Welcome to March! This month’s Cookbook Club selection is Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South, by Vivian Howard. If you’re a PBS watcher, Vivian is the chef at the center of the show A Chef’s Life. Selim loves that show, so this was a fun selection for us! Our first selection is a recipe she calls “Viv’s Addiction.” These spiced nuts really are addicting! We used slightly different spices than she does, but the addiction level is still there. I could not stop eating them as soon as they were cool enough to touch. I had to make myself save a few – I made them with the intention of them going in my work lunches! This recipe is clearly adaptable to essentially any spice you want, and we’re definitely planning to try a few variations.
Smoky Spiced Pecans
Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp ancho chile powder
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 4 cups pecan halves
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Then slowly add the salt and sugar while still whisking. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form. Then add the spices and whisk until combined.
- Add the pecans to the bowl and stir until well-coated.
- Spread the coated pecans in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven and flip the nuts over, breaking up clumps as able.
- Repeat the steps above, stirring again at the 20 minute mark, and removing from the oven for good at the 30 minute mark.
- Once cool, break up any nut clusters that are stuck together.
Bon Appetit Baby! 