Gramercy Tavern Bar Nuts
While it's a lot easier to just buy some nuts and throw them in a bowl when you're entertaining, the time it takes to caramelize these Gramercy Tavern Bar Nuts is totally worth it. They are the best nuts I've ever eaten. They're spicy and sweet and perfectly crunchy. They'd be a perfect snack for your guests to nibble on with a drink before sitting down to your Thanksgiving meal.
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
Spice Mix
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup almonds
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, plus more for greasing
2 cups pecan halves
1 1/4 cup cashews
2 oz. simple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup (I don’t stock corn syrup in my kitchen and will use a substitute, such as agave)
Preparation
To make the spice mix, in a small bowl, stir together the sugar, salts, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, black pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a plate and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F and grease a clean rimmed baking sheet with the grapeseed oil.
In a large bowl, combine the almonds, pecans, cashews, simple syrup, corn syrup, the 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, and the spice mix. Toss gently until the nuts are evenly coated. Spread on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until the spice mixture is caramelized and the nuts are lightly toasted, 25-40 minutes. (To check for doneness, take a few nuts out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes; if done, they will be dry to the touch.) Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 1 week.
