did your grandma cook/bake anything with black walnuts?

[grasswire]

I'm looking for family heirloom recipes with those pesky hard-to-shell nuts. Will order some soon, and want to try various things.

[clyrc]

1. It wasn't a family recipe, but

I used to buy black walnut brittle in Arkansas. I love the stuff. My great grandma had a big black walnut tree in her yard, and I used to eat the nuts until I was stuffed when I was young. I can't remember her making anything with the nuts, but that's probably because everyone liked them so much fresh out of the shell.l

[grasswire]

4. wow

the brittle sounds amazing.

[davsand]

2. They are excellent in cookies/cakes etc.

They also have a pretty distinct flavor that makes them quite nice in salads. (Don't candy them for a salad--just lightly toast them!) If you REALLY want a candy version, I'd suggest a basic praline using black walnuts rather than pecans.

If you ever can get them straight off the tree when they are still in the hulls/husks be happy. They are a bi-atch to get out of those husks (just so you can shell them!) however do save those husks because they make a wonderful deep dark brown stain/dye.

Enjoy. They were a treat when we could get them.



Laura

[grasswire]

3. I have shelled just a few.....

...in my life and can't imagine doing a whole bowl full of them. Yikes. Impossible!

There is no source for them in my city. I have to order them by mail. But I remember the taste so well and want to bake with them.

[davsand]

5. Two words: Banana Bread

If you only have a few put them in a loaf of banana bread. They'll perfume that whole loaf.

My mom used to do that and I'm literally starting to drool just remembering it.



Laura

[grasswire]

6. that's one thing I had in mind, yes

I also have saved a recipe someone posted here years and years ago for a blackberry jam cake that is made with black walnuts and bacon fat. It's time to try it.

[tigereye]

13. wow- that sounds wild- well, maybe minus the bacon fat

:rofl:


Blackberry and black walnuts sound really cool together though.

[alphafemale]

8. hammer + concrete

There was a black walnut tree on our family farm. collected about a wading pool full every year. You had to pick the little fckers up. Otherwise the mower would sling them around like missiles the next summer.

We mostly sold or gave them away because my mom wasn't a good cook by any stretch, but I did eat a few raw though and learned a technique with a hammer on the concrete porch.

You have to deliver a blow hard enough to crack the shell but not smoosh the meat. Hit it on the natural crack.

Black walnuts are yummy. Funny how I took them for granted for the first 18 years of my life.

[Mopar151]

10. Ditto for their cousins the butternut n/t

[tigereye]

12. there used to be a tree on a farm where we went to get

fresh milk when I was a kid. We would go and gather them when we could- they were a total PITA to shell and get the nut meats out. I was out that way a while back and the tree is still there, although there was a McMansion being built on the lot next to it. (ugh.) I hope the tree remains intact.


I don't remember what they tasted like though, nor do i remember mom or GM making anything with them. i do remember seeing them in breads, though, i think. They have a very distinctive look, as I recall.

[SOteric]

7. Nonni made a breakfast pastry

with farmer's cheese, Italian sausages, onion, tarragon and walnuts wrapped in pate brisee. Nummers. Gotta serve 'em hot though, cold they're pretty hard to choke down.

(Cream cheese and puff pastry are pretty good simulations for the culinarily-challenged.

[hobbit709]

9. My grandmother used hazelnuts

[WolverineDG]

11. No, we substituted pecans for anything calling for walnuts

I suppose you could do the reverse. :)

dg

[JitterbugPerfume]

14. banana bread

I would give anything I own for some of moms banana bread and cookies with black walnuts.

[gkhouston]

15. We used to always put 'em in fudge. n/t

[mzteris]

16. Blk Walnut pound cake w/frosting.

1 stick butter softened
1 c sugar
4 eggs separated
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t black walnut flavoring
2 c flour sifted
3/4 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/2 c buttermilk or milk
1 c finely chopped black walnuts

Cream sugar & butter. Add beaten egg yolks (all at one time). Add vanilla & black walnut flavorings.

Sift dry ingredients together - then take one cup of mixed dry ingredients & mix with black walnuts.

Then you mix the rest of the flour mixture & milk into the creamed mixture.

Gently stir the floured black walnuts into batter.

Beat egg whites until just stiff and fold gently into batter.

Bake in a greased and floured poundcake pan @ 350 about 50-55 minutes (time may vary).


Frosting (optional):

1 stick butter
1 c packed dark brown sugar
1/3 c cream
1 T vanilla extract
1 16 oz box confectioners' sugar

Melt stick of butter in double boiler.

Add brown sugar and cream.

Cook medium-low about 2 - 3 minutes until sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat.

Add vanilla and beat in confectioner's sugar until smooth. Add more cream if it's too stiff. FYI - Mom usually liked to "drizzle" icing over pound cakes, so it was usually very thin... I think sometimes she just used milk instead of all cream.)


Oh - and sometimes she'd cook it in layer pans instead and frost like a regular cake, she'd sprinkle some finely chopped walnuts onto the icing between layers & on top. Sometimes she'd make 7 minute frosting instead of this one...