On our very first visit to José Noé in Piedmont, we asked whether he could process his outstanding hazelnuts into a hazelnut and chocolate cream. He pointed out that this would require a precise composition of ingredients and a special machine. Both obstacles have now been overcome and now, after a lot of time and several discarded recipes, we can offer our take on a hazelnut chocolate cream. The efforts have paid off: the roasted hazelnut has a subtle flavor, but at the same time combines with the other ingredients - cocoa, sugar, bourbon vanilla and milk powder - to create an all-round harmonious taste. The consistency is also perfect: creamy and spreadable.

José Noè from Lequio Berria in Piedmont is a hazelnut grower with a passion. When you meet him in the hills of the Langhe and witness him carefully inspecting his hazelnut groves with an alert, scrutinizing eye, it becomes immediately clear why he chose the very path he is unswervingly following today. Initially working for over 30 years in a research center for raw materials for the confectionery industry, Noè realized that the course for quality was already set in agriculture, which finally brought him literally back to his origins, to his parents' farm, which he took over in order to grow his own hazelnut trees from then on - with organic fertilization and entirely without pesticides - and to market the harvest himself. A quite unusual project, the cultivation of the nuts was considered rather as a typical regional sideline, which represented a secure, albeit modest source of income.

When José Noè speaks today about his hazelnut trees, it sounds downright affectionate, although they keep him over the year plenty on the go. Thus, the cultivation on the partly steep, on average at 680 meters above sea level situated single sites is arduous - but only there prevail the optimal climatic conditions for the variety 'Tonda Gentile delle Langhe'. The autochthonous variety is now considered the best in the world, and not only by connoisseurs. The harvest alone, which begins at the end of August, lasts longer than six weeks. As soon as the fully ripe nuts fall to the ground, Noè collects them together with an employee to prevent them from absorbing too much soil moisture - a shaken amount of work with 4,200 trees on about 12 hectares.

Sales description:

Hazelnut chocolate cream with real Piedmont hazelnuts

Ingredients:

Piedmont hazelnut with protected designation of origin I.G.P. (60%), cane sugar, skimmed milk powder, skimmed cocoa powder (5%), bourbon vanilla

Storage and preparation instructions:

Store in a cool, dry place.

Origin / provenance:

Italy

Responsible food business operator:

Azienda Agricola Papa dei Boschi Via Pianravero 9 12050 Lequio Berria (CN) Italy