Recipe: Fig & Hazelnut Jam

One of my favorite breakfasts during the fall and winter months is this hearty whole wheat seed bread from Whole Foods--toasted--with a little bit a butter and a lot of this Fig & Hazelnut jam that I make...

The jam is super easy and actually the recipe is adapted from a Giada recipe (from Giada's 

Kitchen), its for an appetizer--Pecorino Romano with Apple and Fig Jam--I hijacked the jam recipe and never looked back...its really good!! The other reason I like it is because the hazelnuts give the jam a little protein and in a weird way...its kind of like a fancy version of PB&J...but much, much better!

Fig & Hazelnut Spread

6-8 dried figs, haved

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water 

2 tablespoons brandy

1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts--without skins

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

pinch salt

Combine the figs, cinnamon, orange zest,  salt, sugar, water & brandy in a small saucepan.  Bring mixture to a simmer over  medium heat, then turn off the heat and set aside for 10 minutes to plump the figs and cool slightly.  Toast hazelnuts over medium heat in a dry skillet until fragrant and lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes.  Transfer fig mixture to food processor pulsing a few times.  Add hazelnuts and pulse until pureed but still slightly chunky. Store in fridge in air-tight jar.

Its got a very homey, earthy taste-sweet but not too sweet and the brandy, orange and cinnamon give it a nice depth of flavor.  And as far as I am concerned, hazelnuts are totally under-appreciated in the US--I would like them to take over kitchens every where and this is my one small step towards that vision...

I hope, if you are looking for a new breakfast idea, you might try this one--the jam couldn't be simpler to make; its keeps for a couple weeks in the fridge and its a nice change of pace from a bowl of cereal!!