How to Skin Hazelnuts

By Sandy Hu

Hazelnuts have a delightful sweet, nutty taste but their skins are bitter and they refuse to yield them without some coaxing.

Still, their flavor contribution to baked goods, salads, savory crusts and chocolate desserts (who isn’t crazy for Nutella?) makes skinning them well worth the effort.

To skin hazelnuts, put them on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and pop into a preheated 375° F oven for about 10 minutes, until the nuts become fragrant, take on a light golden color and the skins start to crack. You don’t want to overbake or the nuts may get bitter.

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If it’s Friday, it’s Video Blog Day on Special Fork

By David Hu

All this week, we have been re-introducing our bloggers by re-posting their very first post for Special Fork. On Monday we’ll be back blogging with more cooking insights, helpful tips and delicious recipes that take no more than 30 minutes of prep time, all to solve your daily dinnertime dilemma: what to cook now!

Today we feature Dave Hu’s early video blog post on cooking tilapia. Dave was inspired to found Special Fork, a mobile recipe website, when he was tempted to buy tilapia at the market because it was cheap. However, he refrained because he didn’t know how to cook it. Dave realized having tilapia recipes easily accessible on his smartphone would have enabled him to buy and cook tilapia or any other unfamiliar ingredients that he’s like to try cooking.

Dave, a competent novice cook, is CEO and Co-Founder of Special Fork. He is responsible for the design and features of the mobile recipe website and runs the Special Fork business. Dave has over 10 years of experience in the high tech industry, his last three years focused on the mobile space. Most recently Dave was the Manager for Mobile Devices at Virgin Mobile USA where he oversaw special edition handsets.

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Easy Ravioli – the Secret is Wonton Wrappers

By Sandy Hu

Here’s a ravioli that even cooking newbies can make because it uses wonton wrappers instead of handmade ravioli dough. You cook up a simple pumpkin-walnut filling, spoon a tablespoon between two layers of wonton wrappers, and, using your fingertip, seal with water.

Cook up your plump pillows of dough in a pot of salted boiling water for two minutes and serve with a brown butter and walnut sauce. It’s that easy.

If you keep a package of wonton wrappers and a bagful of walnuts in your freezer, and a can of pumpkin in your pantry, this dish can be your go-to meal, anytime.

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Almond Tabbouleh in Tomato Cups

By Allison Kociuruba

There’s nothing like tomato season in my kitchen. From caprese to BLTs and fresh pasta sauce, I am constantly searching for ways to serve tomatoes for dinner. This week I’m trying an easy, virtually no-cook recipe that can be served as a first course or a vegetarian supper.

Tomatoes, particularly the large heirlooms we find at the farmers’ market, are great for stuffing and you can find uses for the pulp after you hollow out the tomatoes, so there’s no waste! This tabbouleh, studded with roasted almonds and the vibrant flavors of fresh parsley and mint, comes together easily and makes the perfect filling for the tomatoes.

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