Nuts in the Kitchen (4 page)
Waffles with Walnut Whipped Cream
Makes 8 to 12 waffles
This recipe is a bit of breakfast indulgence, with its fine, fluffy accompaniment of vanilla-laced crème fraîche and walnuts. I like to serve these for a Sunday brunch or for a special occasion such as the first breakfast when company comes to visit or a child’s birthday. They’re nutty and scrumptious. You can, of course, make the waffles without the topping—they are also delicious on their own.
FOR THE TOPPING:
1 cup (250 ml) crème fraîche
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (25 g) walnuts, lightly toasted and nely ground
FOR THE WAFFLES:
1½ cups (210 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ne sea salt
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup (250 ml) milk
¼ cup (25 g) walnuts, lightly toasted and nely ground
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (Chapter Breakfast)
Mild vegetable oil, for oiling the waffle iron
Note:
The recipe calls for walnuts, and they are delicious, but try Brazil nuts or macadamia nuts—they’re wonderful as well.
1.
Preheat a waffle iron.
2.
Make the topping: Whip the crème fraîche with the confectioners’ sugar until the cream holds soft peaks. Fold in the vanilla and ¼ cup (25 g) walnuts. Chill.
3.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk. Whisk in the dry ingredients, then whisk in the other ¼ cup (25 g) walnuts.
4.
In a large, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy, then whisk in the vanilla sugar. Continue whisking until the egg whites form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
5.
Brush the waffle iron with mild vegetable oil. Place about
1
/
3
cup batter in the iron and make the waffle according the machine’s instructions. Continue until
all the batter is used, keeping the waffles warm in a low oven, making sure not to stack them so they do not soften.
6.
Serve the waffles with the topping alongside.
Anise- and Fennel-Spiced Walnuts
Toasted Mixed Nuts and Seeds Fait Maison
Smoked Salmon with Horse radish Cream and Almonds
Fresh Goat Cheese, Cream, and Walnut Verrine
Parmigiano-Reggiano Seed Sticks
Muhammara—Heavenly Red Peppers and Walnuts
Dried Apricot, Lemon, and Almond Bread
Savory Squash and Cheese Bread
Savory Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, and Pistachios
Green Mango or Papaya Salad—Som Tam
Green Beans, White Peaches, and Almonds
Avocado with Pistachio Oil and Chives
Parsley, Green Olive, and Walnut Salad
Unbeatable Red Beets and Walnuts
Malloreddus de Kita Santa—Tiny Sardinian Gnocchi for Good Friday
Grilled Vegetable Tarts with Pumpkin Seeds
Mushroom and Walnut Tarte Tatin
Tomato and Pistachio Croustillant
Fiona’s Almond and Olive Sandwich
Small Plates: Appetizers, First Courses, and Accompaniments
I
hope you will turn to this chapter over and over as you plan a meal, for it is rich in the small, simply made, delicious little dishes that make a dining experience special. Dishes like the ones here, rife with nuts and their toasty, buttery flavors and textures, excite the palate and wake it up with flavors that pop with intensity, satisfy with depth.
I often serve a variety of small dishes to introduce a meal. It’s a wonderful way to welcome family and friends to the table. Occasionally I offer a larger number of these small dishes as the entire meal, and everyone loves that for its variety and novelty.
Try serving a selection of dishes from this chapter in the kitchen if there is room, with a
fire in the fireplace as backdrop, or the doors flung open onto the terrace, or however it strikes you to create a casual, comfortable ambience. I think what you will find, as I do, is that no matter how formal your guests or the occasion, a bounty of small, delicious dishes puts everyone at ease and suddenly, in the way of all that is creative and simple, makes for great company and a wonderful experience.
Makes about 4 cups (500 g)
This recipe comes from Sue Raasch, a former cooking student who has a pecan orchard right outside her house in Texas. She made us all laugh with her stories of Texas and of pecans, and the minute she returned home she sent me not only a host of her favorite recipes but also a box of her favorite pecans.
I chose this recipe to represent Sue and pecans. So delicious, so tempting, it is almost too sinful to print. Honestly, these seasoned nuts, which I like to serve as an apéritif, push even the most righteous into decline, for it is impossible to eat just one. They are crisp, they are sweet, they are salty, and they are simply delicious. They will keep, but I doubt that there will ever be, anywhere, any to store.
1
/
3
cup (65 g) vanilla sugar (Chapter Breakfast)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably from Vietnam
1 large egg white
Pinch of ne sea salt
3 cups (350 g) pecans
1 cup (150 g) almonds, coarsely chopped
¼ cup (30 g) sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon fleur de sel
Note:
Stay nearby as these toast, for they can turn the burn corner very quickly.
1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon.
3.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white with the sea salt just until the egg white foams. Add the nuts and sesame seeds and stir to coat. Add the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss with the nuts until they are thoroughly coated. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel. Turn the nuts out onto a jelly-roll pan and toast in the center of the oven until they are golden and smell like heaven, 15 to 20 minutes.
4.
Remove the nuts from the oven and let them cool on the pan. They will cool into clumps. To serve, break up the clumps. These nuts will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Makes 2 cups (285 g)
This recipe was inspired by a delicious salad I had while I was in Thailand. The salad was, quite literally, this mixture atop a bed of fresh, crisp lettuce. Always on the lookout for appetizers, I immediately decided the undressed lettuce was superfluous and this would be a perfect appetizer. I was barely in the door from my trip when I made this, and with its mix of salty, spicy, tangy it was an instant hit.
2 cups (500 ml) mild cooking oil, such as safflower or grapeseed
2 cups (285 g) raw cashews
3 small fresh medium to hot red peppers, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Note:
The lime juice settles into the cashews over time, softening them just slightly, making leftovers as good as those warm from the oil!
1.
Place a sieve over a bowl.
2.
Place the oil in a wok or deep saucepan and heat over medium heat to about 375°F (190°C). Add the cashews and cook, stirring constantly, until they are deep golden, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the nuts to the sieve. Salt them generously, then toss several times so the salt is well mixed with the nuts. Let the nuts drain in the sieve for at least 10 minutes, then transfer the nuts to a medium bowl and thoroughly toss them with the rounds of pepper. Drizzle the lime juice over the nuts, toss again thoroughly, taste for seasoning, and serve immediately.
3.
These will keep for up to 1 week. They don’t need to be in an airtight container and, in fact, shouldn’t be because they are moist and might mold. Storage is unlikely to be an issue, however, for these do simply disappear!
Makes about 3 cups
David Lebovitz, pastry chef, cookbook author, and friend, made these for me on one of his visits, and I proceeded to embarrass myself by nibbling away at them as though driven by an unseen force. I had good company, as others in the crowd did the same. These nuts have become part of my repertoire, and I offer the recipe here with David’s blessing. I hope that you will pick up and carry the Cocoa Nuts with Fleur de Sel baton, as it deserves to have its message spread throughout the world.
3 cups (about 420 g) raw, very fresh mixed nuts such as cashews, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts
3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon aromatic mild honey such as lavender
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1
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8
teaspoon hot paprika
Several grinds of black pepper, preferably Tellicherry
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs (optional)
1 generous teaspoon fleur de sel
Note:
If you cannot find cocoa nibs, don’t be concerned. They are a lovely little addition, but the nuts are exquisite without them.
Move past the nuts’ over-roasted appearance, which comes from the cocoa, and get to the heart of the matter. You will understand well and truly that beauty is only skin-deep.
1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2.
Spread the nuts in a jelly-roll pan and bake until they begin to smell toasty and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Be very careful as you toast the nuts, and pay attention with your nose as it will tell you when the nuts are perfectly roasted. Remove the nuts from the oven, but leave the oven on.
3.
While the nuts are toasting, heat the butter with the honey and brown sugar over low heat in a heavy saucepan large enough to hold the nuts, stirring so that the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the cocoa powder, cinnamon, hot paprika, and pepper and immediately remove from the heat.
4.
Add the lightly toasted nuts to the honey mixture, with the cocoa nibs, if using. Mix them gently but thoroughly, using a rubber spatula, until the nuts are coated with the honey mixture and the cocoa nibs are thoroughly incorporated. Fold in the fleur de sel.
5.
Spread the nuts evenly in one layer in the pan and return them to the oven. Bake, stirring once or twice, until the nuts are golden and smell toasty, and the glaze is mostly dried and adhering to them, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the nuts cool.
6.
Serve the nuts immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes 2 cups (about 320 g)
This recipe takes the humble peanut to new heights by removing it from the baseball park or a table in front of the TV and putting it on the dinner table or bar. This is the creation of Andy Ricker, owner of Pok Pok restaurant and whiskey bar in Portland, Oregon, the only authentic Thai street food restaurant on the Pacific Coast of the United States. Kaffir peanuts are salty, they’re spicy, they’re perfumed, and they are crisp—they’ll be gone before you know it.
2 cups (500 ml) mild oil, such as safflower
½ cup gently packed kaffir lime leaves, stemmed
6 whole bird’s-eye or Thai chiles
2 cups (320 g) raw red-skinned peanuts
1 teaspoon ne sea salt, or to taste
Note:
Deep-frying peanuts is not hard, but it takes eagle eyes and an attentive nose to survey the heat and remove those peanuts from the fat well before they begin to turn too dark, as they continue to cook once they’ve left the fat.
Note, too, that the kaffir lime leaves, which can be found at Asian and international groceries, and peppers are part of the dish, right along with the peanuts.
1.
In a wok or smallish deep skillet, heat the oil to 350°F (180°C).
2.
Add the kaffir leaves to the oil—be careful, as they will sputter and spit. As soon as all the leaves are in the oil, remove them and drain on paper towels. They will turn slightly golden but should be mostly dark green.
3.
Add the chiles to the oil and cook until they are slightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
4.
Prepare a sieve by setting it over a medium bowl.
5.
Add the peanuts to the oil, turn down the heat slightly, and fry the peanuts until they are light golden, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Every batch of peanuts will fry differently, so you need to stay near them, and if they look and smell as though they are cooking more quickly than indicated, transfer them to the waiting sieve to drain. Blot them gently with paper towels if you feel they have retained too much oil.
6.
When the peanuts have cooled but are still quite warm, transfer them to a large bowl. Add the lime leaves, the chiles, and the salt and stir using your hands, breaking up the lime leaves and chiles as you stir. Cover the bowl so it is nearly, but not quite, airtight, and let the peanuts cool to room temperature. Serve immediately.
