Sugar Cube (28 page)
Authors: Kir Jensen
Once you make your own candied nuts, you’ll never, ever be willing to pay for them again. Those tiny, expensive bags of stale, sugary nuts just can’t compare with what you can make fresh for half the price. This recipe was inspired by the spicy nuts I snack on at Bunk Bar in Portland. They’re amazing in a mixed salad, paired with a cheese plate, or just eaten on their own. The sweet, crunchy caramel, toasty nuts, and pop of spice work so well together, it’s hard not to consume an entire batch in one sitting. So make sure you invite some friends over to share in the gluttony.
MAKES 4 CUPS
- 4 cups (1 pound) whole pecans
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 to 4 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup
- 1
/
2
teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste - 1
/
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar - 1
1
/
4
to 1
1
/
2
teaspoons cayenne pepper (use more if you like it spicy!) - 1
1
/
4
teaspoons sea salt - A couple splashes of tabasco sauce for more kick (optional)
- PREHEAT THE OVEN
to 350°F. Spread the nuts in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant and beginning to color, 10 to 15 minutes. - MEANWHILE, MELT THE BUTTER
in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. - TRANSFER THE TOASTED NUTS
to a large bowl. Add the brown sugar, cayenne, and salt and toss to combine. Drizzle with the butter mixture and toss to coat. Taste and add Tabasco (if using). - LINE A BAKING SHEET
with parchment paper or a Silpat. Spread the coated nuts in an even layer on the prepared sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once during the last five minutes. The pecans will take on a rich, dark, caramelized color and look slightly bubbled from the melting sugar. - LET COOL
slightly in the pan on a wire rack before breaking up into pieces.
I use vanilla in a lot of my recipes. It rounds out and supports the other flavors, providing welcome depth that makes everything taste better. For a lot of recipes, pure vanilla extract works perfectly (just don’t use the imitation stuff). But you should be picky about which extract you buy. Extract is made by macerating vanilla beans in a water and alcohol solution, then aging it. And, like everything, some producers do this better than others: They use better beans, steep them longer, age the solution longer, and don’t add colorings or additives. I like extracts from Penzey’s or The Spice House because they’re rich and nuanced.
Some recipes, however, are best made with vanilla beans. Sometimes it’s an aesthetic choice—you want to see those lovely little back bean specks–sometimes it’s because you need to steep or infuse something with the bean’s stronger flavor—like when you’re making custards or browned butter.
I prefer Tahitian vanilla because it has wonderful floral notes, but Bourbon vanilla, which has a rich, mellow flavor, is great, too. When you’re shopping for whole beans, make sure they’re plump and moist, not dry or wizened. They should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Although you can find them at the supermarket, they’re usually more expensive there. You can get more bang for your buck if you buy beans in bulk from a reputable online retailer.
Vanilla beans are so expensive because they’re labor intensive to produce. The beans are the seed pods of a particular variety of orchid, and they must be carefully cured over the course of several months before they’re ready for market. So don’t toss out that vanilla bean pod even after it has been infused in milk or cream. There’s still a lot of goodness in there that you don’t want to waste. Just rinse it and let it air-dry. Then you can either pack it in a canister of sugar to make vanilla sugar, or grind it up in a spice grinder to make vanilla powder that you can add to desserts. Any pods that haven’t been infused in cream can be used to bump up the flavor of your store-bought vanilla extract. Or use them to make your own: Pack them in a jar (preferably with some whole beans, too), cover with vodka, and let steep for several months. For a never ending supply, top off with more vodka as you use up the extract (or in the case of vanilla sugar, top off the canister with more sugar), and keep adding used pods whenever you have them.
The Don
I have a serious obsession with Don PX, a rich, sweet dessert sherry made with dried Pedro Ximénez grapes. Splashing it into my bittersweet truffle base was a no-brainer, as the fruity sweetness of the sherry is dynamite with the silky, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. I tend to gravitate toward higher-quality chocolates with 70 percent or more cocoa solids. The flavor is more intense, and, depending on the origin of the beans, you get great undertones of nuts, citrus, or tropical fruit, especially when you garnish the truffles with a sprinkle of sea salt. Give your piggy bank an extra shake or go through the couch once more for change; if you’re going to make these truffles you should splurge.
MAKES ABOUT 30 TRUFFLES
- 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (like Felchlin Cru Hacienda, Valrhona Manjari, Scharffen Berger, or Green & Black’s)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1
/
4
teaspoon sea salt, such as fleur de sel or smoked sea salt (which would be fab with the tobacco notes from the chocolate and the tawny port) - 4 to 5 tablespoons Don PX sherry or Good Tawny port, or more
- 1 cup dutch-process cocoa
- USE A SERRATED KNIFE
to chop the chocolate into small chunks. (A serrated knife seems to work best, and chopping the chocolate into small pieces helps it melt more quickly and evenly.) Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heat-safe bowl, such as glass or stainless steel. - IN A SMALL SAUCEPAN
, bring the cream and salt just to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute. Pour the cream into the bowl of chocolate. Let stand for several minutes before mixing with a spatula until the chocolate takes on a lovely glossy appearance. (If for some reason the chopped chocolate doesn’t melt all the way, put the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water to help melt any stragglers. Be very careful not to burn your chocolate.) Remove from the heat and stir in the sherry, tasting as you go until the mixture tastes right to you. - LET THE GANACHE COOL SLIGHTLY
before placing plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerating for several hours until firm enough to scoop. - TO FORM THE TRUFFLES
, use a melon baller or very small ice-cream scoop to scoop out 1-tablespoon portions of the ganache. (These tools will produce evenly sized truffles, but if you don’t have them, just use a tablespoon.) Roll the ganache between your palms to round out the shape. Place the shaped truffles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. When the tray is full, put it in the refrigerator to cool down the chocolate and firm it up again, about 20 minutes. - SIFT THE COCOA POWDER
into a wide shallow bowl. Place several truffles in the bowl and swirl the bowl to roll them around until they are completely coated with cocoa. Scoop them up into your palm and shake gently to sift the excess cocoa between your fingers. Serve immediately on a dish or in little paper truffle cups, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
