State of Superior Cuisine

State of Superior Cuisine: Yooper Food

Yooper Food

Nuts & Seeds

Almonds

Candied Almonds

  • 2 cups almonds, whole and unblanced
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 egg white
  • 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Please sugar in a large bowl. Beat egg lightly in medium size bowl. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. Add almonds, tossing until coated with egg mixture. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to sugar in a bowl; toss well to coat almonds evenly. Remove coated almonds to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the almonds 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until almonds are golden. Cool almonds completely on baking sheet. Store in airtight containers for up to 1 month.

  • 4 cups almonds
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tsp. cold water
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 F. Lightly grease a 15x10x1-inch jellyroll pan. Lightly beat the egg white, then add water and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the nuts and stir until they are well coated. Sift the sugar, salt and cinnamon together, sprinkle over the nuts and toss to mix. Spread on a pan and bake for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Almond Ginger

  • 1 cup blanched almonds
  • 2 tsp. butter
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. ginger

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place almonds and butter in shallow baking pan, and bake for twenty minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle salt and ginger over nuts, toss, and serve warm.

Orange Spice Almonds

  • 2 cups almonds, whole and blanched
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • 1 cup sugar, granulated
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. allspice
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
  • ¼ cup orange juice

Line a cookie sheet with foil, grease, and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine all of ingredients except the almonds. Cook over medium heat until the candy thermometer reaches the soft-ball stage (234 F). Remove from heat, add the almonds, and toss until they are well glazed. Spread on the foil-lined cookie sheet, and leave to cool. One they are cooled completely, break them apart, if necessary. Makes about three cups.

Smoked Almonds

  • 1½ cups almonds, shelled, unblanched
  • ½ tsp. "Liquid Smoke"
  • 2 tsp. water
  • 2 tsp.s butter or margarine
  • ½ tsp. salt, or to taste

Mix the Liquid Smoke with the water, and pour the mixture over the almonds, mixing to cover all of the almonds. Place them in a shallow Pyrex pan, cover and let stand overnight. The next day, heat the almonds in a 300 F oven. When they are warm, add about 1 teaspoon of butter. Toss to coat the almonds, adding more butter if necessary. Roast for forty to forty-five minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Cool and store in a covered container.

Or, if you'd prefer the more natural method, use a hooded grill or smoker to flavor the nuts. Place the almonds in a perforated pan in the smoker. Add wood chips (such as hickory) to hot coals and gently smoke them for thirty to forty minutes. If desired, lightly spray on a small amount of oil and toss them with a little salt.

Cashews

Butter Rum Cashews

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup rum
  • 2 cups cashews, whole and unsalted
  • 2 oz. butter

Generously oil a baking sheet and set aside. Bring the sugar and rum to boil in a saucepan. Cook for three minutes, or until the candy thermometer reads 234 F. Remove from heat and add the cashews, stirring constantly to coat with syrup. The sugar will become white and grainy after about 30 seconds. Return the saucepan to heat and re-melt sugar, adding a few drops of water if needed. Watch carefully that it does not burn. When the syrup has turned a rich caramel color, after about 2 minutes, and the nuts sound hollow at the tap of a spoon, remove from heat and stir in butter. Transfer the mixture to a prepared baking sheet, spreading it out in one layer, separating any pieces that are stuck together. Cool completely, and store airtight for two weeks. Makes about two cups.

Vanilla Roast Cashews

  • 12 oz. cashews, warm and roasted
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1½ fluid oz. corn syrup
  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 dab of lecithin on the tip of a table knife
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. salt (if nuts are unsalted)

Oil the inside of a kettle. Add water and bring it to a boil. Set it off the heat, add sugar and stir to melt. Mix in corn syrup, lecithin and salt. Stir on medium to high heat, bringing it to a second boil. With the kettle lid on, steam for three minutes, then wash around the cook line with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Put the thermometer in the syrup without additional stirring. When the batch begins to thicken, turn the heat to medium/low and cook to 280 F or soft crack. At 280 F, gently mix in the butter. Watch for a deep caramel color or hard crack at 295 F. Quickly remove from heat before the candy begins to smoke. Add vanilla and nuts, mixing well. Immediately scrape the candy into a mound on a warm buttered marble slab or 18- to 23-inch bun pan, keeping it confined to a pile for heat containment. With a chef's knife or spatula, turn brittle over for even distribution of syrup. Using bent-tine table forks, pluck out clusters the size of a silver dollar from the mass. Work quickly, as it will set up fast, turning the candy mound occasionally. When small candy clusters are cool, place them in a plastic bag.

Hazelnuts

Java Hazelnuts

  • 2½ cups whole hazelnuts
  • 1 tbsp. instant coffee granules
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • ½ cup sugar, granulated

First, toast the hazelnuts by spreading the shelled nuts in a shallow pan, and roasting in a 275 F oven for twenty to thirty minutes, or until the skins crack. Remove he skins by rubbing the warm nuts with a rough cloth. In a saucepan, combine the sugars, the sour cream and the coffee. Cook and stir until the mixture reaches 236 F (softball stage) on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, and add the vanilla extract and the toasted hazelnuts. Gently stir until all of the nuts are coated. Pour the mixture onto a large, buttered shallow pan or platter. With two forks, separate the nuts. Cool until the coating sets. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 1½ pounds.

Mixed Nuts

Maple Sugar Blend

  • 1 lb. mixed nuts
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

In a bowl, combine the nuts and maple syrup; mix well. Sprinkle with brown sugar and salad dressing mix; stir gently to coat. Spread in a greased 15x10-inch baking pan. Bake at 300 F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Store in an airtight container.

Newberry Blend

  • 1 cup whole almonds
  • 1 cup walnut halves
  • 1 cup cashew halves
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 stiffly beaten egg whites
  • 1 dash of salt
  • 2 stiffly beaten egg whites
  • ½ cup butter

Preheat oven to 325 F. Toast all of the nuts in a roasting pan until they are light brown. Beat the sugar and salt into the stiffened egg whites, and fold into the nuts. Melt the butter in a 15x10x1-inch pan. Spread the nut mixture over the butter, and bake for thirty minutes, stirring until the nuts are coated with brown and no butter remains.

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Fried Nuts
(mixed or most any single variety)

  • 2 cups nuts
  • 3 cups water
  • vegetable oil
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Boil water. Add nuts and cook for one minute after the water returns to a boil. Rinse in a strainer under hot running water, then drain. Toss nuts in sugar. Heat about one inch of oil in a skillet to 350 F. Add half of the nuts and fry for five minutes, or until golden, stirring often. Remove and drain. Sprinkle with salt, and spread on waxpaper to cool. Repeat with other half of the nuts. Store in tightly sealed container

Pecans

Candied Pecans

  • 3 cups pecans, halved or pieced
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • confectioners sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine the sugars and cinnamon. Melt the butter and add it to the sugar mixture. Stir, in a saucepan, over medium heat until melted and bubbly. Add the pecans to the sauce mixture, and stir to coat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces from the pan, then spread them on a piece of waxpaper to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

  • 1 lb. shelled pecans
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a skillet, except the pecans. Simmer for four minutes, or until the mixture spins small thread from the spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in pecans. Continue stirring until syrup forms a sugar coating over the pecans. Gently separate nuts while cooling. Makes about one pound.

Peppered Pecans

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. ground red pepper
  • 1 cup pecans or walnut halves

Have a large baking sheet ready. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt and black and red peppers. Set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the pecans, stirring for about one minute, or until hot. Reduce heat to medium, then sprinkle the pecans with half of the sugar and pepper mixture. Cook and stir until the sugar melts, about 30 seconds, then add the remaining sugar and pepper mixture. Cook, and stir, until the sugar melts and the nuts are coated, about 40 seconds. Place the nuts on a baking sheet, cool slightly and separate. Store in a tightly covered container. Makes about one cup.

Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

  • ¾ cup fresh pumpkin seeds
  • ¾ cup salted nuts
  • 2 cups bite-sized toasted rice cereal
  • 1 cup bite-sized toasted wheat cereal
  • 6 tbsp. butter
  • 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. seasoned salt
  • 1 (3 ounce) can fried chow mein noodles

Preheat oven to 275  F. Wash the pumpkin seeds and blot dry with paper towels. Spread the seeds on jellyroll pan and bake for about five minutes, or until dry. Remove the seeds from the pan, and set aside. Melt butter in same pan, then add Worcestershire sauce and seasoned salt. Then add seeds, cereals, noodles and nuts, stirring to coat. Bake for another forty minutes, stirring often. Cool the mixture on paper towels. Store in airtight containers. Makes about six cups.

Soy Beans

Soak the soybeans for eight hours or more. Yields about ½ cup of roasted nuts from each cup of beans.

  • Oven method
    • Use up to two cups of beans per baking sheet. Drain the beans, then spread them into a single layer. Bake at 350 F, stirring after fifteen minutes, then stirring every five minutes until golden brown and crunchy. The total time will vary depending on the moisture of the beans, but it should take about 2-30 minutes. Watch carefully when the beans are getting close to done, so that they don't burn.
  • Microwave method
    • Use 1 cup of beans. Drain them well, then spread the beans into a single layer on a glass pie plate. Microwave on high setting for three minutes. Stir, then cook three more minutes. After that, cook for one minute at a time, stirring after each minute to ensure even browning. The total time will vary, depending on the moisture of the bean and the wattage of the oven, but it will probably take about ten minutes. When the beans are beginning to get hard and golden, you may want to cook for thirty-second intervals to avoid burning them. They are done when they are golden brown and crunchy.

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1½ tbsp. peanut oil
  • 5 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
  • ¼ tsp. coarse salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 250 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut a pumpkin open from the bottom, removing the seeds with a long-handled spoon. Separate the flesh, and discard. Spread the seeds on parchment paper in an even layer. Bake for about one hour, or until dry, stirring occasionally.  Let cool. In a medium bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cook until the sugar melts and the pumpkin seeds begin to caramelize, about 45-60 seconds. Transfer to the bowl that contains the spices, and stir well to coat. Let cool. These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes about one cup.

Walnuts

Maple Walnut Glaze

  • 2 cups walnuts
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. salt

Stir together, in an iron skillet or saucepan, the syrup, cinnamon, butter, and salt. Cook, while stirring, over medium heat until the mixture becomes brown and starts to thicken. Add the vanilla extract, then the nuts and toss until the nuts are covered evenly with glaze. Spread quickly on waxpaper, and let cool.

Walnut Mints

  • 3 cups walnut halves
  • 10 regular-sized marshmallows
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp. peppermint extract

Line the bottom of a cookie sheet with waxpaper, and set aside. Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a small, heavy saucepan, and add one half cup of water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Then cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 238 F on a candy thermometer, which should take about twenty minutes. Remove from heat, and quickly add the marshmallows and peppermint extract, stirring until the marshmallows are dissolved. Stir in the walnuts, mixing until the nuts are coated well. Pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet. Separate nuts with 2 forks while they are still warm. After the mixture has completely cooled, the nut clusters can be broken apart to separate. Stores in an airtight container at room temperature up to two weeks. Makes about 1¼ pounds.

 

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