kitchenklutz (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kitchenklutz) wrote2009-10-15 05:23 pm
kitchenklutz) wrote2009-10-15 05:23 pm
[Recipe] Spiced Nuts.
Again going with a recipe from Emeril's Potluck, I went for just a snack this time -- today's earlier experiment with Sausage-Stuffed Bread was enormously filling. This time, I decided to go for a starter, and despite the recipe not turning out quite how I think it was supposed to I was fairly well-satisfied with the recipe on p. 37 --
Spiced Nuts
Ingredients
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 4 cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds (I just went with two cups of almonds and two cups of pecans)
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 6 tablespoons brown sugar (I actually may have gone with 7 tablespoons here; I got distracted by something mid-measure and lost count *grin* )
* 1 teaspoon salt
Method
1. Mix spices and reserve.
2. Heat the nuts in a dry skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes. (The book is maddeningly nonspecific on what temperature to use, here; I guesstimated and went with medium-low in an attempt to not scorch the hell out of my nuts. And there's a phrase you probably won't hear very often... *facepalm* ) Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute. Add the spices, the sugar, 1 tablespoon of water, and the salt and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes.
(I suspect here is where I may have mis-stepped. I did add all the ingredients in fairly quick succession, but the water sizzled immediately and I suspect my end result there wasn't quite as sauce-like as it might've been meant to be. I didn't end up with a liquid sauce coating all the nuts so much as a sugary, quickly-solidifying bunch of small masses that only coated and glommed together a moderate percentage of the nuts well. However, that said, I can see how the technique might be used to make peanut brittle pretty well. That's a tangent for another day, though...)
3. Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork. Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
Overall, a pretty tasty snack -- if you can get your fingers on some of the nuts which are well-coated or enveloped by the spiced brown sugar. However, it felt to me as though there wasn't quite enough of the sugar-binder to really make an almost cookie-like treat. What I got was yummy enough to warrant a second try, though -- maybe with more sugar/spices?
Spiced Nuts
Ingredients
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 4 cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds (I just went with two cups of almonds and two cups of pecans)
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 6 tablespoons brown sugar (I actually may have gone with 7 tablespoons here; I got distracted by something mid-measure and lost count *grin* )
* 1 teaspoon salt
Method
1. Mix spices and reserve.
2. Heat the nuts in a dry skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes. (The book is maddeningly nonspecific on what temperature to use, here; I guesstimated and went with medium-low in an attempt to not scorch the hell out of my nuts. And there's a phrase you probably won't hear very often... *facepalm* ) Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute. Add the spices, the sugar, 1 tablespoon of water, and the salt and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes.
(I suspect here is where I may have mis-stepped. I did add all the ingredients in fairly quick succession, but the water sizzled immediately and I suspect my end result there wasn't quite as sauce-like as it might've been meant to be. I didn't end up with a liquid sauce coating all the nuts so much as a sugary, quickly-solidifying bunch of small masses that only coated and glommed together a moderate percentage of the nuts well. However, that said, I can see how the technique might be used to make peanut brittle pretty well. That's a tangent for another day, though...)
3. Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork. Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
Overall, a pretty tasty snack -- if you can get your fingers on some of the nuts which are well-coated or enveloped by the spiced brown sugar. However, it felt to me as though there wasn't quite enough of the sugar-binder to really make an almost cookie-like treat. What I got was yummy enough to warrant a second try, though -- maybe with more sugar/spices?