Hazelnut Plum Crumb Tart and Nuts Online Review

I feel this month is quickly fading away but I am not complaining because it means fall will be here soon! It was particularly cool yesterday, enough for it to FEEL like fall and for me to want pumpkin cinnamon rolls and a pumpkin latte. YUM! Anyone with me on that?

On a sad note though, yesterday I found out some news about a friend’s daughter’s baby. She had planned to have her baby naturally but ended up having complications and was not able to get her baby immediately to breastfeed. Turns out, a week and a half later, that the baby has cystic fibrosis. I have been praying for this family ever since I heard there were complications but this brought it to a new level.

I had some time to not think about it because we had a tour of the hospital where I will be delivering. We arrived 1 minute late only to arrive JUST in time before the tour started. We were totally suprised that there were at least 10-12 couples there! Wow. Lots of people having babies indeed. 🙂 It was a very thorough one hour tour and I was happy to have taken it because I can be less anxious. The tour also reminded me how much I so do not like hospitals. Even though I work for one, mine does not feel like a hospital at all but I might be biased.

Time to start making lists of everything I want while at the hospital. 8 weeks left folks and I am starting to get a little more jittery.

We thought we had a good lunch yesterday so that dinner could hold off until we got home from the tour but BOY was I a nervous wreck. My blood sugar level dropped and I was shakey. Even though Ryan admitted he was really hungry as well, we were wondering what had happened especially since I popped in a few nuts and dried fruits as a snack.

Anxious. It seemed to be a reoccurring thought and feeling yesterday. You know how I found out? Ha, the Lord spoke to me in my devotional through Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I was like “Me? Anxious? Nah….then I realized that my friend’s news about their baby made me be worried and anxious and perhaps the hospital tour and everything coming so close already brought me these feelings. I thank God for reassuring me.

On to some goodies! I recently was sent some delicious goodies from Nuts Online, and I have to say I really like their service and the qaulity of their products. I received a pound of unshelled hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and dried Ranier cherries. I made scones using the cherries (which I have not posted) and a raw filling for a tart using the macadamia nuts. (anothe recipe not yet posted)

What I did use and I want to share with you is the recipe I made using the hazelnuts. It has been a LONG time since I have had to shell my own nuts but this was fun. I cracked the whole pound of hazelnuts, and then toasted them at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes and then removed them from oven and let them cool. I wanted to blanch them so that the outer layer of the hazelnut will be removed. It was a fun process but the company also sells blanched hazelnuts and shelled hazelnuts as well.

Anyway, I ran across Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for her Hazelnut Plum Crumb Tart and KNEW immediately I had to make it. Plums are delicious on their own but since I have been feeling a little nostalgic on everything French, I knew this tart would be fun to make.

I veganized the version of the recipe taking out the dairy products and eggs and replaced them with So Delicious coconut milk and creamer and flax seed meal.The tart crust was made with Earth Balance margarine instead of butter. All in all the tart came out SO WELL! We ate our slices last night as we watched Julie and Julia! How great is that?

Make this tart because you will not be sorry. It is so gourmet and fresh, your dinner party or family will love it!