RECIPE: Rec: Michael Chiarello's Spiced Candied Walnuts....brilliant for gifts and appetizers

RECIPE:
M

marilynfl

Moderator
I've linked the recipe below. It's at napastyle.com, Michael's website, if my first attempt at links doesn't work.

I was swayed over the dark side of spicy candied nuts while visiting Austin. Bars served them along with drinks and we couldn't get enough. I researched a few recipes and the process seemed a little convoluted, what with preparing simple syrups and long baking times rife with warnings.

These are really tasty and very, very easy to make. Steps: 1 minute boiling (to remove bitter tannins), 30 seconds spent fantasizing about Ina Garten's Paris kitchen while tossing the wet nuts in powdered sugar (to candy), and 1 minute deep frying in peanut oil to crisp. Toss with spice and you're DONE!

I was a tad wary of the ease of this recipe compared with more tradition recipes, so we tried one cup of nuts as a test run. They never made it out of the kitchen. Lar and I just made 6 pounds as hostess gifts last weekend.

Note: We didn't use the spice mixture in this recipe...we used his "Toasted Spice Rub" mixture that Barbara in VA posted earlier. It has the same ingredients as this recipe, plus a few others. I'll post that next.

When done, I put the nuts in large jar until I bag them in cello bags or canning jars. That will come when I have a bit more time.

Enjoy!
 
Last edited:
Rec: Michael Chiarello's Toasted Spice Rub

Marilyn's note: We reduced the 1/4 C fennel seed to 2 TABLESPOONS so the spice mix wasn't overwhelmingly fennel-ly tasting.

*********************************


Date: Sun, 09 Jan 2005 19:37:06 GMT
From: Barbara in VA (@68.230.186.50 ())

Rec: Toasted Spice Rub
Source: Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking
(I love this cookbook!)

Michael's Notes: I originally created a
version of this spice mix for a chicken
dish, but I also like to use it on lamb,
shrimp, and fish. It's delicious stirred
into rice and it transforms a pot of beans.
I add a pinch to soups that need a lift and
to scrambled eggs and omlets.

Don't let the amount of chili powder put you
off. California chili powder is almost
sweet, not hot. It is not a blend of
chilies and other seasonings, like the kind
you would use in Texas-style chili.
Instead, it is pure ground chilies. Taste
your powder, and if it's hot, use less than
the recipe indicates.

Toasting releases the aromatic oils in
spices, resulting in a more complex flavor.

1/4 C fennel seed
1 T coriander seed
1 T black peppercorns
1 1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/4 C pure California chili powder
2 T kosher salt
2 T ground cinnamon

Put the fenned seed, coriander seed and
peppercorns in a small, heavy skillet over
moderate heat. Watching carefully, toss the
seeds frequently so they toast evenly. When
the fennel seed turns light brown, work
quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the
red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss,
always under the fan. Immediately turn the
spice mixture out onto a plate to cool.

Pour the cooled spices into a blender and
add the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Blend until the spices are finely and evenly
ground. If you have a small spice mill or a
coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices,
grind only the fennel, coriander,
peppercorns and red pepper flakes. Pour
into a bowl and toss with the remaining
ingredients. Keep the spice mix in an
airtight container away from light and heat,
for up to 4 months, or freeze for up to 1
year.

Enjoy!
 
Last edited:
Here's where I ordered my fresh walnuts...they are really fresh and beautiful!

I ordered 6 pounds of "out of shell" nuts for $5 a pound. Shipping was Priority Mail, Flat rate and they arrived 2 days after I ordered them.

These nuts were just beautiful. They were packaged in 3 pound bags and, using a 4 C glass Pyrex measuring cup, I sorted them to get the halves. Out of 14 cups of nuts, there were 10 cups of perfect halves, 1 cup of halves with a small piece missing, 1 C of quarters and 2 cups of pieces.

Out of all six pounds, I only removed 4 nuts--and the squirrels got those!

I saved the pieces for baking and made 3 batches (4 Cups each) from each 3 pounds of nuts. These candied nuts ended up looking as good as store-bought gourmet ones. In fact, they look just like the photo in Michael's recipe.



Enjoy

http://www.walnuts.us/

 
Thanks for your tips on the nuts....

I hope to get some made for my middle daughter. She absolutely loves spiced nuts! Do you think you could do the same way with other kinds such as pecans or almonds? I don't see why not, do you?

Sure is good to see you! I've miss you, Missy!

 
Definitely with pecans...I'm not sure about the boiling and almonds...

If you start with raw, the boiling stage will soften the skin and the rest of the procedure might not work because the peel would be pulled away from the nut. Do almonds have the same tannin issue as walnuts? I don't think so. I'll bet if you use PEELED raw almonds, dunk them in boiling just to moisten, and do the rest of the steps it would work. Or else start with roasted almonds, wet them, go to the powdered sugar stage, then fry.

The beauty of this method is you can try a small batch without a lot of bother. Even the oil stage can be done with just a cup. I'd try both the raw and roasted almond to see which ended up best.

 
Thanks for the information! I'm saving this with the recipe for whenever I can get to them.....

As always, you're so knowledgable!

Thx!

((hug))

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top