Sweets for my sweets

St. Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I usually hang out at home and cook a really nice meal with my family. Then I eat chocolate in abundance. I actually do this most nights of the week, but I try to step it up a notch for holidays. One of my favorite chocolates to settle into is the 'chocolove' brand dark chocolate bar, which is 55% dark chocolate with toasted almonds and sea salt. This bar is easy for me to get my hands on in this small harbor town in which I live. However, when I return to Minneapolis, I get my hands on a 'salty dog' by B.T. McElrath. This chocolate bar is 70% dark chocolate with butter toffee pieces and sea salt. It turns any frown upside down! I do like to make my own chocolates and sweets as well. I am a HUGE fan of edible gifts, hence the 'Edible Gifts Class' at the co-op this week- Thursday @ 7pm. Check out the co-op's home page @ www.cookcounty.coop for more info and registration.

As I was saying- edible gifts. I love giving them. I love receiving them. Homemade jams, hot fudge sauces, flavored sea salts, sugar and spiced nuts, hand-rolled crackers, delicate and delicious cookie varieties are examples of edible gifts I like to tuck into backpacks and mailboxes to surprise folks with a little tasty treat.  In loo of the up coming class, I thought I'd share a recipe that I've been eying for quite some time. It's from 101cookbooks, and the recipe is a simple showstopper, and combines a few of my favorite flavors; rosemary, sesame, and brown sugar. You can alter this recipe to fit your tastes. I used smoked sea salt instead of sea salt. I also think that turbinado sugar would do well for the brown sugar, and add a bit of crunch to the mix. The most difficult step in this recipe is not eating these all up while they are still warm!


Brown Sugar Rosemary Walnuts

1 cup brown sugar or natural cane sugar
2 tsp fine grain sea salt or smoked sea salt
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 large egg whites
1 lb. about 4 cups shelled walnut halves
1/3 cup chopped dried figs, stems trimmed

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, rosemary, and sesame seeds.

In a large bowl whisk the egg whites a bit, just to loosen them up. Add the walnuts and figs to the whites and toss until they are evenly coated- it will take a minute or so. Sprinkle the sugar- spice mixture over the nuts and toss- really well- again.

Split the nut mixture between the two prepared baking sheets in a single layer, separating them the best you can.

Bake for ~25 minutes or until the walnuts are toasted golden and the coating is no longer wet. Cool for a few minutes, then slide the parchment/ nuts off of the hot baking sheets onto a cool surface to cool completely. These will keep for a week or so in an airtight container. Belly up!!