Yes, feel free to laugh at the recipe name (I know I do). I came up with this recipe because I intensely dislike soy milk…I find it tastes like paste.
*gasp*
I know dislike of the almighty soy is tantamount to sacrilege but I still can’t stand the stuff. I find homemade nut milks (particularly hazelnut) to be far superior in flavor.
1 cup raw hazelnuts (or almonds, pecans, etc. – go nuts)
3 cups of water
5 pitted dates
Rinse the hazelnuts thoroughly and place in a bowl. Fill the bowl with water and leave covered overnight in the refrigerator (at least 12 hours). Discard the water and rinse the hazelnuts well. Place the hazelnuts in a blender along with 3 cups of water (less or more depending on how thick you like your “milk”). Add the dates to the blender while it’s running (add fewer if you don’t like a sweet milk or more if you want it extra sweet). Blend it until it’s smooth…usually 2-3 minutes. Once done, strain the mixture through a sprout bag (or cheesecloth set in a sieve if you don’t have one on hand). Bottle the liquid and refrigerate immediately – kept cold it should hold for a few weeks (though you’ll drink it quicker). Save the pulp you strained off, I’ll provide a recipe for that at a later date.
Category Archives: Beverages
Nut Milk
Butter Beer
2 cans Old Speckled Hen ale
¾ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup superfine sugar
5 egg yolks
1 ½ Tbs. unsalted butter
Pour the ale into a saucepan and stir in the ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Gently heat this mixture until it is warm (to approximately 125ºF if you have a thermometer).
In the meantime, using a hand-held blender, blend the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy.
Once the spiced ale is warm, add the egg yolk and sugar mixture and return to the heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid starts to thicken slightly (no hotter than 170ºF). Be careful not to let the saucepan get too hot or the eggs will scramble. Maintain this temperature for 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until it melts. Then froth the mixture with a small cappuccino whisk until it looks like frothy, milky tea. Pour into small glasses, mini tankards or espresso cups and serve immediately.
Horchata
Angelina’s Hot Chocolate
Combine 3/4 cup whole milk, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1 t. confectioners’ sugar and heat over med-high till bubbles appear around edges. Remove from heat and add 4 oz Omanhene bittersweet chocolate (72%) that’s been chopped. Stir till melted (you may need to return it to low heat). Serve with whipped cream.