Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Peanut Brittle Food

CHEF JOHN'S PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• Stir pumpkin seeds and sea salt together in a bowl.
• Stir sugar, corn syrup, and water together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil until mixture is dark golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; whisk in baking soda.
• Pour pumpkin seeds into sugar mixture and stir until well-combined. Transfer pumpkin seed mixture to prepared baking sheet. Place another silicone baking mat over the top of the pumpkin seed mixture and press down to make an even surface for the brittle. Let harden for about 30 seconds; remove top baking mat. Score surface with a knife to form desired shapes. Cool to room temperature and break into pieces.

CRUNCHY PUMPKIN-PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Cover surface of cutting board with parchment or waxed paper; lightly spray paper with cooking spray. Set aside. Cook water and sugar in large heavy saucepan on high heat 8 to 10 min. or until sugar turns a dark amber color, stirring frequently. Swirl pan and brush down sugar crystals on sides of pan with wet pastry brush just until sugar comes to boil.
• Remove saucepan from heat; quickly stir in nuts, pumpkin seeds and butter. Immediately pour mixture onto prepared parchment; spread evenly with wooden spoon. While hot, cut into 24 pieces. Cool completely
• Drizzle or spread thin layer of chocolate over brittle.

THE BEST PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
• Stir together the sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy/deep-fry thermometer. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then continue to boil until it's golden brown and it reaches 340 degrees F, about 15 minutes.
• Working quickly, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and baking soda until smooth (it will foam and bubble up). Stir in the peanuts until evenly distributed amongst the sugar mixture.
• Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and quickly smooth with a rubber spatula into a thin and even layer. Let harden uncovered at room temperature until cooled completely. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Place the oil and seeds into a 10-inch saute pan and set over medium-high heat. Toast the seeds while constantly moving the pan. You will smell their aroma and hear some of them begin to crackle when they are toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a small mixing bowl, add the cayenne, cinnamon and salt and stir to combine.
• Line a half sheet pan with a silicone baking mat.
• Place a 3-quart saucier inside a large cast iron skillet. Add the sugar and water to the saucepan, and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until it comes to a boil. Stop stirring, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the sugar is a light amber color, approximately 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pumpkin seed mixture. This will greatly reduce the temperature of the sugar, so work quickly. Once evenly mixed, pour the mixture onto the prepared half sheet pan. Using an oiled spatula, spread thin. You will have to work quickly when pouring out and spreading the mixture in the pan. Cool completely, approximately 30 minutes, and then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• Combine sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved and turned a golden brown color. Immediately add pumpkin seeds and mix well to coat with the caramelized sugar.
• Spread the very hot pumpkin seed mix thinly onto the prepared baking sheet. Let cool to room temperature. Break or cut into bite-sized pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

DARK CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN SEED PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place the butter, baking soda and kosher salt in a small bowl and place next to the stove. Combine the peanuts, pumpkin seeds and wheat germ in a medium bowl, and place next to the stove.
• Combine 3/4 cup water, the sugar and corn syrup in a large pot set over high heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan, making sure it doesn't touch the bottom of the pot. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 280 degrees F and is amber-colored, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and very carefully add in the butter mixture and stir vigorously for 45 seconds. The mixture will bubble up aggressively and lighten to an orange-caramel color, if it gets darker, the caramel has gotten too hot and will taste burnt. Stir in the nuts and wheat germ. Immediately pour the mixture onto the prepared pan and spread it out in an even layer. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (or in a heat-proof bowl set over barely simmering water) over medium-low heat until smooth and shiny, about 5 minutes. Spread the chocolate over the brittle then sprinkle the sea salt over the top. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm and cool to the touch, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• Break the brittle into 2- to 3-inch chunks. Store in an airtight container.

PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Optional chocolate decoration:
• Split vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape seeds into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, along with scraped out pods. Place remaining ingredients in saucepan and place over high heat. Cook to a caramel color while continuously stirring with a wooden spoon. The mixture will become very thick. Pull out the vanilla beans and set aside. Lightly spray the work surface with vegetable cooking spray. If you would like to use metal rulers so the brittle will be rolled to an even thickness, set them into place now. Immediately pour the mixture onto the marble or granite slab (you can also use a parchment paper lined baking sheet). Place a piece of parchment paper over the hot brittle and use a rolling pin to roll the peanut brittle into a 3/8-inch thick flat layer. Use a sharp chef's knife to partially cut the brittle while it is still warm. Allow it to cool completely before coating it with chocolate. It is ready to eat now or you can add chocolate to the outside of the brittle.
• To cover with chocolate: You can use a variety of methods to apply chocolate to the brittle. You could simply place some chocolate into a cornet and drizzle the chocolate over the cool brittle. You could also use a dipping fork to dip each piece of brittle in the chocolate. Whatever method you use, allow the chocolate to set and it is ready to serve.
• From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres
• The Cornet: A cornet is a small piping bag made from parchment paper. It is usually used to make fine decorations.
• Cut an 8 by 12 by 14 1/2-inch triangle from a sheet of parchment paper. Hold the middle of the long side of the triangle between two fingers of 1 hand. Take the tip of the triangle on the short, wide end and roll it toward the other tip of that same end while simultaneously pulling it in an upward motion. The tip of a cone will form where your thumb and finger hold it on the long side.
• Release your grip from the long side, so that you are now holding the 2 corners where they meet. The paper will already resemble a partially formed cone.
• Roll the remaining tail until it is completely rolled into a cone. There will be 1 point sticking up from the open end. Fold it inside toward the center, and crease the fold. Now you should have a cornet. To close the cornet once it has been filled, fold it away from the seam; this will keep the seam from opening. Use a pair of scissors or a sharp paring knife to cut an opening at the tip of the cornet to the desired size.

HARVEST SEED BRITTLE A.K.A. PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Stir sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a candy thermometer, over high heat until sugar dissolves. Cook to 270 (it will take a while to get there, but you don't really need to stir it at this point. Just every now and again.).
• When the mixture hits 270, add the pumpkin seeds (or other seeds) and start stirring. Keep stirring until you reach 290 (hard crack stage.) The temperature will fall but will rebound pretty quickly. Some of the seeds will pop, and they and the syrup will get amber-colored and develop a lovely toasty smell.
• Turn off the heat when it reaches 290, and add the baking soda and butter. Stir furiously while the mixture foams up (only a few seconds.)
• Quickly pour it into the prepared parchment paper and smooth it out with the spatula.
• Either let cool completely and break into pieces, or let semi-harden and cut into strips/triangles with a pizza cutter.

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 11 x 17 inch rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
• Melt butter in a small suacepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar and honey. Bring to boil. Cook, with stirring, until mixture is medium amber and a candy thermometer registers 280 degrees, about 6 minutes. Stir in pumpkin seeds. Cook until mixture reaches 300 degrees, about 2 minutes.
• Pour onto prepared baking sheet. Let cool completely. Break into pieces.

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Prepare a flat baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat or silpat.
• Place the sugar in a small, non-reactive metal pan. Cook over medium heat until caramelized in a deep amber color.
• Immediately add the butter, vanilla and Ancho, whisking continuously until completely emulsified and combined. Stir in the pumpkin seeds and spread onto prepared baking sheet. Allow to cool and then break into shards and use to garnish cupcakes.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Lightly butter cookie sheet and set aside for now.
• In small bowl, stir the cocoa and baking soda, then the butter; set aside.
• In heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and whipping cream, stirring to combine.
• Cook over medium heat. Keep stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• Stir in the peanuts and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 300° or when syrup dropped into very cold water separates to threads that are hard and brittle (of course, make sure the bulb on the candy thermometer is not resting on bottom of the pan when used).
• Remove from heat and stir in cocoa mixture.
• Immediately pour onto the buttered cookie sheet.
• With tongs or wooden spoons, quickly spread and pull into a 1/4-inch thickness.
• Put cookie sheet on a wire rack to cool completely.
• When the brittle is cool, break into pieces.