COCKTAIL SPICED NUTS

Posted in Appetizers by sallybr

Beware. These are addictive. They seem quite innocent, sitting there with their unpretentious looks, but once you grab a few, you’ll be back for more. Perhaps more than you thought you would. Most recipes call for way too much sugar, I used just enough to give a hint of sweetness. They are more about spice. Not too much, though. Honestly, I think they are close to perfection, but feel free to change the proportion of spices, add different ones, and if that’s what rocks your boat, add more sugar. Just make sure to include the egg whites, they offer a natural “glue” for the spice mixture to adhere to the nuts, and a very delicate texture after baking. These keep well at room temperature, so they could turn into excellent gifts for the holidays inside a nice plastic bag with a cute bow. If you are into that sort of thing.

COCKTAIL SPICED NUTS
(adapted from several sources)

3 cups nuts of your choice (I used walnuts, cashews, and almonds)
1 Tablespoon water
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon hot curry

Heat oven to 250 F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with oil spray.

Combine all spices in a small bowl. Reserve.

In a large bowl, whisk egg white with water until frothy, season with the teaspoon of salt and mix well. Add the nuts to the bowl, and combine everything well, mixing gently but thoroughly. Try to coat the nuts evenly with the egg white.

Add the sugary and spice mixture. Spread over the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 45 to 60 minutes, moving it around every 15 minutes or so, until fragrant and starting to get golden brown.

Remove from oven, let it cool completely, and break the pieces to serve. I like to transfer it to another baking sheet covered with paper towels so that it cools a bit faster and any excess fat is absorbed by the paper.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I made two batches of these nuts over the past few weeks. Once in a regular oven, once in the crock pot. Yes, you read that right, in the crock pot. The advantage is simply saving space in the regular oven, which was at a premium over Thanksgiving. So I opted to bake them in the slow-cooker, and there they sat, low and slow. You need to watch them a bit carefully after 45 minutes, because the sugar might start to stick at the bottom and get too dark. Just move them around and it will be fine. If using the crock pot, cook them on high for one hour, reduce to low and cook for another 60 to 90 minutes although they might be ready sooner, depending on the power of your gadget. Once they are ready, spread them on a baking sheet and let them cool completely. That is it. Nice and easy. I am inclined to say I preferred the texture when they cooked in the crock pot, but both methods ended up very similar.

During the holidays, meals tend towards heavy and rich, so I rather skip appetizers like a cheese platter or goodies that involve bread and crackers. These nuts are a good option. A little serving of olives next to them and you are all set. They are so tasty that I notice some guests nibbling on them after dessert on Thanksgiving dinner… If that’s not a great endorsement, I don’t know what would be…

ONE YEAR AGO: How the Mighty Have Fallen

TWO YEARS AGO: Festive Night at Central

THREE YEARS AGO: The Perfect Boiled Egg

FOUR YEARS AGO: Light Rye Sourdough with Cumin and Orange

FIVE YEARS AGO: Homemade Calziones

SIX YEARS AGO: Plum-Glazed Duck Breasts

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Holiday Double-Decker

EIGHT YEARS AGO: New York Deli Rye

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12Apr2016

CASHEW CREAM SAUCE

Posted in Small Dishes, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

You know how every single Paleo-lover food blogger goes on and on about the wonders of cashew cream and how it will replace melted cheese in a way you won’t believe until you try it? Well, those statements always put me into eye-rolling mode. I cannot help but mentally associate cashew cream sauce with those gluten-free donuts that look like sawdust shaped into rounds and make me want to run away screaming. Of course, I have the utmost respect for those with non-imaginary gluten allergies. But I doubt they would like those donuts. In some cases, if you cannot have the real thing, better skip it altogether. But, back to the cashew cream. I am here to say I was absolutely wrong in my assessment. The stuff is awesome. Awesome. I made it, and could not stop sampling a little teaspoon here and there, I drizzled it over everything. Then, when I considered dunking a chocolate cookie into it, Phil pointed out that maybe I was getting a bit carried away. Fine. My next batch will be divided in two, and one of them will have coconut sugar in it. Or maybe maple syrup. And I shall dunk a cookie into it. You better believe it. Whatever your take on Paleo nutrition, open your gastronomic horizons, and made this sauce.

CASHEW CREAM SAUCE
(adapted from many sources)

1 cup raw cashews
Water
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Place raw cashews in a bowl and add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Soak cashews at room temperate for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse very well.

Add drained nuts to a powerful blender with 3/4 cup cold water, the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Process until very smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Adjust consistency with extra water if you like. Season with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste. Sauce will keep in the fridge for a few days, and it can also be frozen.

ENJOY! (I know you will…)

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: What can I say? I regret it took me so long to finally try this recipe. If I have one criticism about it is that cashews can be pricey, but if that was not the case, I would make it regularly. I can now understand why so many people make fake Alfredo sauce with it. You can find quite a few variations online, some add nutritional yeast to take it on a slightly more “cheesy” path, but I decided to keep it simple. Basically you must soak the cashews for a few hours, discard the water. Process with a slightly acidic ingredient, sometimes a little olive oil is also added, season with salt and you are done. Variations with sugar can be used to drizzle over fresh fruit, and I’m dying to try that soon. For the moment though, I leave you with a photo of a recent lunch which was enjoyed three days in a row. Ground chicken sautéed with mushrooms, green curry paste, garam masala, and ginger. Spooned over butter lettuce leaves. And topped with this magical sauce…

Cashew Cream Sauce…. It’s been a pleasure to meet you!

ONE YEAR AGO: Blood Orange Margaritas

TWO YEARS AGO: Smoked Salmon Appetizer

THREE YEARS AGO: Clementine Cake

FOUR YEARS AGO: Springtime Spinach Risotto

FIVE YEARS AGO: The end of green bean cruelty

SIX YEARS AGO: Torta di Limone e Mandorle

7Nov2014

HELEN FLETCHER’S OATMEAL COOKIES

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

A few months ago I started following the blog hosted by Helen Fletcher, a fantastic baker who has this to say about her site:

With 25 years experience owning and operating a wholesale specialty bakery servicing hotels, restaurants and caterers, I am going to share a wealth of information I’ve gained over those years with you.

That would definitely be enough to capture my attention, but once I started browsing her site one more thing became clear: Helen not only has tremendous experience in baking, but she is also a natural teacher. You know how some people have a special talent to explain things clearly, to emphasize what really matters? That is exactly what she does. She is also the author of three cookbooks: The New Pastry Cookbook, European Tarts, and Baking as a Business (available in PDF format).

Just to give you a glimpse of the recipes (actually they are more like tutorials) available on her site, here are some of the ones that tempt me: 27 Layer Tuille Torte, Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Torte, A Trio of Angel Food Cakes, Orange Almond Madeleines, and even the show-stopping Hungarian Dobos Torte calls my name, as her instructions are so detailed. Now, don’t hold your breath, I am not attempting that one… yet. Taking baby steps, I started with harmless cookies.

OATMEAL COOKIES
(recipe reprinted with permission from Helen S. Fletcher – Pastries like a Pro)

3 cups old-fashioned Quaker Oats (do not use the quick cooking type!)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour (160 grams or 5 2/3 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar (225 grams or 8 ounces)
1 cup sugar (200 grams or 7 ounces)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (114 grams, 4 ounces or 1 stick)
1/2 cup shortening (114 grams or 4 ounces)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound total chocolate chips, raisins, dried fruit or nuts in any combination (454 grams)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.

Cream the sugars, butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined. Add the vanilla. If the mixture curdles, don’t worry about it.

Add the flour mixture half at a time, beating on low until completely combined. Lastly, add the nuts, chips or whatever you are adding in.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the cookies using a #40 disher or 2 tablespoons spacing them apart. Double pan and bake for 9 minutes, turn and bake 8 to 9 more. They should still be puffy when you pull them out. They will drop and finish baking on the baking sheet as they cool. Cool for about 8 to 10 minutes and remove to a cooling rack with a spatula. Cool completely.

Yield: Approximately 50 – 3 inch cookies.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: What made me want to make this recipe right away was this statement by Helen: “I wish I had a nickel for every time someone told me how much they loved this oatmeal cookie. It is not your usual oatmeal cookie… This is a chocolate chip version that is not shy on spices.” Oatmeal, chocolate, and spices. Cannot go wrong with those. As the recipe says, you can add any combination of nuts, dried fruits, and the type of chocolate you like, as long as you keep the high proportion of add-ons. That is important to give the cookies their unique texture. I used white and dark chocolate chips, walnuts, and dried cranberries. Finally, how could I skip a recipe that includes this line in the instructions?

If the mixture curdles, don’t worry about it…
😉

If only cake baking could work smoothly like that! I would be making genoises as if they were going out of style… I exchanged a few emails with Helen, to get her opinion on halving the recipe: 50 cookies seemed like too many. She was very nice, and gently tried to convince me to make the full batch. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that she was right, and I should have followed her advice. My batch made 20 cookies, as I tend to follow Phil’s preferences, and make cookies a little larger than average. The cookies vanished too fast, a full batch would have been better. Oh, well. When a pro speaks, you should listen. That’s what I keep trying to convey to our graduate students, but sometimes my shockingly wise words fall into deaf ears. Which explains 57% of my gray hair.

If a pro speaks, pay attention. If the mixture curdles, don’t worry about it.
(free advice given to you by your bewitching hostess)

ONE YEAR AGO: Thai-Style Pesto with Brown Rice Pasta

TWO YEARS AGO: Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

THREE YEARS AGO: A Simple Appetizer (Baked Ricotta)

FOUR YEARS AGO: Sour Cream Sandwich Bread

FIVE YEARS AGO: Pasta with Zucchini Strands and Shrimp

9Dec2010

PEPPERY CASHEW CRUNCH

Posted in Appetizers, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

Last weekend I made these spicy nuts for a get-together in our nano-house, to watch the Oklahoma x Nebraska college football game. A nail-biter of a game, fortunately with a happy ending for us OU fans. Anxiety is a lot easier to take if you have something to munch on… 😉

The pepper coating gives this nuts an unusual look, but once you grab the first one, you will be going back for more, deliciously addictive they are. You can substitute almonds, walnuts, in fact the original recipe called for whole, blanched almonds, but they did not have them at the store, I went with cashews instead. Extremely simple to prepare, with just the right balance of salty, hot, and sweet. Great recipe!

BLACK PEPPER CASHEWS
(adapted from Bon Appetit, 1997)

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp water
2 cups whole cashews
1 Tbs ground black pepper
2 tsp salt

Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and butter the foil to prevent the nuts from sticking. Heat the oven to 350 F.

Melt the butter in a skillet, add the brown sugar and water, mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the cashews, mix them carefully to coat with the butter/sugar, lower the heat and cook, stirring often, for a few minutes, until the coating thickens slightly. Meanwhile, mix the ground pepper and the salt in a small bowl.

Add half of the pepper/salt mixture to the cashews, mix gently. Working quickly, transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, pressing with a spatula to keep them in a single layer. Sprinkle the rest of the black pepper/salt all over, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Let it cool over a rack, then break the nuts apart, storing them in an air-proof container (they won’t last very long, they tend to mysteriously disappear).

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Folks in the cooking forum Eat.at raved about this recipe, and their enthusiasm was what made me try it. Plus, I tend to like contrasting flavors, so the idea of mixing brown sugar, salt, and pepper immediately perked my interest. I imagine other seasonings could work too: a little hot paprika, ground cumin… definitely worth experimenting.

ONE YEAR AGO: Ossobuco Milanese (one of my favorite dishes!)