Tag: munchies

Ashure Cereal
Crazy 8 Day: It’s Crack Not A Cookie but It Deserves to be on the List

Crazy 8 Day: It’s Crack Not A Cookie but It Deserves to be on the List

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This year I joined in on Food52’s Holiday Gift Swap. It was simple, all I had to do was  make a donation to their designated charity and promise to send a food-centric gift by Dec. 10th.  A couple of days later, I received my “Secret Santa” swapee’s name and address.  My swappee lives in Colorado, I already had a list of go to items I wanted to send her like Jule’s granola and my cousin’s spiced pecans.

My box of goodies came from Catherine of Salt Lake City.  Like a kid in a candy store, I quickly tore the box open and discovered a treasure trove of gifts, sweet and salty chocolate sprinkles, popcorn seasoning, salad toppings, a too cute kitchen towel and a delicious cereal mix- Ashure Cereal that I started munching on immediately.  Luckily, Cathy included the recipe by Saimin Nosrat in the NY Times. It starts with a base of puffed wheat, nuts, and sesame seeds.  Then spiced with cinnamon, cardamon and mahaleb, (a middle eastern spice from cherry seeds, think bitter almond) and finally toasted in the oven with brown sugar, honey and oil.  It is addictively delicious.

After scarffing down the bag, I knew I had to make my own batch.

This is where the search begins…

I head to my favorite market, International Food Bazaar.  I unwittingly thought that the spices would be the hardest to find. Surprisingly not true.  Most of the ingredients and spices can also be found online.

With Mahaleb in hand, I head to my neighborhood grocery for the puffed wheat cereal…

4 STORES later, I walk out empty-handed and dejected.  Not a bag or box of puffed wheat to be found.  Apparently it is really hard to find puffed cereals without sugar added.  Who would have “thunk” it?

I took to the internet, and found Vitacost, a supplement/health food site where I not only find Puffed Wheat, but Puffed Kamut (an ancient grain), Puffed Corn and Puffed Rice. You can find Puffed Rice by Quaker Oats in the supermarket, a great alternative for a gluten free version. I like Puffed Kamut. I would definitely cut a bit of the cereal and add more nuts and Mahaleb.  Watch carefully when baking as it browns fairly quickly.  I love it over yogurt and fresh fruit or straight out of hand.

So be forewarned, the most difficult ingredient to find will be the cereal.  But it will be well worth it, Ashure Cereal is absolutely delicious.

Here, for you to drool over, my Food 52 holiday swap gift  from Cathy!

Ashure Cereal
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Ashure Cereal

Course Snack
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword cereal
Cook Time 15 minutes
30 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Author Adapted from NYT

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup /85 grams neutral-tasting oil such as canola
  • 6 tablespoons /110 grams honey
  • 1⁄2 cup /110 grams dark brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon ground mahaleb increase to 3/4 -1
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 10 cups /160 grams puffed wheat sub Puffed Kamut or Rice
  • 3/4 Scant cup /85 grams halved pecans increase to 1 cup
  • 1⁄3 cup /50 grams pumpkin seeds
  • 3 tablespoons /30 grams sesame seeds
  • 1⁄2 cup /85 grams almonds very roughly chopped, or left whole with skin

Instructions

Step 1

  • Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Heat to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

Step 2

  • Combine oil, honey and sugar in a medium saucepan, and set over medium-high heat. Whisk well, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Step 3

  • In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, and mix well. Once the honey mixture comes to a boil, carefully pour it over the dry ingredients. Working quickly, use a large silicone spatula to stir, turning the contents of the bowl over until everything is coated evenly with the syrup. Transfer mixture to baking sheets, and use spatula to flatten out cereal into an even layer.

Step 4

  • Place baking sheets on prepared oven racks, and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully remove 1 tray at a time, and use spatula to stir cereal around. Rotate trays 180 degrees, and switch oven positions to ensure even baking. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes longer, until golden brown and well caramelized. Remove from oven, and allow to cool entirely on the trays before breaking cereal into large clusters.

Step 5

  • Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Happy holidays and happy baking!
Nut-in but the Best (Candied Cocktail Nuts)

Nut-in but the Best (Candied Cocktail Nuts)

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This would not be the first post I have written on nuts.  I’m nutty bout’ nuts.  What shrimp was to Bubba in Forrest Gump is what nuts are to me.  Roast them, toast them, caramelize them, boil em’-put em’ in salads, cookies, cakes, granola, gosh, just about anything.

There are “nibble nuts” (that sounds weird), which I love, found at bars, ballgames, and cocktail parties.  Every Christmas I look forward to my cousin Bonnie’s jar of addictively delicious Candied Spiced Pecans.  Another one of my favorites is Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts, a wonderful combination of spices and rosemary.  Nibble Nuts make great gifts.  I will package them in cellophane bags tied with a cute little ribbon or fill canning jars and slap a festive tag on, perfect. Nothing like a gift of nuts to say I’m nuts about you, lol.

Right after the midterm election, I went up to The City for another cookbook signing. Once again, Dorie Greenspan was going to be at Omnivore Books, this time talking about her latest book, Everyday with Dorie (in the 3jamigos shop). Did I mention she is one of my favorites? The last time I saw her was right after the 2016 elections (if there was ever a time I needed a distraction-oy), she was making the rounds for her Cookie book. Her cookbooks are reliable, accessible, and written in an easy, warm style.

So, of course, I hopped in my car, drove up to the City with Sammy in tow, and patiently waited for her to show up.  I was early, which if you know me, you are slapping your forehead right now in disbelief.  Hey, it was Dorie, what can I say?

Dorie’s husband Micheal was there and I love talking to him as much as Dorie.  We talked about their son “The kid” and his beautiful, fairytale wedding in Paris this past year.  I mean, when Pierre Herme creates your wedding cake, it’s going to be epic (link to wedding cake on Instagram).  Must be nice, sigh.

Ah, but I digress, I flipped through Dorie’s new book, which includes a smattering of everything, not just desserts.  “Stuff” she likes to make and eat, and whaddya know, in the very first section, there is a recipe for Candied Cocktail Nuts.  A girl can never have too many recipes for nuts.  Nope, never, and this one looked super-user friendly.

The recipe starts with 1/2 pound of mixed whole nuts, I doubled it right off the bat.  President Obama has the willpower to eat only 7 almonds a day?  That’s fake news, come on.  I buy unsalted roasted nuts at Costco.  It’s a good deal and perfect for this and the Spiced Nut recipe.

Her original recipe calls for thyme, but I could easily see using rosemary or another herb.  Next time I might add a bit of smoked paprika. Yums.

So keep Dorie’s Candied Cocktail Nuts in mind for those stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, or when you are sitting at your desk or kitchen counter working, these nuts are the perfect companion.

Everyday with Dorie

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Candied Cocktail Nuts

I call them nibble nuts, perfect with drinks, cheese boards...just about with anything.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword Cocktail Nuts
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Baking Time 15 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound Mixed Nuts-pecans, cashews, almonds 1.5 cups approximately, unsalted
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fleur de sel or sub 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions

  • Adapted from Everyday with Dorie
  • Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
  • Spread nuts on a sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.  Scatter thyme over nuts and roast for 5 minutes.
  • While nuts are roasting, place remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring, until butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.  
  • Add warm nuts to pan and continue to cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until well coated by the sauce.
  • Return nuts to baking pan, making sure to spread the nuts out. No clumps, please.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, stirring the nuts midway through. If they seem a little too light, continue to bake for another couple of minutes.
  • Take pan out and let the nuts cool completely. Sprinkle with additional Fleur de Sel.

Notes

Nuts will keep about a week in an airtight container.  If they seem a little sticky, pop them back in a 350-degree oven for a couple of minutes.

 
Candied Spiced Pecans: The Perfect Nibble

Candied Spiced Pecans: The Perfect Nibble

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I love nuts, any kind of nuts. But if posed the proverbial question “what if you were stranded on a desert island and you could only have one kind of nut, what would it be”.  My answer, hands down would be pecans, a no-brainer.  Pecans have a buttery, sweet nutty flavor. When making chocolate chip cookies, brownies even salads, I reach for pecans to toss in.  I am also a sucker for candied pecans and lucky for me my cousin Bonnie has perfected her Candied Spiced Pecans.  Every year during the holidays she makes a boatload and packs them in cute little jars she has collected over the year (this year Straus Family Cream bottles, very nifty and thrifty).  I secretly hope she brings too many and hands me the extra ones, they’re that good.  I asked if I could share her recipe and she graciously said yes, she rocks.

Spiced Pecans

A couple of tips, use two pans and spread them out.  Lightly beat the egg whites until frothy.  Be daring and vary the spices.  Making them is really easy, right up there with granola. Throw them in mason jars, add a cute ribbon, and voila’ the perfect hostess gift. Nuts are expensive, luckily you can find reasonably priced pecans at Costco in 2-pound bags.  I suppose you could use other nuts like walnuts or almonds…but why would you?

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Spicy Pecans: The Perfect Nibble

Ingredients

Spice mix:

  • 1/2 -1 t cayenne pepper
  • - 1t if you want to taste the burn
  • 1/2 t chili powder
  • 1-1/2 t cinnamon ground
  • 1/2 t clove ground
  • 1 t ginger ground
  • 1/2 t nutmeg ground ( I use mace, which I love)
  • 1 t salt
  • 3/4 c sugar
  • - opt. 1/4c dark brown + 1/2c white

The Nuts:

  • 2 egg whites=1/4c slightly beaten
  • 1 t water
  • 8 c pecans
  • costco 8c = 2lb bag

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  • Line one cookie sheet with parchment.
  • Measure out dry spice mix ingredients into a ziploc box.
  • In the large bowl combine egg whites and water, use wood spatula to lightly beat mixture. Cut open bag of pecans and dump into egg+water bowl.
  • Mix nuts with wood spatulas until all pecans are glistening.
  • Dump in spice mix. Combine until all the pecans are coated.
  • Pour nuts onto the parchment lined cookie sheets. Spread nuts out as flat as possible.
  • Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, or until dry (the coating has bubbled up and turned whitish).
  • Stir occasionally while baking.
  • Meanwhile, spread a large sheet of parchment paper (large enough to cool all the pecans in a single layer) on the counter.
  • Using a spatula, push hot nuts off cookie sheet parchment and on to counter top parchment. Separate nuts while still warm (once cooled, the nuts will crack instead of separate).
  • Allow to cool completely before storing in air tight containers.

Please let me know if you try these!