Nuts in the Kitchen (5 page)

Anise- and Fennel-Spiced Walnuts

Makes about 2 cups (200 g)

Anise and fennel seeds are an unusual and successful combination with walnuts. Try these for a tasty, toasty accompaniment to champagne or other apéritif. If you have leftovers, they make a fine addition to a green salad or to a dish of freshly steamed seasonal vegetables.

Note:
Adding a pinch of salt to an egg white helps it to break up more easily. It also seasons the egg white and allows the salt to dissolve before the egg whites foam.

1.
Coarsely crush the anise and fennel seeds using a mortar and pestle. Add the piment d’Espelette or hot paprika and mix well.

2.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white with the sea salt until foamy. Whisk in the anise mixture. Add the walnut halves and mix well, so the egg white thoroughly coats the walnuts. If there is excess egg white on the walnuts, set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl, place the walnut halves in the sieve, and let the excess egg white drain off the walnuts. This may take 10 to 15 minutes.

3.
Place the walnut halves in a nonstick skillet and then place the skillet over medium heat. Sauté the walnut halves until they are pale golden on all sides and smell deliciously toasty, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the fleur de sel and toss the walnuts, then transfer them to a cooling rack or a wooden cutting board to cool. Serve when the nuts are cool. These walnuts will keep well for up to 1 month, if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark spot. They do not need refrigeration.

Salted Spanish Almonds

Makes 2 cups (270 g)

Spanish almonds, the best of which are the flat, crisp Marcona variety, have an intense yet delicate almond flavor. In Spain they are deep-fried or roasted and salted and served as a snack, or they are toasted and used to adorn sweets. Here I’ve taken the Marcona almond, salted it, and baked it in the oven, to give it a thorough pale golden crunch with a peppery edge.

1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a cooling rack with parchment paper.

2.
Place 2 cups (500 ml) water, the salt, and the hot paprika in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When the salt has dissolved, add the almonds, stir, and boil until the almonds begin to look translucent, about 8 minutes. Drain the almonds and spread them evenly on a nonreactive baking sheet. Bake in the center of the oven until the almonds are pale golden and crisp, 20 to 30 minutes. Do not let the almonds get toasty brown as that will dull their delicate flavor.

3.
Remove the almonds from the oven and transfer them to the prepared rack. Let them cool entirely before serving. These will keep in an airtight container for about 2 weeks or in the freezer for about 3 months.

Toasted Mixed Nuts and Seeds Fait Maison

Makes 6 cups (1.5 kg)

Toasted nuts are easy to find on a supermarket shelf, but they are almost as easy to make yourself. Toasting your own nuts is like sustainable farming—you’re on top of the whole process, from start to finish. You may not produce the nuts, but you carefully purchase them, decide how to season them, watch them as they toast, then finally add other ingredients that you like. With minimal effort you’ll have the best toasted nuts on the block.

Note:
The raisins are optional. I like a touch of sweet in my salted nuts when I’m reserving them for a snack, but if I’m serving toasted nuts as an apéritif, I prefer to leave out the raisins.

The hazelnuts are toasted separately so their skins can be removed.

1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

2.
Place the hazelnuts on a baking dish in the oven and toast them until they are golden and begin to scent the kitchen, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer them to a tea towel. Fold the tea towel over the hazelnuts and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Vigorously rub the hazelnuts in the tea towel to remove the skin and discard the papery skins.

3.
Place the remaining nuts and seeds in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss, then sprinkle with the salt and toss so the salt is mixed evenly among the nuts. Place the nuts in a baking dish and roast until they are
golden, which will take 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the nuts from the oven and transfer them to a sieve so they can cool without sweating.

4.
When the nuts are cool, toss them with the hazelnuts and raisins if you like and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.

Nutcrackers

Smoked Salmon with Horse radish Cream and Almonds

Makes 6 servings

This lovely little appetizer was inspired by a meal I had at a tapas restaurant in Paris. I loved the blend of silken and crunchy and the idea that salmon would be good with something other than a slice of fresh lemon. Everything about this dish speaks of subtlety, including the drizzle of almond oil tossed with the salmon. If you don’t have almond oil, use a lightly fruity extra virgin olive oil instead.

Note:
The recipe calls for ingredients cut into tiny dice. Tiny is what you are after here, as the small size of the vegetables gives a little point of flavor to the dish.

You can make the elements of this dish several hours in advance, but assemble it right before serving so that all of the flavors retain their texture and intensity. Make sure the toasted almonds are thoroughly cool before adding them to the dish.

If you have a leftover serving or two, it makes a delicious sandwich filling.

1.
Slice the salmon, with the grain, into very thin (barely ¼-inch/.6-cm) slices. Place the salmon in a medium bowl, add the almond oil, and toss. Add the cucumber, celery, dill, almonds, and radicchio to the salmon and fold the ingredients together. Either refrigerate immediately or evenly divide the salmon mixture among six wineglasses or other small glass bowls or cups.

2.
For the topping, place the cream in a large bowl and whisk it until it forms soft peaks. Whisk in the
horseradish and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning. Evenly divide the cream mixture among the glasses, spooning it atop the salmon. Sprinkle each serving with an equal amount of the toasted almonds and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

Fresh Goat Cheese, Cream, and Walnut Verrine

Makes 6 servings

Verrine
is a combination of the word
terrine,
which is similar to a pâté made with either vegetables, seafood, or meat (
terrine
also refers to the rectangular mold the mixture is cooked in), and the word
verre,
or glass.

I first encountered verrines at the restaurant of Nicolas Le Bec in Lyon, where many dishes are served in jars and other unusual containers. Here’s a summery verrine that I came up with that uses fresh goat cheese, tomatoes bursting with flavor, and mint leaves. Serve this as suggested, in fanciful glasses as a first course, or even as a between-courses taste.

Note:
If you cannot find fresh goat cheese, which is soft and almost a bit wet, use large-curd cottage cheese with a bit of yogurt stirred into it, pureed in a blender.

You may prepare the elements of this dish several hours in advance, up to putting the tomatoes in the glasses. But assemble them no sooner than half an hour before you plan to serve them.

1.
In a small bowl or the bowl of a food processor, puree the goat cheese until it is smooth. Transfer the goat cheese to a small bowl and fold in the shallot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2.
Whisk the cream to stiff peaks. Fold it into the seasoned goat cheese.

3.
Place the tomatoes in a small bowl with the walnut oil and toss until they are coated. Season with salt and pepper. Place an equal amount of seasoned tomatoes in
the bottom of six martini or other nicely shaped glasses. Top with 1 teaspoon of the toasted walnuts, then with equal amounts of goat cheese. Sprinkle the remaining toasted walnuts over each serving. Serve immediately, garnished with the mint leaves or chervil.

Parmigiano-Reggiano Seed Sticks

Makes about 50

These are the first appetizer to disappear at a party. They’re easy to make and best to serve when they are still lukewarm and fresh from the oven. If you do have leftovers, give them a little heat to re-crisp them before serving.

Note:
I like to roll out these little sticks and refrigerate them, then put them in the oven right before my guests arrive. That way they bake and cool just to the perfect temperature in time for serving, and they make the kitchen smell like heaven. Serve these with a lovely dry sherry.

1.
Place the flour, salt, dukkah, and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a food processor and pulse once to mix. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, pulsing five to eight times. Add 5 tablespoons (75 ml) ice water and pulse just until the pastry begins to hold together and is quite damp. Add another tablespoon of water if the pastry seems dry.

2.
Turn the pastry out of the food processor onto your work surface and form it into a flat round. Let it rest on the work surface at room temperature, covered with a tea towel or a bowl, for 30 to 60 minutes.

3.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

4.
Roll out the pastry to a
¹
/
₈
-inch-thick rectangle. Mix the egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush the pastry with the egg glaze. Then cut it into 4 × ½-inch (10 × 1.25-cm)
strips. Transfer the strips to a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven until the pastry is crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Serve immediately.

Muhammara—Heavenly Red Peppers and Walnuts

Makes a generous 2 cups (500 g)

I ate this marvelous mixture—which is similar to a sunset-hued tapenade, only sweeter—in southeastern Turkey every chance I got, which was often. It is served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, always accompanied by the region’s pillowy bread. What I learned in Turkey was that any cook worth his or her salt has a personal recipe for muhammara, of which each is extremely proud. Some versions are spicy, some are sweeter than others, all are ripe and full with the flavor of the region’s special bell-shaped peppers and crisp, buttery walnuts.

This recipe is an adaptation of one I enjoyed from the hands of Sermin Ocak, the recognized matron of gastronomy in the city of Gaziantep. Mrs. Ocak was asked by the mayor of Gaziantep to prepare a meal of all the region’s favorite dishes, and this was among the first (of dozens) she served. To make her version, which is more vividly red than many, Mrs. Ocak uses her home-dried peppers, which she reconstitutes overnight in water and then grinds to a paste. The result of her care is muhammara that sings with the flavor—and the culture and the wealth—of Gaziantep.

On my last morning in Gaziantep, my host, Filiz Hosokuglu, served her mother’s version of muhammara. Darker red than this version, it was heartier in flavor but equally smooth and delicious. We ate it on fresh bread, along with a bowl of steaming coffee. Mmmm!

When I serve muhammara now, I offer it as an appetizer along with raw vegetables and fresh bread. It is also wonderful spread on pizza dough, which is then baked and garnished with extra virgin olive oil.

Note:
Muhammara is very good served with Yeast Seed Crackers (Chapter Small Plates).

1.
Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse sev
eral times, until they are coarsely ground. Add the peppers and pulse several times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the tomato paste, bread crumbs, olive oil, lemon juice, Aleppo pepper, cumin, and salt to taste. Process to make a coarse paste, scraping down the processor from time to time. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 1 week.