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This morning, on Portland radio station KXL's "In The Garden with Mike Darcy," I shared a recipe for Hazelnut Aillade. I also said that I would post the recipe for it here, as well as a simple roasting of hazelnuts with butter and thyme. So here you go...

   HAZELNUT AILLADE

Makes about 1 cup

  Aillade (pronounced "eye-yawd") is a French expression meaning "with garlic." In this case, it's hazelnuts with garlic. But it's so much more! It has the silky, creamy texture of a homemade mayonnaise, tinted a pale tan from the nuts, of course. The use of hazelnut oil gooses the nut flavor up a notch, but if you don't have any, just go with a good, frresh canola oil and you'll be fine.

   If I have a jar of hazelnut aillade in the fridge, I reach for it throughout the week to use in so many ways: to flavor a vinaigrette; to layer onto chicken breasts, pork chops, or fish either before grilling, or right after they've come off the grill; as a topping for sliced tomatoes and grilled asparagus; to season a pasta salad, soups, and tomato-based sauces; and even as a sandwich spread. In summer, when I'm making bruschetta (page 85), I sometimes give the fire-toasted slices of bread a thin layering of the hazelnut aillade before topping with my home-grown tomatoes and herbs.

1/2 cup dark-roasted and skinned hazelnuts

8 to 10 medium-sized cloves fresh garlic, smashed and peeled

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons warm water

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup hazelnut oil (optional, use canola oil if unavailable)

   Place the hazelnuts, garlic, salt, pepper and water in a blender. Blend, scraping down the sides of the jar as necessary, until the mixture is chopped (it will appear very rugged at this point). Add 1/4 cup of the oil and continue blendinding until the mixture is very smooth. With the motor running, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil, drop by drop, until you have a thick and velvety sauce, which has the texture of a soft mayonnaise.

   BUTTER-ROASTED HAZELNUTS WITH THYME

Makes 3 cups

   What a smashing way to serve one of Oregon's most special crops. Thyme adds an elegant lift to the smoky-toasty flavor within the nuts. You can serve them fresh out of the pan, or let them cool down and crisp up.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups roaasted and skinned hazelnuts

1/4 taeaspoon popcorn salt, more to taste

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves.

   Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. COntinue to cook the butter briefly to lightly toast it. Add the hazelnuts and the salt and stir to evenly coat the hazelnuts with butter and salt. Stir in the thyme and continue cooking for a moment so its flavor has the opportunity to emerge. Scrape the nut mixture onto a large baking sheet to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

   BEVERAGE THOUGHTS: Most certainly a medium-bodied Pinot Noir would play off the pure nuttiness and gentle herbed quality in this recipe. I'd go with a lighter style beer, something along the lines of a pale ale would not overpower the hazelnuts.