Nocino
- 30 green walnuts, rinsed and dried
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 whole cloves
- 4 strips lemon zest, each about 1 inch (3 cm) wide
- 2 1/2 cups (500 g) sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 quart (1 liter) vodka
- Using a chefs knife or cleaver, quarter each walnut.
- (Use caution, as the husks are tough to cut through.
- I press a cleaver gently into the skin, then, holding my hands far away from the blade, crack the nut in half on a cutting board.)
- Put the quartered walnuts in a large glass container along with the cinnamon, cloves, lemon zest, and sugar.
- Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the container, then drop in the pod.
- Add the vodka.
- Cover and let stand 6 to 8 weeks at room temperature, agitating the container daily.
- When ready to bottle, using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the walnuts and remove the vanilla pod (it can be rinsed, dried, and used for another purpose; see page 14).
- Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a coffee filter, then funnel the nocino into clean bottles and cork tightly.
- Nocino will keep for several years stored in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator.
- To make NOCINO CUSTARDS , in a medium saucepan, warm 2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream, 1 cup (250 ml) half-and-half, and 9 tablespoons (135 g) sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar; remove from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 6 large egg yolks, then gradually whisk in the warmed cream mixture along with 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large measuring cup, then stir in 1/2 cup (125 ml) nocino.
- Divide the mixture among eight 4- to 6-ounce (125- to 180-ml) ramekins or custard cups set in a roasting pan.
- Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake in a 350F (175C) oven until the custards are just barely set, about 30 minutes.
green walnuts, cinnamon sticks, cloves, lemon zest, sugar, vanilla bean, liter
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/nocino-379684 (may not work)