Make Ahead
Nut Brittle
- Serves 6
Author Notes
At the New Amsterdam Market this winter, we served our house made nut brittle. Not only did it accompany the oolongs beautifully, it surprisingly generated additional foot traffic to our table. In some cases the nut brittle became more popular than the main attraction. Reflecting upon the amounts of “Wow’s”, “That looks good”, and “Can I try it?” from the market goers, we decided to dedicate some time to write down the recipe so you can make it at home - to accompany you while you have a moment to sip some oolong or beverage of your choice, which should be oolong anyway... —Té company
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Brittle
-
400 grams
Nuts*
-
40 grams
Butter
-
300 grams
Sugar
-
215 grams
Corn Syrup
-
70 grams
Maple Syrup
-
235 grams
Steeped Oolong Tea (or Water)
-
6 grams
Baking Soda mixed w/ 1 tablespoon of Water
-
sprinkle
Fleur de Sel
- Nuts**
-
80 grams
Pepitas or Pumpkin seeds
-
70 grams
Toasted Sunflower seeds
-
100 grams
Toasted Hazelnuts
-
100 grams
Toasted Marcona Almonds
-
20 grams
Tea Leaves (The ones used to make the Steeped Oolong Tea)
-
30 grams
Puffed Rice
Directions
- **The nuts in this recipe are all toasted and chopped into small pieces. You can substitute or use as many or little as you wish.
- Place the sugar, steeped tea, corn syrup and maple syrup in a large pot over high heat. Stir with a spoon (don’t use metal) until the sugar dissolves. Let this mixture cook, stirring occasionally until the temperature reaches 240F/250F. This takes about 10 minutes or so, depending on what kind of burner you are using.
- When the temperature reaches the 240F/250F, add your butter, your nut mixture, and the tea leaves as well, leave out the puffed rice. Now the brittle needs your full attention. Stirring with all the nuts in gooey sugar is a good way to exercise your arm. Keep stirring on high heat until the mixture reaches an absurd temperature of 300F. Do NOT try to put your fingers in there… you will get some serious burns.
- Once the brittle mixture is at 300F, remove the pot from the heat and add your Baking Soda water and puffed rice while stirring. The baking soda is intended to create air bubbles in the brittle making the brittle very light and airy. Quickly mix everything in and pour the brittle out of the pot onto the sheet pan or slipat (whatever you are using). Spread it evenly across the surface with a spatula. Sprinkle with Fleur-de-Sel while the brittle is still hot. You may need a hand from a friend for this step.
- Allow the brittle cool completely. After it is completely cold you can either spread with your favorite (melted) chocolate or eat as is. If you decide to spread it with chocolate just be aware that you might need to temper the chocolate so it creates a nice glossy finish on your brittle... Then have fun breaking it into pieces.
- Steep some oolong - enjoy!
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