Apron On
Musings on Making
We don’t have much information about this apron or its context, but I think of it as a record of sorts—a garment that holds stories of work and wear and life from someone who came...
I grew up in North Carolina eating a thin, crisp black walnut cookie. Distinctively aromatic in flavor, black walnuts are native to North Carolina, and even commercially available black walnut products largely come from wild harvested nuts, which are literally tough nuts to crack. In fact, black walnut shells are used as commercial abrasives. These pizzelle harken to that set of flavors and textures but with the herbaceous depth of nettle. Not too sweet, they make a superb accompaniment to cheese, and an even better one to ice cream.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 1 Dozen
Dry
- ¼ cup black walnut protein powder (or almond powder)
- ¾ cup gluten-free flour, blend of your choice
- 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons nettle powder (see recipe on opposite page)
Wet
- 4 tablespoons aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid, or the liquid from 1 can chickpeas)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Neutral oil
Preparation
Preheat your pizzelle maker, spraying with a neutral oil. Preheat oven to 250° F.
In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together wet. Add wet to dry and combine. Batter should be thick and green.
Pour rounded tablespoonfuls of batter onto each pizzelle iron. Cook for approximately 1—2 minutes until relatively crisp.
Put cooked pizzelles onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven to bring to desired crispness.
To make the nettle powder:
During nettle season, spring to summer, dehydrate washed nettle leaves and stems (be sure to use gloves) at 100° F for approximately 10 hours until completely dry. It’s okay to substitute commercially dried nettles. Using a coffee grinder, grind nettle pieces to a powder. The powder holds flavor for up to 1 year in a cool dark place.
About this recipe
Note: Always use gloves when harvesting and working with raw nettles. If you do not have nettle powder, this may be omitted without substitution or replaced with other spices. Black walnut protein powder may be replaced with almond flour and ground anise for a more traditionally flavored pizzelle.
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