How often do we need a quick appetizer. We’re having a dinner party and we’ve thought of everything except something to serve with cocktails. We need something quick and easy and GOOD! This is the answer. Total prep time is under 20 minutes; you can make them ahead of time and store them forever in an airtight container. The audience will swoon. They are so good!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Gear: Large 12″ skillet

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cups of pecans
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt ( from France if possible). It’s important to have a fine salt so that it sticks to the pecans.

Procedure:

1. Melt the butter in the 12″ skillet over low-medium heat (induction 4.5), add the pecans and the salt and stir so that they’re all coated with the butter.
2. Continue stirring frequently for five minutes on medium heat (setting 5 on induction) making sure the pecans do not burn. Turn the heat down (setting 4 on induction) and cook for another 5 minutes, making sure they don’t burn. If they start to burn or smoke, turn the heat down even more. The end result should be browned and slightly blackened pecans.
3. Set aside and let cool in the pan. Serve to your guests in small bowls.

The Science of Butter:

Read this before you start to cook. It will help you understand why butter is tricky.

When butter browns and blackens, it undergoes a series of chemical reactions that are primarily due to the breakdown of its components: water, milk solids (proteins and sugars), and fats. Here’s what happens:

• Butter is about 80% fat, 15% water, and 5% milk solids. When heated, the butter melts, and the water starts to evaporate. The evaporation of water concentrates the remaining components and raises the temperature, setting the stage for browning reactions.
  
• Once the water has evaporated, the milk proteins (like casein) and sugars (like lactose) remain in the pan and begin to brown due to the Maillard reaction. This reaction occurs at higher temperatures (around 300°F/150°C).
  
• The Maillard reaction produces a range of flavorful and aromatic compounds, giving browned butter (beurre noisette) its nutty, rich flavor.
  
• If the heat continues unchecked, the milk solids burn and char. This occurs when the Maillard reaction progresses too far, or if the temperature rises beyond what the solids can tolerate (over 350°F/175°C). At this stage, the compounds decompose into carbon and create blackened, bitter residues.
  
• Burning milk solids creates acrid, unpleasant flavors and potentially harmful compounds like acrylamide.

DON’T BURN THE PECANS!

Categories: Appetizers, Classic Appetizers, Classic Recipes by Type, Fun Stuff

Tags: food, Hors d'oeuvres, recipe, recipes, Snacks