grater with interchangeable drums. The hand-held Mouli Grater is available in most stores that carry kitchen equipment. If you do a lot of grinding, a nut grinder you can fasten to a counter top is handier and easier to operate. There are also electric grinders available, in addition to grating attachments for use with electric mixers. These are by far the easiest to use.

It is important that none of the oil be pressed out of the nuts as they are ground. This is why meat grinders and, except for making almond paste, electric blenders are unsatisfactory for nut grinding. The ground nuts should be dry, light and airy, not pasty looking and mashed together.

Depending on whether they are whole, slivered, or ground, a 4-ounce package of nuts will equal slightly more or less than three-fourths of a cup.

Almonds

Almonds are available in a variety of forms; blanched or unbalanced, whole, slivered, or sliced and ground.

Some of the recipes using almonds call for the addition of almond extract. This is derived from bitter almonds, which are generally hard to find, though they can be sourced in Germany. If you do use extract, use it sparingly since it is so potent.

Blanched Almonds. To blanch shelled almonds, drop them into boiling water and boil for a minute. Drain and squeeze each almond out of its skin by pressing between thumb and forefinger. Let them dry a day or two before grinding, or if they must be used immediately, place them in a 350˚F oven for 5 minutes.

Toasted Almonds. Place almonds on a baking sheet in a 350˚F oven until they are an even, light toasty brown. Whole almonds take 10 to 15 minutes, almond slices only 5 to 8 minutes. If you prefer, you may toast them in a skillet over medium heat, but you must be careful not to burn them.

Sliced or Slivered Almonds. These are sometimes combined with fillings or used for decorations. Difficult to produce at home, they are available packaged in most grocery stores.

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts, or filberts as they used to be commonly known as, are native to Germany but are now grown all over the world. Unless otherwise indicated, the nut is used with the rough brown skin on. This adds flavor, color and texture. If you wish to remove the skin, it is easily done.

Toasted Hazelnuts. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and place in a 350˚F oven for about 15 minutes. The skin will flake off and the nut will brown slightly. Take out of the oven and rub the nuts in a folded towel to remove as much as the skin as will come off easily. If you would like them toasted a bit more, return to the oven for a few minutes.

Pistachios

This fine tasting and beautifully colored nut is very popular for decorating tortes and cookies in Germany.

If you are only able to buy pistachios salted in the shell it’s not too much of a problem, since blanching will remove much of the salt.

First shell the nuts – tedious work at best – and drop them into boiling water for a minute. Peel off what may be left of the thin, brown skin, trying not to damage the nut.

Pistachios may be chopped with a wide-bladed knife or ground with a nut grinder.