spiced nuts

I forgot to tell you about a simply recipe that made an appearance at my party a few weeks ago: Spice Nuts.  I have always thought that the addition of an almond or a pistachio can enhance a recipe (or draw me to the recipe in the first place.) And I have a strong memory of buying some warm almonds from a street vendor near Columbia in NYC last May.  

When I was browsing around the internet for a few new things to had to my party memory, I was immediately drawn into the flavors of this easy recipe: cinnamon-check, brown sugar-check, butter-check, cumin and cayenne-oh man, check.  I decided to mix almonds (my favorite) with cashews and peanuts (other friends favorites).

The recipe is simply and came together while I was working on a few other things in the process. People don’t except the spice when they reach into a bowl of sugary-looking nuts, but I have to believe, that they were pleasantly surprised.

I just went to my last law school class-ever and am gearing up for my last finals sprint before the BarBri Marathon so I might not be posting anything too creative from the kitchen in the next week or so. I hope you are enjoying your first day of May. It is STILL chilly in the Chi. Spring where are you?

Spiced Nuts
From Emeril via The Kitchen Sink {where I ALWAYS find the good recipes to try-Thanks Kristin!}

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups unsalted mixed nuts [I used 2 cups almonds, 1 each of peanut and cashew]
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar [I only had dark on hand but I wish I would have used light]
1 teaspoon salt

Mix spices and reserve. Heat the nuts in a dry skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes. Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute. Add the spices, the sugar, 1 tablespoon water and the salt and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes.

Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork. Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.