- Are other nuts amenable to brining like pecans from Antonia's recipe? Thinking of cashews and walnuts in particular...thx

@hiebelch
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9 Comments

AntoniaJames December 10, 2012
I'm glad others are trying the different types of spice-brined nuts. There is also a cardamom spice brined pecan recipe within a cookie recipe I posted here. For some reason, the formatting is kind of crazy in that recipe, in that the cookie recipe appears twice, and then is followed by the recipe for the nuts. In any event, here is the recipe for Crispy Cardamom Spice-Brined Pecans

2 cups of raw pecan halves, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 cinnamon stick, broken into 3 or 4 pieces
½ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seeds (from green pods)
2 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
4 pieces of orange peel, each 1” x 3”
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil with all of the other ingredients except the pecan pieces.
Simmer for about five minutes. Cool to lukewarm, then stir well.
Add the nuts, stir the mixture well, and allow it to soak for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
With a slotted spoon, remove the pecans from the brining liquid and spread them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Remove the whole spices and the orange peel.
Roast for 10-12 hours, stirring occasionally.
Enjoy!! ;o)
I also posted a recipe as part of the vanilla contest for vanilla almonds, which are brined in vanilla and then roasted to crispy. They're like Jordan Almonds without the crunchy sugar shell. ;o)
 
mohagan December 7, 2021
Your Vanilla Almonds recipe seems to have vanished! I love the Spice Brined Pecans, but I happen to have about 6 cups of almonds and 0 cups of pecans sitting in my pantry right now. Do you still have the recipe?
 
Dona December 10, 2012
Thanks!
 
CHeeb December 10, 2012
Antonia's first recipe is Crispy Spice Brined Pecans.This is a citrus peel and spice blend ; Her second is bayleaf and vanilla spice based and calls for cashews.Both are searchable under "follow this cook" links for Antonia James. She is a voluminous contributor , and the brined nuts are amazingly crisp ,once cooled , despite the hours in the brine. Give them a try, and see if you can eat them one at a time as she advises...ch
 
Amanda H. December 10, 2012
CHeeb -- so glad you gave it a whirl! Thanks for reporting back.
 
Dona December 10, 2012
Can you post then name of this recipe? I'd like to try it. Thanks.
 
Amanda H. December 10, 2012
Here's the cashew recipe: http://food52.com/recipes/9456_crispy_savory_spicebrined_cashews
And the pecans: http://food52.com/recipes/7334_crispy_spicebrined_pecans
 
CHeeb December 10, 2012
Thank you,Amanda. I brined the cashews and walnuts this morning and took a chance that this was the case . They are cooling and smell great. I'm having a hard time deciding which flavor of her's I like better. The orange peel and spices versus the bay leaf and vanilla. I'm leaning toward the orange peel simply because it was so unusual . Thanks again and have a great day...ch
 
Amanda H. December 10, 2012
I made the recipe with almonds yesterday and they turned out well. And I think softer nuts like walnuts and cashews would work even better!
 
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