Recipe: Pumpkin Seed Brittle and Peanut Brittle

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

"This brittle comes out so beautifully translucent it looks like amber stained glass. The cumin is a tasty surprise. The recipe was adapted from Guy Reuge, chef/owner of Mirabelle on Long Island. He served it at his dinner at the James Beard House, and our staff loved it so much we wanted to know how to make it. Even better than how good it is to eat is how easy it is to make."

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
1 3/4 cups shelled raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted*

Invert a cookie sheet and grease the bottom (now the top) with butter or place a silicone mat or piece of parchment on a clean work surface.

In a small dish, combine the salt, baking soda, and cumin.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 cup water. Stir to combine and remove any lumps. Add the butter and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring almost continuously. The mixture will become white and frothy. Keep simmering and stirring until the mixture turns to a medium-brown caramel, about 15 minutes. It will darken slowly at first and then go more quickly, becoming less frothy all the while.

Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the baking soda and cumin mixture. (Careful, the mixture will foam up, almost doubling in volume.) Quickly add the pumpkin seeds and stir until they are coated with the caramel. If the mixture hardens too much to stir or spread, set it over the heat for a minute or so to melt.

Pour the mixture onto the center of the prepared pan, and using a clean rolling pin, roll out to a 1/4-inch thickness. The caramel may stick to the rolling pin at first, but as the mixture cools it will stop sticking; keep rolling. Cool completely. Break into bite-size pieces.

LEFTOVERS:
The brittle will keep at room temperature for about two weeks in an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to six months. Grind it up and use it as a topping for ice cream or in the center of a layer cake, anywhere you would use praline.

VARIATION

PEANUT BRITTLE:
Follow the same directions, omitting the cumin and substituting 2 cups (10 ounces) of roasted peanuts, without their skin, for the pumpkin seeds. If the peanuts are salted, omit the salt in the recipe. Roll the finished brittle only /8 to 1/2 inch thick.

*To toast shelled pumpkin seeds:
Toss them with 1 tablespoon of canola oil and spread in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 6 to 8 minutes; allow to cool completely.

Makes about 2 pounds
Adapted from source: Kitchen Sense by Mitchell Davis