In article >, Mark Thorson
> wrote:

> I had an unsuccessful experiment today. I tried running
> hazelnuts and dried apricots through my Champion juicer.
> Shortly after starting, it was obviously that the juicer was
> bogging down too much, and I terminated the experiment.
>
> Hazelnuts alone work quite well, making a rather runny
> nut butter. I was hoping to create a more interesting
> flavor combination, with the apricots adding a little
> tartness and sweetness that the hazelnuts alone don't
> have. I didn't want to use apricot jam or preserves,
> because the hazelnut butter itself is runny enough.
> If I could make it a little stiffer, that would be nice.
> Also, I want the most concentrated flavors I can get,
> hence the dried fruit.
>
> I was alternating a small handful of nuts with a small
> handful of apricots, pushing them along with the tamper.
> Once I ran into trouble, I noticed the motor bogging
> down even without pushing more in with the tamper.
> At that point, I gave up rather than risk damaging the
> motor. Upon disassembly of the head, I found a very
> stiff deposit of mashed up apricot and hazelnut, just
> like what I was trying to create.
>
> Any suggestions how to proceed further? What sort
> of machine could handle dried apricots, turning them
> into a paste? I could perhaps make the hazelnut butter
> in the Champion, then combine it with the apricots
> made using some other machine, if I knew what that
> machine was. Perhaps a meat grinder?
>
> I considered dicing the apricots before adding them
> to the Champion, but the problem seemed not to be
> reduction of the apricots from whole, but the formation
> of the stiff paste inside the head.
>
> I've been considering buying a commercial Waring
> blender, but I'm doubtful that would be useful for this
> purpose.
>
> I've been thinking maybe I could freeze the apricots
> solid, then attack them with some sort of machine
> optimized for reduction of solids. But what would that
> machine be? Certainly not a grain mill.

What if you chopped the apricots in a food processor - a little sugar
would help keep from sticking. Then add the hazelnut butter and process
until you had the paste. JAT.
--
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