Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Quick and Easy Glazed Nuts. (And a salad suggestion, just because it's Wednesday.)

Looking for a quick way to dress up a salad? Here's one.

Grab a handful of nuts. I'm using pecans here. You could use walnuts, almonds, whatever. I prefer pecans.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Thrown the pecans into a bowl.

Take some honey...

...and pour JUST enough to lightly glaze the pecans. In the oven, the extra honey will slide off and whatever excess will be wasted.

Tear off a sheet of parchment paper and lay it on a cookie sheet. (NOTE: You must use parchment paper. Not wax paper, not foil, and NOT a bare cookie sheet. TRUST ME!) No need to grease the paper.

Stir together the honey and pecans and dump them out onto the parchment.

Risking sticky fingers, place the pecans on a single level, flat side down. (See how lightly they're coated?)

If you like, and if the nuts you're using aren't salted, give them a little sprinkle with the salt shaker.
Bake for 6-10 minutes, until the pecans are toasty and the sugars are carmelized.

To avoid burning the bottoms of the nuts, slide the parchment paper off the hot cookie sheet onto the cool countertop.

The excess honey will harden into a sheet of sugar. Let cool briefly, maybe five to ten minutes, and then use your fingers to break the pecans apart. You can leave them whole, or break into smaller pieces.

Wondering what to make with these little gems? May I suggest starting with a bowl of mixed lettuce...

Draining and adding a can of these babies...

Adding a handful of tangy dried cranberries...

Lightly dressing with a drizzle of a sharp, fruity dressing...

Topping with the pecans...

And serving beside some tender, juicy steak?

Yum.

3/31/10: Another great use for glazed pecans from Lisa at The Cozy Nook!

2 comments:

  1. Yum-O! Looks great. Love a fru fru salad with dinner. I'm sure adding a little cinammon and/or nutmeg to the nuts would be really good too.

    P.S
    Loved the pics from your vacation & Valentines Dinner post. I'm going to make the strawberries very soon. Joel & I have had a great time chatting with your parents at church lately. Have a blessed day!

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