Go Nuts! April 30, 2018.
Inspired by the squirrels around her apartment that her dog stalks, Diva S chose a nut theme for April. The Divas went nuts with the addition of a guest Diva *and* a Diva Mom!
Tequila Horchata Cocktail
Ingredients
4 OZ. ALMOND MILK
½ OZ. ALMOND LIQUEUR
½ OZ. CINNAMON SIMPLE SYRUP
2 OZ. ANJEO TEQUILA
Instructions
Add everything into your cocktail shaker with ice. Shake.
Fill your glass with ice.
Strain your shaken horchata into your glass.
Garnish with some cinnamon.
Mike's Spiced Holiday Nuts
My dad made many batches of this recipe for years at Christmas and handed out bags of nuts as gifts to all his friends, so this particular spice combo just smells like Christmas to me. When I told my mom the theme for this month's dinner, she immediately asked if I was making the spiced nuts. Seemed right.
-N
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 T olive oil
2 c. shelled whole nuts (pecans, cashews, and walnuts work best as they soak up the oil and seasoning best)
1 T kosher salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
In a bowl, mix the cumin, chili powder, curry, garlic salt, cayenne, ginger and cinnamon.
Heal the oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the spice mixture and stir well. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to mellow the flavors.
Remove the spice mixture from the heat and add the nuts to the skillet. Toss well to coat the nuts.
Spread the nuts in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice during the baking process.
Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Let rest for 2 hours in a cool place. Store in airtight jars or pack up as gifts.
Note:
You can easily double this recipe, but use 3 T of olive oil (not 4) with the doubled recipe. Bigger recipes than doubled don't turn out as well.
My dad made many batches of this recipe for years at Christmas and handed out bags of nuts as gifts to all his friends, so this particular spice combo just smells like Christmas to me. When I told my mom the theme for this month's dinner, she immediately asked if I was making the spiced nuts. Seemed right.
-N
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 T olive oil
2 c. shelled whole nuts (pecans, cashews, and walnuts work best as they soak up the oil and seasoning best)
1 T kosher salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
In a bowl, mix the cumin, chili powder, curry, garlic salt, cayenne, ginger and cinnamon.
Heal the oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the spice mixture and stir well. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to mellow the flavors.
Remove the spice mixture from the heat and add the nuts to the skillet. Toss well to coat the nuts.
Spread the nuts in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice during the baking process.
Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Let rest for 2 hours in a cool place. Store in airtight jars or pack up as gifts.
Note:
You can easily double this recipe, but use 3 T of olive oil (not 4) with the doubled recipe. Bigger recipes than doubled don't turn out as well.
Walnut Pesto Crostini
This is a smitten kitchen recipe, of course. I followed it as written, with the addition of spinach leaves between the bread and the pesto, really just for a little color (otherwise, it all seemed so brown, even with the tomatoes).
-N
Walnut Pesto Crostini
1 cup shelled walnuts, even better if you toast and cool them first
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
3 sprigs of thyme, cleaned
Salt
Small splash of sherry vinegar (go easy)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes (oil or dry-packed will both work)
1 loaf country bread, or a baguette, sliced
In food processor, coarsely grind walnuts, cheese, garlic, thyme, salt and vinegar. Stir in oil and tomatoes.
Grill or toast bread. While hot, top each slice with a heaping teaspoon of pesto.
This is a smitten kitchen recipe, of course. I followed it as written, with the addition of spinach leaves between the bread and the pesto, really just for a little color (otherwise, it all seemed so brown, even with the tomatoes).
-N
Walnut Pesto Crostini
1 cup shelled walnuts, even better if you toast and cool them first
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
3 sprigs of thyme, cleaned
Salt
Small splash of sherry vinegar (go easy)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes (oil or dry-packed will both work)
1 loaf country bread, or a baguette, sliced
In food processor, coarsely grind walnuts, cheese, garlic, thyme, salt and vinegar. Stir in oil and tomatoes.
Grill or toast bread. While hot, top each slice with a heaping teaspoon of pesto.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/1/6/3916068/fish_1.jpg?250)
Almond-Crusted Salmon
Ingredients
How to Make It
Step 1: Preheat oven to 500°.
Step 2: Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish; set aside.
Step 3: Brush tops and sides of fish with juice: sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working with 1 fillet at a time, dredge top and sides in almond mixture; place skin side down on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle any remaining crumb mixture evenly over fish; press gently to adhere. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with lemon wedges.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup panko
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, about 1-inch thick
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking spray
- 4 lemon wedges
How to Make It
Step 1: Preheat oven to 500°.
Step 2: Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish; set aside.
Step 3: Brush tops and sides of fish with juice: sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working with 1 fillet at a time, dredge top and sides in almond mixture; place skin side down on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle any remaining crumb mixture evenly over fish; press gently to adhere. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with lemon wedges.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/1/6/3916068/pretty.jpg?250)
Five Nut Caramel Tart
Pastry:
Instructions
1. Make the pastry: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg yolk mixture and pulse until a dough begins to form. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Butter an 11-inch-diameter false-bottom tart pan. Let the dough soften slightly, then pat the crust into the pan with your hands until it is to a relatively even thickness of 1/8 inch. Trim the edges even with the pan’s rim. Refrigerate the pastry for 30 minutes to overnight.
3. Prebake the tart shell: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the tart shell with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the tart shell is golden brown. Cool completely on a rack.
4. Make the filling: Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Place the tart shell on a heavy, large baking sheet. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, and granulated sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring until the sugars dissolve. Increase the heat and whisk until mixture comes to a boil.
5. Continue boiling until large bubbles form, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, and cream. Immediately pour the filling into the tart shell. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the filling bubbles (the filling might overflow slightly onto baking sheet).
From The Splendid Table, via my Aunt Kathy at PieFest.
Pastry:
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (organic preferred), dipped and leveled
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for buttering pan
- 1 1/2 large egg yolks blended with 1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup toasted, salted cashews (about 4 ounces)
- 2/3 cup toasted, salted macadamia nuts (about 3 1/2 ounces)
- 1/2 cup whole, blanched almonds (about 2 1/4 ounces)
- 1/3 cup salted, shelled pistachios (about 1 1/2 ounces)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (about 1 ounce)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
Instructions
1. Make the pastry: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg yolk mixture and pulse until a dough begins to form. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Butter an 11-inch-diameter false-bottom tart pan. Let the dough soften slightly, then pat the crust into the pan with your hands until it is to a relatively even thickness of 1/8 inch. Trim the edges even with the pan’s rim. Refrigerate the pastry for 30 minutes to overnight.
3. Prebake the tart shell: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the tart shell with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the tart shell is golden brown. Cool completely on a rack.
4. Make the filling: Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Place the tart shell on a heavy, large baking sheet. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, and granulated sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring until the sugars dissolve. Increase the heat and whisk until mixture comes to a boil.
5. Continue boiling until large bubbles form, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, and cream. Immediately pour the filling into the tart shell. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the filling bubbles (the filling might overflow slightly onto baking sheet).
From The Splendid Table, via my Aunt Kathy at PieFest.