| 285 | 286 | 287 | 288 | 289 |
| 1 | 103 | 205 | 308 | 410 |
|
takes more attention and constant stirring. Stove-top roasting is more suitable for small seeds
which are very quick to brown.
The roasting flavor fades in a few days to a week, so to have the very best, prepare nuts
and seeds in amounts you need for immediate use only.
You will get flavor improvement even if you re-roast previously roasted stale nuts.
To revive the fresh-roasted flavor, heat in medium-hot oven for 4 or 5 minutes, just until
the nuts are thoroughly heated but not yet browning.
Roasting Times for Nuts/Seeds
(350°F or 180°C oven)
Nuts
Time in Minutes
Almonds
Brazil nuts
Cashews
Chestnuts
Hazelnuts
11-12
9-11
10-14
18-20*
7-9
Macadamias
Peanuts
Pecans
6-8
11-18
10-12
6-8
Pine nuts
Pistachios
10-12
Walnuts
6-8
Seeds
Poppy seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
5-6
8-10
5-6
11-12
*
roast chestnuts at 450°F (235°C)
Properly roasted, fresh chestnuts have as scrumptious a flavor as any other nut, but they
must be very fresh and home roasting is somewhat tricky. If the chestnuts are not fresh, the peel
is hard to remove, and even if you manage that, an astringent skin (called pellicle) covers the nut
meat that resists peeling until you learn the technique. It is an art that you learn by practice.
To solve the roasting and shelling problem, I browsed through articles, books and
periodicals and I found several techniques. I tried one after another. Some didn't work at all,
some worked fairly well, and I found a few methods that were consistently good. Whatever you
use has to accomplish two things—develop the full roasted flavor of the meat and make both the
shell and pellicle easy to remove. Here is the best method:
To prepare the chestnuts, slash a shallow "x" on top of each shell. A serrated bread knife
cuts through the tough shell better than a small sharp knife. The “x” serves as a steam vent to
keep them from exploding in the pan or oven. Their tightly sealed high moisture content makes
popcorn out of your chestnuts, neither a pretty sight nor fun to clean up.
Deep fry the chestnuts at 375°F (190°C) in oil for 5 minutes. Both peel and inner pellicle
turn so crisp that they readily crumble. Peel right away when cool enough to touch. This method
play © erdosh 287
Page
Quick Jump
|