Saturday, December 31, 2011

Nibblies!

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! I somehow doubt anyone is exactly dying to peruse the world of food blogs tonight, so I'll keep this short. Besides, on the off chance you aren't doing anything tonight and have these rather random ingredients hanging around, you'll have some nibblies to take with you if you decide to go off mumming after midnight!

Both of these variations on the classic cocktail "glazed nut" were inspired from Dinah Corley's Gourmet Gifts: 100 Delicious Recipes for Every Occasion to Make Yourself and Wrap with Style. I was generously given a copy of this book to try out and let me tell you - I made 3 different things for gifts this holiday season, and each one was such a hit I got requests to make them again, just because! If you do a lot of gifting (like me), or are a crafty type of person (like my aunt), this book will be a frequent source of inspiration, instruction and information. Bonus: the resource list at the back gives you all sorts of places to find nifty containers and decorations!


But back to these nuts. Yes, there are about 4 gazillion of these recipes out on the web, but I fell in love with the heady combination of sweet, savoury and hot spices cloaking Corley's Mumbai Nuts. I had to change the recipe somewhat to compensate for my oven (which didn't go low enough for the book's directions) but I think the idea shone through. I also bought mixed nuts in bulk to save the fuss and bother of mixing "precise" amounts of each (not to mention to save cash along the way!). They were such a hit, in fact, that I took the theory and played around with a Japanese combination of ingredients for a sushi-loving friend of mine to enjoy.
 
Masala - Glazed Nuts
Makes 3 generous cups 
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
½ tbsp sea salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
1 tsp white pepper
1 egg white
3 cups nuts 
  1. Preheat the oven to 250F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Mix the sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper in a small bowl. 
  3. Whisk the egg white until frothy. Toss with the nuts, then add the spice mixture and toss until well coated.
  4. Spread the nuts in one layer on the prepared baking sheet; bake until dry, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 224.2
Total Fat: 17.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 299.4 mg
Total Carbs: 13.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.1 g
Protein: 6.3 g

Sushi – Bar Almonds
Makes 2 generous cups
1 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
2 ½ tbsp wasabi powder
2 cups whole almonds
1 tsp tapioca starch
1 tbsp water
  1. Preheat the oven to 250F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Mix the sugar, salt, ginger and wasabi powder in a small bowl. 
  3. Place the almonds in a large bowl.
  4. Whisk together the tapioca starch and water and pour over the almonds and toss to coat.
  5. Add the spice mixture and toss until well coated.
  6. Spread the nuts out in one layer on the baking sheet; bake until dry, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. 
Amount Per Serving (1/4 cup)
Calories: 216.8
Total Fat: 18.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 291.0 mg
Total Carbs: 9.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.2 g
Protein: 7.5 g

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