Flavored Nuts

[JAZ]

Another question, since it's still too humid to do anything.

All the recipes I've seen using egg whites also call for sugar. But what if I want a strictly savoury nut with no sweetness at all? Can I still use egg whites?

Another question, what purpose does boiling the nuts serve? I tried JAZ's recipe once, and I didn't really care for it--I thought because of the boiling water (but it may have been because I don't really like walnuts). They just didn't seem to have that nice toasted flavour, even after I baked them. Could a recipe like that still work if I just skipped the boiling water step?

One of the first spiced nut recipes I ever made was one from (I think) Gourmet magazine for cajun pecans. It called for whipping egg whites and mixing in Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, then the nuts. Then you sprinkled them with salt, black and white pepper, cayenne and thyme. So, no sugar, and they were great.

As for the walnuts, the boiling water serves two purposes: it makes the walnut skins less bitter and tannic, and it also makes the sugar melt, so you have a syrup that coats the nuts evenly. They do get toasted, although since they start out wet it takes longer than with dry nuts. I've had batches that took nearly 45 minutes to toast, and if you don't have the nuts in a single layer, it takes even longer.

[Pam R]

I have found that if I`m making sweet flavoured nuts (with plenty of sugar) using the egg white keeps them softer than when I just use sugar. The plain sugar melts and becomes a hard caramel. Using the whites makes them easier to bite and fork (I make sugar and spiced pecans that get added to a salad).

[prasantrin]

I was going to do my first experiment tonight, but I had forgotten that I didn't have any eggs. Oops. So I melted some butter in a pan, then added some cashews and tossed them around. Then I put them on a baking sheet, tossed them with Penzey's Barbeque of the Americas, and baked them for about 10 minutes.

Not bad, but I feel I need more spice to it. If I can remember to buy eggs tomorrow, I'm going to try the Epicurious recipe.

[Shel_B]

I bought a couple of pounds of unsalted nuts with the intent of adding my own blend of salt and pepper to them, but the seasoning doesn't stick to the nuts and just falls to the bottom of the bowl. How can I get the salt and pepper to stick to the nuts, preferably without adding a lot of oil, fat, or sweeteners like honey?

[faronem]

You didn't mention which nuts, but I imagine you could lightly toast them in a dry skillet until the oils come to the surface, then season while hot.

[Shel_B]

You didn't mention which nuts, but I imagine you could lightly toast them in a dry skillet until the oils come to the surface, then season while hot.

Sounds like it's worth a try. Thanks!

[weinoo]

That's what I do - but don't feel bad about adding a teaspoon or two of oil or butter to the nuts once they're lightly toasted.

[Chris Hennes]

Do you add the oil while they are still hot? Or does it not matter?

[JAZ]

I bought a couple of pounds of unsalted nuts with the intent of adding my own blend of salt and pepper to them, but the seasoning doesn't stick to the nuts and just falls to the bottom of the bowl. How can I get the salt and pepper to stick to the nuts, preferably without adding a lot of oil, fat, or sweeteners like honey?

Your best bet, if you don't use egg whites, sugar or honey, is to use very finely ground salt and pepper -- the smaller the particle size, the more likely the seasonings will stick to the nuts.

[Darienne]

Oh my, oh my. I have just come upon this recipe, which I found in my binder while searching for something else, for spiced candied nuts with a Szechwan variant. Made them. If you like hot stuff, Szechwan and Hunan food, pepper on just about everything, you will love them. :wub:

but just found it online here. I know this is not where I originally found it!! But here it is, down almost at the bottom of the page.

If you do try it, here's a couple of post-making hints. First to use a candy thermometer I had to go for a small pan, but then it was better to put the nuts into a large-bottomed pan and pour the syrup over them for the next step. The crystallizing and remelting before adding the spices et al.

Edited April 26, 2010 by Darienne (log)