Nocino (Green Walnut Liqueur) & Vin de Noix

[olivina]

I ordered green walnuts from Mt. Lassen like Rien. I was a little late for their official harvest but they were so nice to go back out and harvest a few more for me. I don't know if its way too late now for California but you might try calling them at 530 839-2178.

Good luck! Please let us know if you find a Washington/Oregon walnut farm willing to sell the green ones.

Are any of you really nice Oregon residents coming up to Seattle in the next few weeks? I could use more walnuts and maybe some of that bread from Ken's. Am willing to trade or maybe even cash....

[olivina]

Jim, My walnuts just arrived and I am charmed by their smell. They have like a green pear skin backed by a deeper walnut base. I noticed in your last nocino recipe, you didn't use spices. I like the idea of just the nuts and alcohol if it makes the nocino taste more pure, less distracting.

Is that why you skip the spices?

Looks like I'll have to use vodka, Everclear is not in my near future and I need to get these guys in the sun before we lose the sun in Seattle.

[trillium]

Nocino recipes vary from house to house, you can make it with or without spices, I don't think there are any two "recipes" that are alike.

To my taste, a vanilla pod is always a nice addition and doesn't seem to distract from the nutty and herbal taste of the green walnuts. I've found the problem with the spices is that they start out balanced by the nut taste, but with aging (+2 years) tend to predominate the flavor. I like young ones better with a little spice, old ones without. Jim is of the "in the sun" approach, whereas, I like to do my alcohol extractions in a cool dark place. When you do it in a dark spot it takes longer, but I like the taste better. I also use my walnuts much earlier then Jim does, I them to still have a shell that you can cut easily (or the classice test to check is to put a needle through them) because I like the taste better when they're younger. Just do what you think sounds the best and you can always experiment with something new next year!

regards,

trillium

[trillium]

Another good one to make this time of year is "44".  I take 1 orange or two small tangerines (this year it was clemintines) and slit them and insert 44 coffee beans into the fruit. 

I made some "44" last year. Quite good and I still have a bit left. How do you drink it/use it? I've tried it chilled and, on the recommendation of a French friend whose family used to make it, with white wine, ice, and an orange slice. I've also used it in desserts.

Have I covered all the bases?

Thanks,

Rien

Pretty much! For desserts you mean brushing dried cakes with it and that sort of thing, right? It keeps forever in a cool dark place, and you might find you like the flavor even better after a year or two. I like to include a leaf or two of whatever citrus I'm using in my infusion as well, it makes a rounder more herbal flavor.

regards,

trillium

[Rien]

For desserts you mean brushing dried cakes with it and that sort of thing, right?

I've tried a number of dessert applications. From very simple - drizzling over vanilla gelato - to fairly elaborate ... using it to create syrups/reductions, poaching fruit, in a sweet fouace/fougasse (based off the recipe in Larousse), and to make zabaglione. Whenever I see a sweet recipe calling for marsala, sherry, or port, I contemplate replacing it with 44.

[olivina]

  They do give a walnut stain (ha ha) to your cutting board and hands.

I used food service gloves while choppin' my nuts and avoided the fearsome walnut stains. Kind of goofy advice, but I figured I should add a little something I learned after all the knowledge from Jim and Trillium. Thank you so much!

Cheers in December,

Carla

[ScorchedPalate]

Trolling around on the SF Chronicle website, I happened upon this article from May:

Green-walnut wines are steeped in tradition

It covers vin de noix, plus orahovac, nocino/nocello.

~A

[Rien]

I used food service gloves while choppin' my nuts and avoided the fearsome walnut stains.

I use regular medical latex gloves. I have them on hand from my days drawing with charcoal and painting with oils ... I didn't feel like destroying my hands for "art," why should I destroy them for drink?

rien

[olivina]

I couldn't resist and got into my batch of nocino this week. I'm happy to report that it is pretty good.

I've been offering it alone as digestivo or in a shot of espresso for a kind of caffe corretto and people are liking it lots. I'd infused it with a vanilla bean (Trillium's suggestion) instead of the spices, so I think it works with espresso because of that.

Has anyone else tried their nocino yet this year?

[Abra]

Last year I missed the green walnut window and I'd really like to make vin de noix this year. Does anyone know where I can get a household-sized quantity of nuts?

[Jim Dixon]

Drive down to Portland. Our tree is usually loaded, and I can only use so many.

Jim

[bleudauvergne]

I also missed the window... But this year I am going to get some for sure.

[FoodMan]

I am very intrigued by this and according to the nocino thread linked above, Mount Lassen Farmes should have green walnuts soon. My question is, are both Vin De Noix and Nocino pretty much the same thing? With the exception that the first uses wine and the second grain alcohol?

Are they used in the same way?

I might actually make both. I love wine/alcohol home concoction such as Limoncello and more recently Ratafia.

Elie

[Abra]

Jim, I might really take you up on it, if that's a real offer. We love Portland and always need an excuse to come down. When will they be ready, and will you really have enough? And if that doesn't work out, I'm delighted to have a mail order source. I've never had nocino, but vin de noix is a wonderful treat that I've only had in Provence, and I'm longing to have more.

Lucy, do you have a favorite recipe? Do we think it matters a lot what red wine you start with? Something Provencal?

[Jensen]

Lucy, do you have a favorite recipe?  Do we think it matters a lot what red wine you start with?  Something Provencal?

←

And, as mentioned in the other thread, could one really use pecans? I have a pecan tree in my yard but no walnuts (although I think there are walnuts growing down by the river).

[Abra]

I don't know about pecans. I'm pretty sure there are no pecans in France, and for my first try, I really want to replicate that French flavor that haunts me.

[FoodMan]

I sent an e-mail to Mount LAssen last week asking for green walnuts and I got this response:

The walnuts are just now emerging and forming. The Green walnuts are usually

ready toward the end of June. We will put you on our email notification

list. If you don't hear from us by the last week of June please email us

again.

Thanks for the inquiry.

The Rumiano Brothers

So the end of June it is. I will make sure to contact them if they do not email me first. I am thinking about making Vin de Noix, Nocino and pickled green walnuts from the St. John book.

Elie

[Abra]

Thanks, FoodMan! I'll drop them a note too, in case Jim decides that he really needs all of his walnuts this year.

[Jim Dixon]

Abra,

Most of our walnuts end up in the compost, so I'm serious. Late June is about the right time here, too.

Jim

[k43]

Be sure to keep it refrigerated and use it fast. It goes rancid quicker than almost anything.

[FoodMan]

Be sure to keep it refrigerated and use it fast.  It goes rancid quicker than almost anything.

←

the nuts or the vin? I am assuming you mean the nuts, but want to be sure.

Elie

[divina]

In Florence Italy, nocino is also a tradition and the walnuts are harvested on June 24th which is St John the Baptist's day, patron Saint of Florence.

As for using other nuts, or shelled walnuts, the green walnuts stain your hands while working with them and hence give the liquor a wonderful color!

here is my recipe on my site.

Nocino recipe at the bottom of the page

I used vodka in the recipe here for those that can't get whole grain which is prefered!

I was recently in California teaching and bought Everclear ( whole grain Alcohol) at Beverages and More.. it was only 75% alcohol, instead of the 95% we get here in Italy, so you can use less simple syrup ... and make it more potent!

Walnuts may ripen earlier in California.. you should be able to easily cut through them with a chefs knife.

Edited April 29, 2005 by divina (log)

[FoodMan]

In Florence Italy, nocino is also a tradition and the walnuts are harvested on June 24th which is St John the Baptist's day, patron Saint of Florence.

As for using other nuts, or shelled walnuts, the green walnuts stain your hands while working with them and hence give the liquor a wonderful color!

here is my recipe on my site.

Nocino recipe at the bottom of the page

I used vodka in the recipe here for those that can't get  whole grain which is prefered!

I was recently in California teaching and bought Everclear ( whole grain Alcohol) at Beverages and More.. it was only 75% alcohol, instead of the 95% we get here in Italy, so you can use less simple syrup ... and make it more potent!

Walnuts may ripen earlier in California.. you should be able to easily cut through them with a chefs knife.

←

Divina- I do not see any simple syrup in your recipe, only sugar. Do you mean reduce the amount of sugar to make it more potent?

Elie

[divina]

sorry.. I was thinking of my everclear recipe.. as for limoncello, which is on the same page..

usually I add a simple syrup to the Everclear, to make it about 35%-45% hence drinkable.

The vodka version only needs to be sweetened as you can drink the vodka as is.

[FoodMan]

sorry.. I was thinking of my everclear recipe.. as for limoncello, which is on the same page..

usually I add a simple syrup to the Everclear, to make it about 35%-45% hence drinkable.

The vodka version only needs to be sweetened as you can drink the vodka as is.

←

Ok, that makes mroe sense .

Abra- What recipe for Vin De Noix will you be using? Do you have one you could share?