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With the right foods, hazelnuts add the perfect touch.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Jan Roberts-Dominguez For The Register-Guard

I wouldn't blame a Pacific Northwest newcomer for not appreciating hazelnuts. They're an acquired taste. Not as extreme a project as sushi or single malt scotch, of course. But speaking as a relative newcomer (I've been here only 28 years) it took me a while to enjoy the official state nut's unique, sweet-yet-smoky flavor.

All of my grower friends are going to grumble at me for saying that. But maybe they're missing out on a great advertising campaign: Oregon hazelnuts! Like the people and the weather, they'll grow on you.

Of course, now I love them. I mean, really love them. Especially when paired with foods that complement their character. Chocolate and hazelnuts is a classic combo. And when you throw raspberries into that mix the experience can be dynamic.

Hazelnuts also merge beautifully with various cheeses, especially blue cheese and feta, as well as grilled salmon and other roasted meats. And topping a balsamic vinaigrette-based green salad with chopped hazelnuts makes most diners whistle a happy tune.

Toasting heightens the experience for me. Even just a light bronzing will add depth to a hazelnut's flavor profile. In fact, lightly toasted hazelnuts, garnished with just a dusting of popcorn salt, are the perfect snack food. Serve them when you're pouring wine for friends and notice just how well they complement our region's pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay.

By the way, even though hazelnuts is the preferred name internationally, around here they've always been called filberts. Growers laughingly say that they raise filberts and sell hazelnuts.

One of our local treasures, Homer Twedt, wouldn't remember this, but he introduced me to the filb ..., er, hazelnut industry when I first hit town back in the late '80s. I was in graduate school at Oregon State, and on this particular week was researching...

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