Friday, 11 April 2014

Sweet Hot Salty

This weekend Sweet & Hot Salty Nuts with a Negroni

Sweet & Hot Salty Nuts

Oven Temperature: 400 F
Baking Time : 10 minutes for Nuts
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes for candy mixture
Equipment: candy thermometer (optional), jelly roll pan, large heavy saucepan

 Ingredients

3 cups pecans
1 cups almonds
1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
Or
5 cups total your favorite mixed nuts and seeds

11/2 cups sugar
1 cup corn syrup, light or golden
1/3 cup water

2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp each salt & vanilla
1-2 Tbsp hot sauce,

1 Tbsp butter, to grease pan

Course salt to taste

Order of Events

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix together nuts and seeds on a jelly roll pan and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes to roast. Remove from oven and set aside.

  1. In a large heavy saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, and water, mix thoroughly. Bring to a rolling simmer on medium heat. Simmer until candy thermometer reads 290 F which is the soft crack stage. This will take approximately 10-15 minutes. Do not stir when simmering as this will lower the temperature and take longer to reach the soft crack stage. The syrup will be rolling and bubbly. If you do not have a candy thermometer drip a drop of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. Remove from water and pull apart between fingers. The soft crack stage has been reached when syrup forms firm but pliable threads.

  1. In a small bowl mix together butter, vanilla, salt and hot sauce while sugar mixture is simmering.

  1. Remove roasted nuts from pan. Line pan with parchment paper or grease pan with 1 Tbsp of butter. Add nuts back, spread out in a thin layer.


  1. When sugar mixture reaches 290 F, soft crack stage, remove it from heat; carefully stir in butter, vanilla, salt and hot sauce. It will sizzle and steam. Using an oven mitt on the pot and a spatula carefully drizzle sugar mixture evenly over nuts. Use the spatula to gently move the nuts apart a bit and let the hot mixture seep through. Sprinkle with course salt. Cool completely, break into pieces.

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