Sunday, August 8, 2010

Sweet & Spicy Candied Pecans [Menu]

A quick treat update!



sweet and spicy pecans


These pecans are easy. So easy, it's almost a crime not to share the (very simple) secret of them. All you need for them is 20 minutes, some simple ingredients (that you probably already have laying around), and some pecans.



Sweet and Spicy


I recently used these to garnish a broccoli salad for my husband's birthday. But, truthfully, after we dumped the whole lot into the mix.. we silently mourned. Yes, they were a delicious accoutrement to the sweet, tangy flavors of the salad. But we just weren't done munching on them. Poor decision making on our part.
Next time we'll make a double batch.

Recipe Ahead!




Sweet & Spicy Pecans
Adapted from Bon Appetit

You will need...
Non-stick vegetable spray
medium mixing bowl
a fork
wax paper
baking sheet (I would use one that is resistant to scratches or one that you're not particularly concerned with)
cooling rack
+
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1.5 cups pecan pieces

Preheat your oven to 325°F, and spray your baking sheet with non-stick spray. Then combine the corn syrup, sugar, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and stir to blend. Gently stir in pecans.
Place a large sheet of wax paper over top of a cooling rack. Bake pecans for 5 minutes. Using a fork, stir pecans to completely coat with melted spice mixture (no worries; the mixture will be like liquid and extremely easy to work with).
Continue baking (about 10 minutes) until pecans are golden and mixture is bubbling.
Quickly (and gently - as they will crack and break if you're not careful) transfer pecans to wax paper/cooling rack and separate them with fork.
These can be made three days ahead of time as long as they are stored at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Pro-Tip : After this sticky (and delicious) process, you will have a very sad and sugary baking sheet. Put a few drops of anti-bacterial dish washing soap around the pan and then let soak in hot water in the sink or set on level surface on the counter filled with the same soap and hot water (dependent on what sort of pan you've used). If you're like me (sadly lacking a dishwasher), this will save you a lot of extra elbow grease (and water). And, if you do have a dishwasher, it will save you the frustration of a clean load of dishes.. oh, except your still-sugary baking sheet.

1 comment :

Carolina gal said...

Quick, easy and looks good. I'm going to remember this around christmas time. Whip up a batch, stack them in a clear jar, cover the cap with christmas material and secure with a bow. Thanks!