Cook Like Mad

Blood oranges are in most supermarkets this time of year, showing off their blushed exteriors, beckoning us, daring us, to buy them to see if they’re as deeply hued inside as they suggest. Most times, I pass these slightly smaller, rosier oranges by- they’re a little pricier than their cousins and a bit more tart as well- but as I was perusing the aisles last night, I couldn’t help but think of buying just one to slice up and layer in a trifle with some lady fingers, whipped cream, and some of those crushed glazed mixed nuts I showed off in my last post. So here is just a little snack for your eyes on this cloudy, cold afternoon. A little bit of color to brighten your day. Hopefully this dessert will inspire you, with its balance of tartness, sweetness, spiciness, and of course, lusciousness, to try some of those lesser known fruits in your supermarket. No recipe today, just a suggestions of trifle components: whipped cream (sweetened or flavored with fruit juice), cake, lady fingers or even muffin slices, fruit slices, and a little something for crunch, like those delectable mixed nuts. Enjoy : )

Some people who know me for not liking nuts will probably be surprised to find me writing so enthusiastically about these mixed nuts, but the truth is, even though I’m not a nut-lover, these are my new favorite snack. They are at once salty, sweet, earthy and spicy, and there is just the right amount of coating on them- enough to create an intense flavor, but not so much that you feel like calling your dentist after munching through a handful. Now before devising my own recipe, I researched a bit, as I usually do, to find approximate proportions of ingredients to use for the size batch I wanted to make. What surprised me in my search was the predominant use of egg whites in this type of recipe. I guess I thought making mixed nuts with a glaze would just involve sugar, maybe butter, and some corn syrup, as if I was making a less-liquidy version of brittle. What I realized was that egg whites, along with sugar, were the key ingredient to getting that airy, less dense crunch to stick to the exterior of the nuts. I know I’ve written before about the different textural properties that eggs give to a variety of dishes, such as custard, angel food cake, and mayonnaise, but this was a totally new application to me.

So what does a curious cook do in this situation? She looks up why! Now the place to look was not on food websites or cookbooks (well, unless you consider Harold McGee’s books “cookbooks”..), but instead on science websites, or even food manufacturing websites. Why? Because the same properties of the egg whites that give these nuts their sheen, their resilient coating, and their ability to block moisture (therefore preventing them from spoilage longer) are the same properties that food scientists and manufacturers capitalize on to make the gelatin capsules that encase your daily vitamin e pill, the sausage casings that prevent their spoilage, and “candy shells” around loose pieces of gum. Edible protein films such as these protect fresh foods from flavor and nutrient losses, protect dried fruits from moisture loss, and even those that thinly coat apples help to lessen a producer or shipper’s dependency on nonrenewable food packaging materials by offering added protection to the produce. This is due to the protein film’s ability not only to provide a hydrophobic coating, thereby preventing changes in the food’s moisture content and subsequently reducing spoilage, but also its ability to evenly and thoroughly adhere to the given product. Do you see where I’m going with this now?

The use of egg whites in this recipe not only guarantees a crisp crunch and a shiny reflection (thanks in no small part to it’s partner in crime, sugar), but it ensures the sweet and spicy coating covers every nut, fills every crevice, and does so consistently and evenly. Additionally, I was thankful for the egg whites’ adhering abilities as I broke apart pieces of the mixed nuts that had stuck together in brittle fashion and didn’t lose any coating as I separated the clusters.

So make these mixed nuts for yourself, your friends, or for your next party and revel in their gleaming, hard-shelled goodness. They won’t get spice dust everywhere as some mixed nuts do, thanks to the candy-like coating, but I will warn you, they are addictive. Thankfully, nuts are good for you, so dig in

Note: one other thing I love (what am I up to, number 10, on the “let me count the ways I love these nuts” list??) is the fact that you can blitz them in the food processor and they make a delicious topping for ice cream, pudding, and trifles. Or, try mixing the blitzed bits into brownies, cookies, or pie crusts for added texture and flavor. Heck, I’m thinking of just mixing them in straight chocolate and making a dark mixed nut bark out of them….mmm…stay posted!

Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts

Makes 5 cups- you determine how many servings that is….

2 egg whites

1 tsp water

4 1/2 cups roasted mixed nuts, unsalted (or a single nut, your choice;- you can also buy salted roasted nuts, but then you should omit the salt from the recipe)

1 1/8 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 tsp allspice

1/2 to 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet (or two small ones) with a silpat (if you don’t own a silpat, first, let me recommend buying one for $10 online, and second, let me suggest using a very well greased sheet of parchment paper, instead). Whisk egg whites and water in a large bowl until frothy, about 1 minute, then add the nuts, and stir to coat evenly.

2. Mix together all the other ingredients, and pour the mixture into the bowl with the coated nuts. Mix well to coat and dump the nuts on the lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the nuts look a little dry and there is noticeably less moisture on the baking sheet. Take the nuts out of the oven, cool on the baking sheet, and once completely cool, peel them off the tray and break up any bunches that have formed. Store in an airtight container, or in sealed plastic bags, up to 1 month. Enjoy!

-M

After reading each post I write, D tells me he’s looking forward to coming back home to raid our ever-expanding (or is it ever-contracting?) freezer. I thought, why make him wait? I’ll send him a little care package of edible goodies to munch on, simultaneously filling him tummy with good food and his mind with good thoughts (of me, that is). But when it comes to actually making the goodies, I was unsettled on what to send.

Cookies seem dependable yet predictable, quick breads (i.e. banana bread) get stale too quickly if pre-sliced and are cumbersome if they’re sent whole, and muffins get smooshed easily. Then I thought, why does a care package have to be limited to sweet foods? It doesn’t, and here are two recipes for savory treats that will make your care package recipient the happiest he’s ever been away from home. Enjoy : )

Care package necessity number 1:

Crackers in Two Varieties: Plain and Salsa

Makes 5-6 dozen crackers (depending on size)

3 cups all purpose flour (you can subsitute half this amount for whole wheat or ww pastry flour, if desired)

1 tbsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

optional: 1/4 cup salsa (I prefer the finely chopped kind with a medium amount of heat, but it’s your choice).

* If using salsa, reduce water to 3/4 cup)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchments paper. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl, then add oil and water (and salsa, if using). Mix well to create a fairly stiff dough, adding a little more water if necessary (depending on climate, humidity, etc, you might need a little more water to make the dough easier to roll out).

2. Cut the dough in 4 even pieces, and wrap in plastic. Let rest on the counter for 15 minutes to fully relax.

3. Taking on piece of dough at a time, roll dough out on a very lightly floured surface, to no more than 1/8th of an inch, and less if possible. If you have a pasta machin, feel free to use it to thin out the dough to less than 1/8th of an inch thickness.

4. Use a small (about 2 inch diameter) round cookie cutter, a knife, or a pastry cutter to cut crackers from the dough. Prick each cracker with a fork to prevent it from rising too much in the oven. (If you don’t care about the crackers looking uniform, you can save time and prick the dough prior to cutting it into shapes.) Place crackers on the baking sheets. Spacing isn’t necessary since they really don’t expand much, just don’t let them touch.

5. Place baking sheets in the oven, rotating them half way, to ensure even cooking, for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a rack and serve, or place in tins or bags to store. They keep for 1 month.

Note: If you like saltier crackers, brush on a thin coat of olive oil once they are on the baking sheets and sprinkle them with coarse salt prior to baking.

Some goat gouda and blackberry jam pair well with the plain variety of these crackers

Care package necessity number 2:

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Makes 6 pretzels

1/8 oz (1 1/2 tsp) rapid rise yeast (1/2 a package- just estimate, you’ll be fine)

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter, cold, cut into small pieces

coarse salt, for sprinkling

oil for greasing baking sheet

Method

1. Grease 1 large baking sheet or two small ones. Add yeast to warm water in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter, using a pastry cutter or rubbing the mixture between your hands, until the butter pieces are no larger than small peas. Pour in yeast mixture and mix well to create a wet dough. Grease a large bowl and dump dough into it, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until nearly double in size.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Flour your rolling surface well and place dough on top of it. Sprinkle more flour over the dough and gently work the dough for just 1 minute, until it is smooth and soft and no longer feels wet to the touch. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into three even pieces. Place 5 pieces under a towel while you roll the first one into a rope. bring the two ends up to make a “U”, cross the ends, and bring the loop up over the cross and 1 inch below the ends. See picture below for assistance. Place formed pretzel under the towel and repeat with remaining dough pieces. Proof for an additional 20 minutes. When time is about up, bring a pot of salted water to a boil on the stove.

3. Two at a time, drop pretzels into boiling water. Boil for 45 seconds, then remove to a large piece of wax paper and immediately sprinkle with coarse salt. Repeat with other 4 pretzels. Place pretzels on the greased baking sheet(s) and bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden, risen, and cooked through. Enjoy hot, or let cool and rewarm in an oven, toaster oven, or microwave. Enjoy!

-M : )