Monday, May 20, 2013

Spring Cooking with Fisher Nuts and Chef Alex Guarnaschelli {Prize Pack Giveaway!}

 Fisher Nuts logo
With the warm weather and cheer of spring here, families everywhere are ditching the winter coats and getting outside to enjoy the sunshine.

While one big sign of spring is colorful flowers blooming, another is the return of so many tasty fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead of having strawberries, blueberries and sweet corn flown in from other climates, suddenly they are growing right here in the Midwest, fresh and delicious.

So there's no better way to celebrate springtime and our expanded food selections than with some delectable new recipes for cooking and baking. Which is why I love that Fisher Nuts is continuing to partner with Food Network Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, a recent winner on Iron Chef and a regular judge on Chopped, to offer a fresh twist on spring recipes.

Using seasonal ingredients like fresh nuts and produce can help bring your recipes to life and Chef Alex has recommendations for taking your spring cuisine to a new level!

Chef Alex Guarnaschelli

During this past holiday season, I mentioned Chef Alex's incredible credentials and many of her tips for cooking with nuts, but that was far from being all of them. After all, you don't open your own restaurant and appear over and over on national television without knowing a thing or two about cooking, right?

Here are more of Chef Alex's tips for cooking with nuts:
  • Savory & Sassy Sauces: Slow cooking a piece of meat? Add a few nuts to some of the cooking liquid, blend it smooth and pour it back into the rest of the cooking liquid to naturally enrich the flavor and thicken your sauce.
  • Fresh Twist on Rice: Nuts are delicious in a classic rice pilaf. Stir some roasted nuts into the rice just before serving. You can also mix nuts with wild rice.
  • Top It Off: Parsley and basil are great flavors to finish many holiday dishes. Try chopping parsley with some Fisher almonds for added texture and taste.
  • Quick and Simple Dessert: For a great addition to your dessert table, melt some sugar in a pan until golden brown and stir in some nuts. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet to cook and then break into pieces for a quick and simple nut brittle.
Mmmm! Combining these tips as well as looking over Alex's tasty recipes (the Strawberry Crostata with Walnuts, Green Bean and Almond Salad and Baked Clams with Walnuts all sound tasty!), I was ready to put my Fisher Nuts Spring Cooking Prize Package to use for something yummy my whole family would enjoy.

Fisher Nuts prize pack

While all of Chef Alex's recipes sounded pretty perfect for spring, I decided to challenge myself and follow one that was a bit more complex than what I might typically make.

cooking with nuts

Strawberry Crostata with Walnuts

The dough
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus some additional for rolling out the dough
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1½ sticks unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

The filling
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pints strawberries, hulled and split
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ cup Fisher® Walnut Halves, coarsely chopped

Directions

Dough: In the food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse until crumbly. Pour the cold water through the hole in the top of the machine and pulse only to combine. Form into an 8" long cylinder (about 2" in diameter) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

homemade dough

Filling: Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Place a baking sheet next to the stove. When the sauté pan is fairly hot, add the butter for the filling. When it melts and foams slightly, add the strawberries.

Toss to coat with the butter and add ¼ cup sugar, lemon zest and juice. Toss to blend and allow some of the liquid to escape from the berries and reduce.

cooking strawberries

After 2 minutes, sprinkle with cornstarch, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet. Spread the strawberry mixture out so it cools faster and refrigerate until very cool.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut into 8 equal pieces. Press each disk with your hand to flatten and using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a circle that is about 6-inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Make sure you flour lightly under and on top of the dough as you roll it. Trim edges with a sharp paring knife or circular pizza cutter if you want a cleaner edge on the crostata.

crostata dough

Meanwhile, remove strawberry mixture from refrigerator and transfer to a fine strainer placed over a bowl. Strain strawberries so that almost no liquid remains with the berries, being sure not to crush the fruit.

Arrange the tart rounds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon walnuts onto the center of each round. Divide the cooked strawberries evenly among the dough circles.

strawberry crostata

Fold the sides up tightly around the fruit to form a purse, making the fruit the center, they will open slightly during baking. Cover the opening left after folding with a few more walnuts. Refrigerate circles if they become too soft to handle.

Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Top with any remaining walnuts. Sprinkle with sugar for added texture. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to serving plates using a wide spatula. Serve immediately.

strawberry crostata recipe

This spring and beyond, be sure to turn to Fisher Nuts for nuts of all kinds, including mixes for snacking and baking. Their commitment to quality and excellence ensures that all of their products are perfect for your favorite brownie recipe, used in a delicious breading, sprinkled across a fresh spring salad, and much more.

You can also head over for inspiration on the Fisher Nuts Facebook page, Chef Alex's Twitter handle, in her recipes and her tips for cooking with nuts to make your spring and summer meals ones to remember.

And, thanks to the generosity of Fisher Nuts, one person will be prepared to to test out some of Alex’s recipes (and create some of their own) as well, because...

One lucky person will win a
Fisher Nuts Spring Cooking Prize Pack* (ARV $56)!

*Prize Pack includes: (1) Trudeau 5-Piece Measuring Spoon Set, set of (3) Trudeau Melamine Mixing Bowls, (6) Casabella Jumbo Muffin Cups, Fisher Chef’s Naturals Sliced Almonds, Fisher Chef’s Naturals Walnut Halves & Pieces and Fisher Pecan Halves


I am working with Fisher to share Chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s recipes using Fisher Nuts and tools they provided. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

331 comments:

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latanya t said...

pecan pie

FrangiePani said...

Cinnamon rolls with walnuts

FrangiePani said...

GFC: smurfette

Anne said...

I use nuts in a lot of cakes, muffins, cookies, and other baked goods, but the classic--and a favorite of mine--is banana nut bread. Perfect!

wigget said...

southern style pecan pie

Amanda Rauch said...

Mine is pretty simple compared to the posted treat, but I really love brownies with nuts-my absolute favorite!!

Tamar said...

I love carrot cake.

d schmidt said...

I really like rich fruit cake containing nuts and banana walnut bread

mummytotwoboys@yahoo.com

sottovoce said...

German Chocolate cake....nuts and coconut...very yummy. :-) Thank you.

JC said...

I like dark Chocolate Pecan Brownies

ellen b said...

I love brownies with nuts

bettycd said...

almonds are so excellent!
They go in salads to cookies and make an excellent snack all by themselves

Unknown said...

I like chocolate pecan cookies and waldorf salad, too.

The Jaded Mom said...

Almonds and chicken.

Anonymous said...

I luck chocolate brownies with chocolate icing and walnuts.
kathyluman@gmail dot com

Chantelle Knick said...

I actually don't like nuts in my food at all, but my family does. They love banana bread with walnuts.

Candice said...

I love adding cashews in stir-fry dishes.

LesleyfromWI said...

Brownies with walnuts!

Anonymous said...

I like banana splits with nuts and brownie with nuts.

danielle t. said...

Love chocolate chip cookies with walnuts!! mmmm

Unknown said...

I love pistaschio ice cream or biscotti yummy

ann said...

My favorite is definately pecan pie

Anonymous said...

I love banana nut bread

Unknown said...

One of my favorite's would be yummy salad with apples, blue cheese, and candied pecans!

Lori Taube
cltaube @ gmail.com

Anonymous said...

brownies with walnuts:)

jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com

bayctygrl said...

banana nut bread

Paula V said...

anything...banana bread, cookies, come to mind.

Unknown said...

brownies with walnuts

Unknown said...

Cranberry and walnut salad.

CindyWindy2003 said...

i put nuts in my banana bread and love it in salads, carawling(at)hotmail(Dot)com

Yolanda said...

Praline is my favorite.

Holly said...

My mom's Banana Nut Bread

peg42 said...

Pecan pie. Yum
Thanks so much.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

Robert said...

pecan pie

Sylvia said...

I like brownies with nuts

Unknown said...

I like nuts on ice cream and in stuffing, brownies and cookies. We use a lot of nuts! They go good with so many things! Or even just eating them!

Denise said...

Fudge walnut brownies. :)

Marti Tabora said...

I like to add pecans to my oatmeal cookies.

Laurie J. said...

Carrot Cake!

Unknown said...

i like to add nuts to our fresh salads

Colleen Maurina said...

I love nuts in many of my salads!

colljerr at comcast dot net

Liz said...

My all time favorite is pecan pie or carrot cake,


Love3570@aol.com

blue65829 said...

I love adding slivered almonds to a goat cheese and beet salad!

walk9 said...

carrot cake

Katie said...

sweets! brownies with walnuts and ice cream sundae with nuts

Robyn Dones said...

I love my Toll House cookies with extra walnuts! Most of the Fisher nuts, I eat right from the bag, my favorite is almonds.

DEBIJOT said...

sticky buns with pecans

Barb K. said...

I like Pecan Sandy Cookies. More Pecans the better.
Me4Wrest@gmail.com

amp said...

I make cashew chicken and also my brownies with pecans or walnuts


apoalillo {AT} hotmail dot com
alyce poalillo

Robin Wilson said...

Honestly ~ it is a candy, but I love Peanut Brittle!!

Seyma Bennett Shabbir said...

Baklava
seyma_bennett@hotmail.com

Bethany C. said...

I like making an Asian chicken salad with cashews.

Lindsay B said...

i enjoy a salad with candied walnuts

Unknown said...

I love making cashew chicken - Ruth Pople :)

Bakersdozen said...

I like to add nuts to my salads.

Julie said...

I love carrot cake the most full of pecans

hebb dot julie at gmail do tcom

s said...

I like to add nuts to banana bread and other breads/muffins.

Debra said...

brownies and banana nut bread

SueZH said...

I love putting walnuts in my grandmother's butterscotch cookies.

cekaplan1009 said...

I like asian style shrimp with honeyed walnuts and pecan pie and turtle cheesecake! I'm nuts about nuts!

Unknown said...

Banana bread with walnuts!

Kathy said...

I have a Pecan Torte I love to make

Dave said...

I like almonds in things and peanuts on ice cream

brnmanis said...

pecan pie

hdeanna69 said...

my fave recipe is chocolate chunk brownies with walnuts

Unknown said...

Brownies with walnuts and macadamia nuts

Teresa said...

I love pecan pie.

Allyson Bossie said...

We are trying a new whole foods approach to life and we eat nuts daily. I usually eat a handful of nuts for a snack or lunch every day, but I also sometimes sprinkle them on rice to give it texture!
masugr at yahoo dot com

debbie said...

I like chocolate chip cookies with pecans.

deena vanbergen said...

I like the walnuts in Baklava.

ShellyH said...

I like to make homemade peanut brittle and homemade chocolate turtles all of which use nuts!

Emily Wells said...

Pecan pie

Unknown said...

i make a mean fresh fennel salad. thinly slice fennel, chopped apple, some raisins, poppy seeds and nuts (whatever on hand) with some lemon juice and a tad bit of honey. healthy and tasty! thanks for the really nice giveaway!

clc408 said...

I make wonderful cranberry-walnut biscotti.

BrunoDogg2 said...

Cookies with nuts!

Unknown said...

Pecan Pie

abfantom said...

I like Pistachio-Crusted Tuna Steaks

abfantom at yahoo dot com

abfantom said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peggy Damon said...

Banana Nut Bread is my favorite recipe with nuts

sweetheart4171(at)yahoo(dot)com

abfantom said...

G+ & GFC id: abfantom fantom

abfantom at yahoo dot com

Gala said...

pecan pie and bread pudding with any nuts

Ashley Morrow said...

I love German Chocolate Cake.

Unknown said...

sugar & spice pecans

Julie Greenwood said...

I like almonds in chicken salad.

mediaworm said...

I have these chocolate fudge brownies I do that everyone loves

Jennifer said...

Pecan Pie!!!

Rachel Travis said...

I love brownies !

hhkaufman78 said...

watergate salad with walnuts

eg kaufman

Anonymous said...

I love Banana Nut Bread!!

Unknown said...

Banana nut bread- with walnuts.

Bekalee314 said...

reese's squares using chunk peanut butter

tweetyscute said...

Baby spinach salad with hazelnuts is fabulous

ken ohl said...

love brownies with walnuts. thankyou, ken pohl19@comcast.net

Unknown said...

sticky buns!!!

mogrill said...

I like the banana nut bread.Thanks for the chance.
mogrill12@gmail.com

tiffanynichole89 said...

i like banana nut bread

Unknown said...

Pecan pie bars...AMAZING!

sdavis said...

i love chocolate chip cookies with pecans

B. Wilson @ Windy {City} Wilsons said...

strawberry spinach almond salad.

Erica best said...

i love strawberry stortcake

Victoria Nyquist said...

Absolutely LOVE turtle brownies! :)

puye said...

German Chocolate cake

agnesye@hotmail.com

Knead a Latte - Ruby said...

pecan pie and butter pecan ice cream. i'm crazy about pecans. :)

Nknouse22 said...

banana nut bread

sweepmom said...

I love one bowl brownies with nuts.

llinda29 said...

I make peanut brittle

Jennifer said...

chocolate chip cookies with walnuts

a49erfangirl said...

I love cinnamon glazed cashews

Brynn said...

I love making chocolate chip banana bread with walnuts

Unknown said...

German chocolate cake

Marti B. said...

I can't decide, either pecan pie or German Chocolate cake, but both are so good!

Deb Anderson said...

Brownies!

julis55 said...

chocolate chips with walnuts

Unknown said...

chicken satay with peanut sauce

Unknown said...

I love Banana Nut Bread! Thanks so much for the fantastic giveaway!
Reneewalters3 at yahoo dot com

Selinda said...

Apple Loaf Cake!

Thanks,

selinda_mccumbers at yahoo.com

Deb S. said...

Love Pecan pie

Pat said...

Granola

Unknown said...

I like brownies with pecans

an unexpected turn said...

banana nut muffins!

nanaconnie08 said...

German Chocolate cake

Breenah said...

I make this chocolate dessert with a crust that has almonds and pecans and the topping has whipped cream and cream cheese and it's DELICIOUS.

Anonymous said...

We add nuts to just about everything and have several varieties on hand at all times. My favorite is my homemade pecan pie.

cheryl lister said...

love pesto made with walnuts!

steve weber said...

pesto with nuts added.

michedt said...

I love cranberry orange bread with nuts.
Michelle Tucker

Amy said...

As a kid I felt that nuts in any food was tantamount to sabotage! But as an adult I really love them - especially walnuts.

Judy W said...

Banana nut bread!

Unknown said...

Almonds are good in quinoa, or cashews in chicken salad, nummy.

Michele P. said...

I have tons, but I love my banana split cake with chopped walnuts on top!

Melissa Storms said...

Pignoli cookies or pesto added to almost anything.
upstatemissy@gmail.com

Jennifer T. said...

My all-time favorite is a cookie bar with mixed nuts on top. When I make them, they disappear in no time. Here's a very similar recipe:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Mixed-Nut-Bars

Tabitha said...

cinnamon pecan swirls
kayleefaith1228@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Apple Crisp

Anonymous said...

Banana nut bread is my absolute all time favorite!

Robert Pyszk said...

I love home made pecan pie!!

Allen said...

Food is good!

Stacy said...

I love toasting pine nuts and throwing them into pasta. And salads. And just straight into my mouth actually.

john said...

Whenever I make muffins I always try to include nuts...also LOVE peanut butter.

mellyrox said...

Love cashews by themselves.. & almonds in chocolate bars :)

Thanks for the chance to win,
melly66 at sbcglobal dot net

Anonymous said...

carrot cake

kdrae said...

I love chocolate chip walnut cookies!!

slehan said...

Brownies with walnuts.
Thanks for the contest.

slehan at juno dot com

August said...

Baklava!!!

August said...

I had entered my name as heather =P anyways, baklava

LaurKnotter said...

I've been eating Paleo so this prize would be perfect! I love putting nuts on salads.

Randi S said...

Pumpkin muffins with walnuts and white chocolate...delish!

Ryan said...

My fave is desserts!
Jay

Annmarie Weeks said...

I love baklava! And cashew chicken!

Marissa M said...

Green Beans Almondine!

Helga said...

walnuts in chocolate chip cookies

KentuckyCooking said...

My Banana Nut Crunch Muffins that I make :)
Liza C.

crankyyanky1 said...

I love zuchinni bread with walnuts and blueberry

dropastitch@yahoo.com said...

I love chocolate covered peanuts.

Leann said...

I love spinach salad with toasted walnuts and dried cranberries. chefl@swbell.net

TarynPasco916 said...

I love making chocolate chip cookies with nuts & brownies!

Heidi said...

Brownies

Sadie said...

I love chocolate chip cookies with walnuts or pecans.

tat2gurlzrock said...

Apple Pecan pie!

Jackie said...

I like topping a green salad with nuts.
Thanks!

Unknown said...

I make an Asian salad with chili oil, snow peas and peanuts.

scottsgal said...

pecan coffee cake

Unknown said...

I love banana and walnut muffins!

Allison Downes said...

Pecan Pie

Thank you for the chance to win!

Cserafini said...

Carrot cake.

Karen Delaney said...

Pecan Pie

polly said...

banana nut bread is one of my favorite's

Francine Anchondo said...

pecan pie

Rita M said...

Pumpkin Nut Bread

jcwega27 said...

carrot cake!
jessicawedwards@gmail.com

AnnaZed said...

The Stuffed White Mushrooms with Pecans looks marvelous



I am Margot Core on the Rafflecopter

Anonymous said...

My grandma's nut roll recipe is by far my favorite item to make using nuts

dawn keenan (newnameford) said...

Chocolate chip cookies with pecans.

frugalistamommy said...

I'm Greek, so of course I would have to say BAKLAVA!!!!!

Mirm said...

apple muffins

blessnel said...

I love fried rice with toasted cashews!

Anonymous said...

banana nut bread, yum

Karen Glatt said...

MY favorite recipe with nuts is my delicious Carrot Cake!

tina reynolds said...

I love banana nut bread thanks for the chance to win eaglesforjack@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Love carrot cake!!

benz1171 said...

Chocolate chips w/walnuts cookies.

Terra Heck said...

I like to make Greek Orzo Pasta using pine nuts. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I'm making granola right now with nuts.

Vunda Vall said...

pecan pie comes to mind!

Aleksandra Nearing said...

I love almond slivers in a chicken salad.

Melissas Midnight Musings said...

I like walnut brownies.

sparkedcat said...

Banana bread with walnuts!

Diane said...

Love her on Chopped and have seen the commercials that feature her adding nuts to various recipes.

Nicole said...

chocolate pudding delight with walnuts!

MamaHen said...

I make this cobbler thing with pineapple, cherry pie filling, cake mix, and butter. Then you sprinkle nuts on top and bake. So good.

Unknown said...

I love pecan pie!

farmgirl33(at)ymail(dot)com

flairshare said...

tough one since I love nuts...would 1st say a strawberry ice cream sundae with pecans...also love oriental chicken salad with toasted almonds.

emeraldmaz said...

I love banana nut bread!

Alicia said...

Banana Nut Bread

Unknown said...

Pecan pie is one of my favorites!

Mommy Crafts said...

Banana Bread or a Peanut parfait

Pinky Sade said...

I love hummingbird cake. Pecans are yummy!

Springjoy said...

I use cashews to make a vegan mac-n-cheese. SO YUMMY. :)

Unknown said...

I use cashews on my pepper steak stirfry

Rusthawk said...

pecan pie

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