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.
>
>
>


Soak the dried apricots first. Experiment with different soaking times
to see what level of hydration works the best.

You also might try freezing the apricots in liquid nitrogen, then
grinding them with a sturdy mortar and pestle -- maybe a Mexican
molcajete y tejolote.

HTH, :-)
Bob