'Tis the season for taking the nutcrackers out of the attic. At my , I've put 30 nutcrackers on display, from my collection of about 40. I've got a nutcracker chef with a giant spoon, an angel with green eyes that looks like my manager and sommelier Dianne Delaney, complete with halo, and another chef nutcracker that reminds me of Tom Schaudel, the chef at in Mattituck.
There's another one that looks like Charles at The Tasting Room, one that looks like a lady at my office, and another chef that looks like a thin Mario Batali.
But these nutcrackers are not only for decoration, but for actually cracking open some nuts. So after you get to breaking open the shells of your favorite nuts, here are a few recipes for turning your hard work into something delicious for the holidays.
Warning – they can be addictive. But don't worry, nuts are good for you.
Sugared Walnuts
Walnuts are tasty with a tiny touch of cinnamon – remember, baklava (Greek dessert with walnuts and honey) has some cinnamon in it.
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 teaspoon water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 pound walnuts
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees farenheit. Beat egg white with a fork and mix in the water in a large bowl. Toss the nuts into the egg white and water mixture until the nuts are all wet. Meanwhile, combine sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large plastic bag. Put the wet nuts into the bag with the sugar, and shake.
Spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
Sugared Pecans
The sugared pecan recipe is similar to the sugared walnuts, except that the salt has been reduced to 1/4 teaspoon, the cinnamon and nutmeg have been omitted, and there is a half teaspoon of vanilla instead.
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 teaspoon water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 pound pecans
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees farenheit. Beat egg white with a fork and mix in the water, in a large bowl. Toss the pecans into the egg white and water mixture until they are wet. Meanwhile, combine sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large plastic bag. Put the nuts into the bag with the vanilla and sugar, and shake.
Spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
