Friday, November 28, 2008

Nuts for the Party!

The past couple of months I have been experimenting with flavoring & roasting walnuts, pecans and almonds. This is the first of a few recipes that I've been satisfied with; however, there can always be improvements. My initial motivation was finger food for a martini party, but since my apartment is so tiny, the party has been put on hold. Guess I'm stuck with my experiments...

I tend to stay away from white sugar mostly because I enjoy the subtlety of natural sweeteners like Maple Syrup and Agave Nectar versus the stronger punch of white sugar. Orange zest can give anything a bit of complexity in flavor and aroma. In this quick recipe, the zest lightens up the richness of the lone pecan. Also, the white pepper addition is up to you, but I think it's a perfect compliment to the sweetness... especially when served with a cocktail!

Roasted Pecans with Orange Essence
2 Cups Whole Raw Pecans
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup Dark Amber Maple Syrup
3 tbsp orange zest
3 pinches of coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl; never hurts to sample a pecan before placing in the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread pecans out on the lined baking sheet and place in oven for about 12 minutes. To test that the nuts are fully toasted, break or bite on in half - the center should have some color. Remove from oven and drizzle with a little bit of agave nectar or maple syrup and a couple pinches of salt to your desire. Serve immediately once cooled.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

when are we having a party?! I want to serve these nuts!

Lisa Engel said...

Lets have one pronto!