Wolfgang Pucks Spicy Caramelized Pecans Recipes

CARAMELIZED PECANS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place butter spread into 9-inch square pan; heat in oven 2-3 minutes or until melted. Remove pan from oven. Add pecan halves; toss until well coated.
• Return pan to oven; bake 4-5 minutes or until nuts are caramelized. Spread nuts in even layer on waxed paper. Cool completely. Store in container with tight-fitting lid.

STOVETOP CARAMELIZED PECANS

Steps:

• In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, melt together brown sugar and water until rapidly bubbling. Add pecans, stirring thoroughly to coat. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant and most of the liquid has evaporated. (But not so long at the sugars burn.)
• Spread pecans into a single layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and use a fork to separate them. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour, until fully cooled, set, and dry. (Pecans will be only very slightly tacky to the touch.)
• Break apart any pecan clusters and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

CARAMELIZED PECANS

Steps:

• 1. Roast Pecans in oven 10-15 min in oven. *Note: They are roasted properly when they don't taste bitter in the middle and have a snappy crunch to them. Set aside
• 2. In a large nonstick skillet melt butter on medium heat then add brown sugar and mix into a paste. Hold the skillet under the faucet and give it a dash of water with the sink handle. Return to the burner and stir mixing the paste and water while it is bubbling and dissolving the brown sugar. When the water evaporates give it another dash of water to incorporate it into a syrup and let it bubble and boil for a few until it starts to thicken (carmelize). *Note: Make sure the brown sugar is no longer grainy and has melted into a syrup, and the syrup has started to thicken and hold together and is not runny.
• 3. Quickly add the roasted pecans and fold them into the caramelized mixture then quickly empty them onto a tray separated from one another. Let them cool without moving them. *Note This stage has to be done quickly and you must not stir them to much or disturb the carmel coating or it will lose it's shiny sheen and become dull and brittle.
• 4. When they are cool remove from the tray and serve over vanilla ice cream or just as a treat.

SPICED CARAMELIZED PECANS

Steps:

• In a deep-fryer or a deep pot, heat the oil to 350 degrees. (A deep-frying thermometer can be clipped to the side of the pan so that you can tell when the proper temperature has been reached).
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pecans and boil for 2 minutes. Drain in a large strainer, shaking off all excess water. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper over the nuts and then coat with the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, allowing the sugar to melt into the pecans. Toss the nuts by shaking the strainer, adding a little more sugar each time, until all the sugar is used and all the nuts are coated. Do not use hands or a spoon to toss. The nuts should have a glaze of sugar.
• Carefully add the nuts to the heated oil, keeping the oil at 350 degrees F. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon to a baking tray to cool.

WOLFGANG PUCK'S SPICY CARAMELIZED PECANS

Steps:

• Add pecans to a pot of boiling water in two batches, boiling for two minutes Drain and shake off all excess water.
• Sprinkle salt and cayenne over nuts.
• Coat with sugar, allowing the sugar to melt into the pecans.
• Toss the nuts in the strainer, slowly adding all sugar.
• DO NOT USE UTENSIL TO TOSS.
• Carefully add nuts to hot oil.
• Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove with slotted spoon and allow to cool on cookie sheet.

SPINACH AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD WITH SLICED APPLES AND SPICED CARAMELIZED PECANS

Steps:

• Cut the apple into quarters, remove the stem and the seeds, and cut into very thin slices. Sprinkle lemon juice over the slices and set aside.
• When ready to serve, in a salad bowl, combine the apple, spinach, radicchio, and blue cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing. Adjust seasoning to taste.
• To serve, divide the salad among 4 plates and sprinkle the pecans around each salad.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots and the mustard. Whisk in the vinegars, and then the olive and vegetable oils. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.
• Yield: 1 1/4 cups
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Adventures in the Kitchen", Random House, 1991
• In a deep-fryer or a deep pot, heat the oil to 350 degrees F. (A deep-frying thermometer can be clipped to the side of the pan so that you can tell when the proper temperature has been reached).
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pecans and boil for 2 minutes. Drain in a large strainer, shaking off all excess water. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper over the nuts and then coat with the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, allowing the sugar to melt into the pecans. Toss the nuts by shaking the strainer, adding a little more sugar each time, until all the sugar is used and all the nuts are coated. Do not use hands or a spoon to toss. The nuts should have a glaze of sugar.
• Carefully add the nuts to the heated oil, keeping the oil at 350 degrees F. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon to a baking tray to cool.
• Yield: 2 cups
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Pizza, Pasta & More!," Random House, 2000