Spiced Nut Brittle
Ingredients
225g caster sugar
50g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
50g spiced cashews (see below) or plain cashew kernels, roughly chopped
50g dry roasted peanuts, crushed
For the spiced cashews
200g cashews
1 tsp groundnut oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
sea salt
METHOD
First, make the spiced cashews, if using. Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Toss the cashews with the oil, smoked paprika and cumin. Spread out on a baking tray and roast for 5-7 minutes until crisp and lightly browned, giving them a shake halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Leave to cool.
Line a 900g loaf tin with greased baking paper. Next make the caramel. Put the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan with 125ml water and heat over a medium heat, stirring gently, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to boil. Now, stop stirring and leave the syrup to boil for a further 8-10 minutes before reducing the heat and simmering until it turns a deep brown caramel colour – you will need to pay close attention so it doesn't burn.
Remove the pan from the heat and – working quickly – add all the chopped nuts and stir, making sure they are evenly coated in the caramel. Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin. Using the back of a wooden spoon, spread the mixture out evenly and press it firmly into place until about 1cm thick. Take care because the mixture will be extremely hot.
Leave to cool completely in the tin to allow it to harden before removing it and cutting it up into small shards. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a squeeze of lemon juice, if you wish. Or put the shards in an airtight container to snack on later.