Candied Walnuts

Make an ordinary salad extraordinary or just a darn good snack!

A salad is a salad.  But with some walnuts, sugar, a frying pan and 5 minutes you can jazz up that salad.

I was recalling a salad I had at a steak house here in Las Vegas and recalled just how much I enjoyed their blue nut salad.  It was a very simple salad with mixed greens a raspberry vinaigrette and blue cheese but the kicker was the sweet candied walnuts.  The combination of the tart vinaigrette, the pungent blue cheese and the sweet crunchy walnuts was a gastronomic delight.  So I set off to recreate those sweet and crunchy little gems.

I started with 1/2 cup of walnuts and 1/4 cup of sugar in a skillet over medium heat and stirred in an ounce of water to create a simple syrup.  Once the syrup formed I tossed in the nuts.  Stirring constantly for several minutes the water evaporated off and the sugar began to encrust the outside of the walnuts.  I kept stirring until the nuts had reached a slightly golden brown appearance and scooped them out of the pan on to waiting parchment paper.  Let them cool completely and enjoy.

On a second attempt I used the same ingredients but first toasted the nuts dry in a pan for 1-2 minutes before removing them.  Use your nose to let you know how long to dry roast the nuts.  When you just start to smell them, pull them out of the pan.  Then create your simple syrup and continue as before.  The result was similar but the nuts had a bit more of the roasted taste and were a bit more crunchy.  Also a note here.  If your pan is not hot enough the sugar will crystallize around the nuts rather than making a smooth shiny candy coating.  The crystallized nuts taste just as good just doesn't have the same appearance.  Relax, have a cocktail and try it again.

So you can try both methods and see which one you like better.  Just be careful not to roast the nuts to long or they will develop a bitter taste to them.  While you're experimenting with candied nuts try other nuts as well.  This method works well with almost all raw nuts.  Try almonds, cashews, pecans, pine nuts or peanuts.  Add a touch of salt at the end for a sweet, crunchy salty snack.  Add some cinnamon for a holiday flair or a pinch of wasabi power or hot red pepper for a sweet and spicy festive snack or garnish.  Try adding a couple teaspoons of butter to create a caramel touch to your creation.  Mix and match flavors and find your perfect accompaniment of snacks.

This is sticky stuff, so to clean your pan simply add some water, put it back on the heat and lightly scrub it with tongs and a steel wool pad.  The pan is clean in seconds and ready for another batch which will be ordered by your family! 

Until then, remember a cocktail in your hand while cooking, helps make mistakes alright!