If you’ve never made your own dessert spread before, this Hazelnut Praline Spread is a great place to start. The recipe originates in France, but we’ve changed it a little to make a simple version that you can easily make. It is probably a dessert spread, but we’ll admit we’ve had it on toast a few times!
Method
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In an oven at about 160 degrees (C), toast the hazelnuts until the skins have gone quite dark and the roasting smell is apparent.
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Once this has happened, pour the nuts straight from the oven tray into a tea towel and allow them to Ësteam' for around 10 minutes. This is an important step, so don't forget this!
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After steaming the nuts, use the same tea towel to remove the skins.
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Set aside the skinned nuts for a moment. In a heavy saucepan mix together the brown sugar and the water. Stir the sugar and the water together, and then leave on a medium high heat. Do not touch it.
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After around 10 minutes the mixture will be golden brown in its darkest section. At this point add the hazelnuts and immediately pour onto a baking sheet lined with greased parchment.
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Allow to cool a little until the praline has set. To make the butter break the caramelised nut mixture off into manageable pieces and feed into your food processor. Process them until the mixture is smooth. It should resemble thick peanut butter.
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Once it looks like that, add the salt and continue to process. At this point start adding the oil at 1/2 tsp at a time. Continue to process until the paste reaches a consistency that you're happy with.
