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Sandy D'Amato | The Kitchen Technician Hazelnuts roasting set the heart afire
Posted: Nov. 14, 2008 I miss the sandbox. Every year, as a chill came into the air, the large DPW truck would pull over. The back was filled with large dark green wooden boxes, and the burly workers would deposit one on the northwest corner of Jackson and Pleasant streets, right across from my dad's grocery store. As soon as the box was in place and the truck would pull away I, along with other people in the neighborhood, would make a pensive pilgrimage to the green idol. The older wise men of the neighborhood would pick up the cover and do the early inspection. A few comments were thrown around: "There was more sand last year." "Looks like we got an older box." Or, "Hey look! A new shovel!" The actual reason for the box was to have sand for the cars that would invariably get stuck driving up the hill on Pleasant St. between Water and Jackson. But it became much more. For our family it meant my Uncle Turri would be roasting hazelnuts. With a skinny Perodi dangling from his lips, he would leisurely walk over to the box holding a small bag and, in almost slow motion, scoop out about three or four nice handfuls of sand, while savoring every puff of the cigar. He then would walk back across the street, flick the Perodi into the snowhill on the lawn (no smoking in his house) and walk up to his kitchen above the store. There, he would half fill a metal pie plate with sand, embed a layer of hazelnuts in the shell in the sand, cover the hazelnuts with more sand and invert another pie plate over the top.

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Then he would place the hazelnuts in the oven for what seemed like an eternity, if you were waiting. As the overwhelming aroma of roasted nuts would fill the entire upstairs, you knew they were done. He would carefully pluck the nuts out of the sand with his asbestos fingers and bring them down to the store. My dad and I would sit behind the counter, cracking the hot shells and greedily popping the dark, crispy, almost-on-the-edge-of-burnt nuts into our mouths one after another, until we were way past the point of being full. As the years went on, the green box just disappeared, probably because it had become obsolete. With better winter road maintenance and the advent of four-wheel drive, the number of cars getting stuck on Pleasant St. dropped dramatically. Now, anytime I make a recipe with hazelnuts, I always return to that feeling of anticipation followed by total satisfaction. And I still miss the sandbox. Sanford S " andy"D'Amato, chef/co-owner of Sanford Restaurant, 1547 N. Jackson St., Coquette Cafe, 316 N. Milwaukee St., and Harlequin Bakery, is a James Beard Award winner. For more information, visit www.sanfordrestaurant.com.

Recipes: Chocolate Hazelnut Tart Makes 8 to 10 servings

14 ounces hazelnuts (about 3 cups) 1 cup flour (divided) 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder cup (1 sticks) butter, room temperature Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast hazelnuts in an ovenproof saut pan in preheated oven 18 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. Rub hazelnuts with a towel while still warm to remove skins. You will need a scant cup of the hazelnuts to use when making the crust. The remaining nuts will be used in the pie and for garnish. For crust: Have all crust ingredients at room temperature. Place the cup hazelnuts and cup flour in a food processor. Process until fine. Add remaining 1 cup flour and the cocoa powder and process until mixed. Set aside. In an electric mixer with a paddle, cream butter and sugar 1 minute at medium speed. Scrape bowl and beat another minute. Add egg and mix until emulsified, about 10 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Add flour mixture and mix about five seconds. Remove beater and finish mixing with hands until dough just comes together. Press dough into a 10-inch tart pan with sides that are at least 1 inches high and a removable bottom. Refrigerate shell 30 to 60 minutes. 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 small egg Filling (see recipe) 1 pint heavy whipping cream, whipped with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Powdered sugar for garnish

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Make filling. When ready to bake shell, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes. Do not pierce holes in dough, just press down with a towel after five minutes when dough puffs. Cool. Place 2 cups of the hazelnuts in the partially baked shell. Pour prepared filling mixture evenly over the hazelnuts. Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes. Mixture should be set on outside and slightly creamy in the center. To assemble: Put sweetened whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a fine tube. Pipe a thin line of cream around the inside border of the tart and a small spot in the middle. Decorate with the remaining hazelnuts by placing them in the cream. Sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar.

Filling:
2 whole eggs 2 tablespoons butter 1 egg yolk teaspoon kosher salt cup sugar 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted cup light corn syrup Have all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine a scant 2 cups of the hazelnuts from above with the eggs and sugar. Add corn syrup. In saucepan, melt butter until it turns medium brown (noisette butter) and mix into bowl. Add salt and warm melted chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Archives When in Rome, do as the taste buds would Cranberry tart brings meal to a sweet close Hearts melt when cheese meets bread Squash dumplings fit the season and senses Bikers in Italy take to wheels of cheese 2,000 filets gave me the willies Follow taste buds, not chef Fishing for fond memories Shrimp dish good enough for jumbo billboard Right ranch can make salad, day perfect Dramatic service won't upstage veal piccata Yes, folks in Milwaukee want to eat good food Ring dinner bell for Asian chops Grill tuna for a quick dinner Guess who wins in showdown between chef and popular dish? Getting to the root of a good lunch in N.Y. Scratching that 11-year itch

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