Marcona Almond And Fleur De Sel Pralines Recipes

THYME-ROASTED MARCONA ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the almonds, olive oil, thyme and kosher salt on a sheet pan and toss them together. Roast the almonds for 10 to 15 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes with a metal spatula, until they're lightly browned. Watch them carefully; they go from underbaked to burnt very quickly.
• Sprinkle with fleur de sel, toss and set aside to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Store the cooled nuts in a sealed container at room temperature for a week or two.)

MARCONA ALMOND AND FLEUR DE SEL PRALINES

Steps:

• Lightly coat a nonstick baking mat or a piece of parchment with oil, and place on a heatproof surface. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, tilting pan to swirl and washing down sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Boil, without stirring, until mixture turns pale amber, about 8 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and stir in almonds. Pour mixture onto center of prepared surface, and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Let stand just until the edges are cool enough to handle. Working quickly and using gloved hands lightly coated with oil, pull pieces of caramel and almonds away from the center until caramel starts to harden and you are able to pull long, thin pieces before they break away. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool completely. Repeat. (If praline begins to harden, place on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven until pliable; you can do this only once before the sugar begins to crystallize.)

MARCONA ALMONDS/ CALIFORNIA STYLE

Steps:

• .Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Boil almonds in water for about 30 seconds.
• Drain the almonds in a sieve, then place them in a clean dish towel.
• Rub them to remove the skins.
• Place the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Add olive oil and coat them evenly.
• Sprinkle with salt.
• Bake the almonds 30 to 40 minutes, stirring a couple of times so that they brown evenly.
• When done, spread on a cool surface to let cool.
• Add more salt if needed.
• Store in an airtight container.

CARAMEL CORN WITH SMOKED ALMONDS AND FLEUR DE SEL

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and grease generously with nonstick vegetable-oil spray. Generously spray a large bowl and all but the handle part of a large spoon or rubber spatula.
• In a large deep pot with a lid, combine the popcorn kernels, oil, and salt and stir to coat the kernels in oil. Place the pot over moderately high heat, cover with a lid, and cook, shaking the pot frequently to redistribute the kernels, until all the kernels have popped, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the popped popcorn to the large prepared bowl, discarding any unpopped kernels. DO AHEAD: The popcorn can be popped in advance and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.
• In a large deep pot over moderately high heat, combine the corn syrup, sugar, and 1/4 cup water and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until the mixture develops a light amber color, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, add the baking soda and butter, and stir continuously to melt the butter and combine the ingredients, about 20 seconds. (The mixture will be very hot and will foam up at this point-continuous stirring will help the foaming subside.) Working quickly, pour the caramel over the popcorn and add the almonds, then use the prepared spoon or rubber spatula to stir everything together, trying to evenly coat the popcorn and nuts in caramel. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spreading out the caramel corn as much as possible. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and let cool and harden for about 20 minutes. Break the caramel corn into smaller, bite-size pieces and serve. DO AHEAD: Caramel corn can be prepared in advance and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.

ROASTED ALMONDS WITH ROSEMARY FLEUR DE SEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray. Whisk egg white in medium bowl until foamy. Add sugar; whisk until frothy. Whisk in rosemary, fleur de sel, and cayenne. Add nuts; stir. Transfer to baking sheet, spreading nuts in single layer. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes. Cool completely on sheet. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)
• *A type of sea salt, available at specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

CITRUS & SPICE MARCONA ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
• Whisk together egg white, orange juice, zest, salt, cumin, and paprika in a bowl, then add almonds and toss to coat.
• Spread almonds evenly on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and mix the nuts around, return to oven for another 10 minutes or until golden.
• Transfer nuts on parchment to a rack and cool completely (almonds will crisp as they cool).
• Loosen nuts from parchment with a spatula and transfer to a bowl.
• Note: These almonds can be made several days in advance and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.