Recipes: April 2005 Archives

One of the great culinary joys of living in the Northwest is the fast-food chain Burgerville. Although it may not have the classic simplicity of In-N-Out, it does a great job of promoting local products. I'm always checking their marquee for new announcements, and making statments like:
"Oh look, it's that time of year again for Walla-Walla onion rings"
or
"Ooh, I can't wait to try sweet potato fries instead of regular fries."

However, nothing gets me more excited than discovering they have a new seasonal milkshake, especially when it is the unbeatable Chocolate Hazelnut shake. I must have gone there on a weekly basis this past season, and now that it is April I am going to have to wait until December for another chance to taste the sweet, sweet hazelnutty goodness.

Or will I?!

While sitting through the disappointing film "Millions" my mind began to wander and I came up with the plan to satisfy my cravings, so I'm no longer at the mercy of the Burgerville shake gods. Here's how it works:

1. Use some good ice cream, I went with Tillamook Chocolate and Caramel Toffee Crunch. Use about 1 cup of each.

2. Use "Just Hazelnut Meal" from Trader Joes or a similar finely chopped up Hazelnut bag. Use 1/2 cup.

3. For a distinct flavor, use 2 tablespoons of Hazelnut flavoring syrup, I prefer Torani.

4. Add 1/2 cup of milk.

5. For my first try I used some chocolate and hazelnut flavored hot cocoa mix, but I'm confident you can omit this step and still achieve milkshake nirvana.

6. Place all ingredients in the blender and mix it up. Be careful not to liquefy, as you want a somewhat thick texture for the hazelnut bits to adhere to.

7. Check for proper thickness before consuming.

8. When satisfied, drink up.

9. Bask in the sweet, sweet glory of success.