Croccante

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 Part white sugar
1 Part nuts; (almonds, or hazelnuts, or peanuts), shelled
2 teaspoons Butter for every pound of sugar+nuts
1 pinch Salt
Butter or oil for the dish
1 Lemon; thoroughly washed to get rid of the chemicals, (or home grown :-)

Directions

Almond and hazelnuts can be either peeled or not. Peanuts are best peeled.

Roughly chop the nuts (peanuts can be left whole - they will split into halves anyway) and place them in a heavy-bottomed frying pan with the sugar and butter. Slightly grease a tin (or earthenware) dish with a little oil or butter. Cook the mixture of nuts and sugar over medium heat until the sugar turns bright brown, stirring continuously. (If you like a more "roasted" taste, roast the nuts alone for 10 minutes before adding sugar and butter.) Pour the mixture in the dish and, using the lemon as a rolling pin, press it down to a shape ½-inch thick (or thinner, if you can!).

WARNING: Croccante can be pressed down only if it's very hot, so proceed carefully to avoid burns! Allow to cool. Store in glass jars or tin boxes, or simply packed up in greaseproof paper, and keep it in a dry place (NOT in the refrigerator - cold temperature is OK, but refrigerators are too humid, and the sugar in your croccante might melt and make it sticky).

<Lucretia>, Italian in Australia Posted to recipelu-digest by jeryder@... on Mar 17, 1998

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