Candied Sriracha Cashews Food

CANDIED SRIRACHA CASHEWS

Steps:

• Arrange two racks in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 300° F. Line two jelly roll pans or baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats. Do not skip this step of lining your pans. Set pans aside.
• In a medium-large bowl, whisk the egg white, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Whisk vigorously for at least 1 minute, until the mixture is very frothy. Add the cashews and stir to evenly coat. Place a medium sized colander over a bowl and add the cashews to the colander to drain for a full 5 minutes.
• While the cashews are draining, add the sugar and cornstarch to the same bowl that you whisked the egg white in. Whisk together and then stir in the sriracha sauce. Give the colander of cashews a few good shakes to remove any excess liquid, and then add the cashews to the sriracha mixture. Stir to evenly coat.
• Divide cashews between the two pans, spreading them out as evenly as you can. Take the time to separate the cashews to ensure even baking and crispier nuts. There will be some sriracha liquid in the pan, but it will firm up as the cashews bake and then cool.
• Place pans on separate racks in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove pans from oven and stir to incorporate the sriracha mixture, spreading out and separating the nuts as much as you can. Place pans back in the oven, alternating top and bottom racks. Bake for another 20 to 23 minutes. Do not let the cashews burn.
• Remove pans from oven, immediately sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and let the cashews cool completely on the pans, for at least one hour. Allowing the nuts to air dry will keep the candied shell extra crispy. Nuts will keep well in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week, but are crispiest when eaten during the first few days after making them.

CANDIED CASHEWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cashews on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Toast the cashews for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Be sure to watch the cashews carefully so they don't burn! Remove the cashews from the oven and cool. In a saucepan (copper works best), add the sugar and the water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling and the sugar has dissolved, add the cashews. Continue cooking the mixture, stirring constantly. The sugar will thicken, and then become granular again, continue stirring. The sugar will then begin to turn back into a clear liquid. When all of the sugar has turned into a clear liquid, remove the pan from the heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar begins to turn a golden color, spoon the nuts onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Allow to cool.;

SPICED CANDIED CASHEWS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Put the nuts, sugar, water, and salt into a large skillet over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and cook until the water is nearly evaporated and the liquid becomes syrupy, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the spices together in a small bowl.
• After 10 minutes, sprinkle the spices over the nuts and stir well. Continue stirring constantly while the water evaporates completely, about 5 minutes. When there is no longer any sugar syrup left in the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat and stir the nuts vigorously but carefully in the pan until the sugar seizes up and the nuts are evenly coated with crystallized sugar.
• Turn the nuts out onto the lined baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Cool completely before sifting the excess sugar from the coated nuts and storing in an airtight container.
• Cook's Note: DO NOT touch the nuts at any time while cooking or just afterward. Cooked sugar is extremely hot and can burn instantly when touched.