beurre de cajou

as i write this post, i'm reminded of a quote from salvador dalí that i read about yesterday afternoon while exploring the dalí universe at the county hall gallery. it's something along the lines of judging a creative based on how much they inspire others rather than how much they are inspired themselves.

in the food blogging world, one of the many blogs that i get very inspired by is clotilde's chocolate and zucchini. this inspirational french food blogger constantly shares interesting and unusual food ideas that you just don't find in cookbooks or cooking magazines.

clotilde's recent post on beurre de cajou or cashew butter was so compelling that i rushed to my pantry to see if i had any cashew nuts or peanuts on stock because i wanted to make this butter immediately. i did have about a cup of unsalted cashews so i immediately roasted them for about five minutes at 400 degrees F in my toaster oven. i waited for the roasted nuts to cool for about ten minutes and then i put them in my food processor and started grinding.

the process of the nuts turning into butter is wonderfully magical. they first disintegrate into fine cashew dust and then slowly, as you keep grinding, the fine dust starts releasing the oil and all the powder starts sticking together to form a buttery texture. i suppose you can keep grinding till the butter is as smooth as you like but i quite like it a bit chunky so i stopped after a few minutes of the butter forming.

you can spread the cashew butter on your morning toast or use as a filling in a dessert crepe. it also makes a great spread on sliced apples. i'm going to try making peanut butter soon. i just can't imagine ever wanting to buy the commercial variety ever again!