Skip to main content  Spiced candied nuts.  When I worked as a
pastry chef at a restaurant in Maine we used to make a version
of these nuts for garnish on a pear salad. The difficult thing
was keeping our paws off them the rest of the time--these are
addictive in all the best ways: sweet, savory, with a satisfying
crunch between your teeth. The simplest version uses only salt
and pepper for seasoning, and the nuts are delicious that way.
Personally, I prefer the bite of a little cayenne and the
complexity the curry adds to the flavor.  This is one of those
recipes I've never had a solid recipe for. Fortunately, it's
almost impossible to screw up. What follows is a rough guide.
Spiced candied nuts  1. You can use mixed nuts or just one kind
--doesn't matter, but I like a mix of almonds, cashews, pecans,
and walnuts. In any case they should be raw (not toasted).  2.
Make a simple syrup with equal parts water and sugar. (Boil
until the sugar dissolves, then turn off heat and cool). You can
also use maple syrup i