Spicy Nut Brittle Food

SPICY PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
• Also spray a metal spatula (and yes it matters, goo will stick to all others and make it impossible to work with)
• set aside cookie sheet and spatula.
• In a large bowl, mix the peanuts, hot pepper sauce and allspice
• Put sugar and corn syrup into a large glass microwavable bowl.
• Stir mixture - will be very thick but will change when heated.
• Microwave, uncovered on high for 4 minutes.
• stir again.
• add in spicy peanut mixture.
• stir until blended.
• Return to microwave and cook on high 4-5 minutes longer.
• Stir in butter.
• Microwave 45 seconds.
• Very quickly add in baking soda and vanilla and stir. It will foam and the color witl lighten.
• Immediately pour into prepared pan and spread as thin as possible with prepared spatula.
• Cool, break into pieces (put in bag and use hammer to smash is easiest).

FALL SALAD WITH SPICY BRITTLE

Steps:

• For the spicy brittle: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat the sugar, corn syrup, butter and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the sugar has melted. Stop stirring and continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally to ensure it cooks evenly, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. While this is cooking, combine the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne in a small bowl.
• Carefully, but moving quickly, stir the almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios and spice mixture into the sugar syrup until the nuts are coated. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out as evenly as possible using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle over the sea salt. Allow to cool completely, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When cool, break into shards.
• For the salad: Fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat in the skillet.
• When ready to serve, arrange the salad on a large platter in layers: escarole, radicchio, carrots, apples, onion, raisins and bacon.
• Heat the skillet with the bacon fat over medium heat. Add the vinaigrette, mustard and honey and cook, stirring, until warm. Pour the dressing over the salad. Arrange the spicy brittle shards over the top. Serve immediately.

NUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Put the nuts, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and honey in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it becomes a nice walnut color and thickens, about 10 to 12 minutes. Quickly pour onto a silpat or foil lined baking sheet and spread the brittle to an even thickness of about 1/3-inch with the back of the spoon.
• Cool for 3 or 4 minutes then score the brittle with a sharp knife into about 24 (2-inch) squares. Once the brittle has cooled completely, snap along scored marks.

HOT & SPICY BRITTLE

Steps:

• Mix sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water in 3-quart saucepan. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover. Boil 2 to 3 minutes.
• Uncover; continue boiling until syrup reaches hard-crack stage (295°F). Remove from heat; stir in butter, nuts and pepper sauce.
• Pour mixture onto lightly greased baking sheet; spread out with greased spoon or spatula. Cool completely. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container.

SPICED ALMOND BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a 15x10x1-in. pan with parchment. (Do not spray or grease.), In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, wash down the sides of the pan to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook, without stirring, over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 260° (hard-ball stage). , Stir in almonds, butter and seasonings; cook until thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage), stirring frequently, about 8 minutes longer., Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Immediately pour onto prepared pan, spreading as thin as possible. Cool completely., Break brittle into pieces. Store between layers of waxed paper in airtight containers.

CHILE-MACADAMIA BRITTLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F. Lightly oil a large sheet of foil on a baking sheet, then warm in oven.
• Shake nuts in a coarse sieve to remove any nut powder (this will create a clearer brittle).
• Cook sugar and water in a deep 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan, until golden. Immediately stir in red pepper flakes and nuts and cook, stirring, until nuts are golden, about 1 minute. Quickly pour onto foil, tilting baking sheet to spread brittle evenly before it hardens. (If caramel hardens too fast, put in a 400°F oven until warm enough to spread, 1 to 2 minutes.) Cool brittle on baking sheet on a rack until completely hardened, then break into large pieces.

SPICED MICROWAVE NUT BRITTLE RECIPE

Steps:

• Microwave sugar and corn syrup in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min., stirring after 3 min.
• Add nuts, pumpkin seeds, orange zest, vanilla and cinnamon; mix well. Microwave 2 min. or until golden brown.
• Add butter and baking soda; stir until butter is completely melted and mixture is well blended.
• Pour onto rimmed baking sheet; cool until firm. Break into pieces.

GAYLE'S SPICY PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• In a large heavy pan combine: sugar, Karo Syrup and water.
• Boil this mixture until it reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Then add raw peanuts. 1/4 tsp salt. Continue to cook, stirring frequently.
• Continue cooking and stirring until thermometer reaches 290 degrees - hard crack - remove from the burner and add: vanilla and butter.
• Quickly stir together and add: baking soda and cayenne.
• Mix well and, working quickly, pour onto buttered cookie sheet. Use two if you want it super thin. Spread quickly and let cool.
• Break into pieces and store in airtight tin or canister.
• Gnote: I have doubled this recipe but mostly I make a batch and a half as it fits in the pan better when boiling up.
• I have made this with cashews and other nuts, too. Good stuff and not hard on the teeth!