Hazelnuts...love 'em, hate 'em

I love the taste of a nicely roasted and skinned hazelnut, but are they worth the trouble? My flour sack, "baking only" dishtowels need to be hidden from prying eyes, lest they think I am not doing my laundry often enough. Not even Oxyclean can get out the telltale purpley-brown rub. Since I want to use hazelnuts in one of my biscotti flavors, when I happened upon a new technique for skinning the nuts, and in my Baking with Julia, no less, I was compelled to try it.

Sounds great...blanch the hazelnuts in a boiling baking soda water bath until the water turns black, then drain the nuts and off pop the skins. Ha! Post bath, you are stuck with a colander full of hot nuts that you have to individually fondle to remove from the soggy skin. Then you have a soggy nut that tastes, well, soggy. Roasting in the oven didn't perk them up either. Eew. Waste of a good batch of nuts.

Seems like the only way is to roast, then rub in a towel to get off most of the skins. It does work nicely, and I do love the quiet, sizzling sound the nuts make. Perhaps it is all ok. Maybe that once-white towel loves her job.

Oatmeal Pancakes (wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, still taste great!)

After about a year's worth of iterations, here is a delicious, wheat-free, egg free, dairy free, unbelievably yummy oatmeal pancake! I don't want to admit it, being the pancake connoisseur that I am, but some days (like today!) I actually choose to make these oatmeal pancakes even when we have butter, milk and eggs on hand. (Of course, convincing myself that these are a "core" Weight Watcher food is also a factor...!) Enjoy!

Oatmeal Pancakes, by Flour Angels
Makes approximately 24 3-inch griddlecakes

2 cups unsweetened soy milk (I use Westsoy Organic Unsweetened)
1 1/2 cups whole oats
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup oat flour
3 tablespoons sucanat
3 tablespoons ground flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
a few gratings of fresh nutmeg

In large bowl, pour soy milk over oats and let stand while you gather remaining ingredients.

Preheat pancake griddle on medium heat. (I use an iron griddle pan that fits over two burners on my Viking stove. Setting between Medium-Low and Medium.)

Measure flour, sucanat, flax meal, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum*, salt and nutmeg into another mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Add canola oil and vanilla to soy milk/oat mixture. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Batter will be somewhat thin, but not runny. You might want to add a tablespoon or two more oat flour to get the right consistency.

Grease griddle with a light brushing of canola oil. Drop pancake mixture onto griddle and cook until medium brown, then flip and cook the other side.

Enjoy with your favorite spread and maple syrup.

Copyright (c) Flour Angels 2006, All Rights Reserved

*xanthan gum is one of the secrets of gluten-free baking. it helps give some viscosity to otherwise thin, watery batters. I use Bob's Red Mill brand.