Kitchen Adventures- South American Nut Brittle
So I have this thing where I love to cook. I love baking. I love being in the kitchen and making something new and delicious. I generally try and make dinner a few times a week (I cook for just me but have never been good at only cooking enough for one person, so… leftovers). My mom cooked most nights when I was growing up and at the holidays food is always a centerpiece- from the dinner to the treats! So I think that she has a lot to do with why I love it. And I remember learning things when I was a kid, so it’s not something that I picked up as an adult- it’s always been a part of me.
For years there have been cooking appliances that I’ve wanted- the Kitchenaid mixer, a blender, etc- but I’ve never bought them for myself. This year for xmas I asked for an received a toaster oven! And last fall, I purchased a blender (with a food processor!) for myself. And then just recently I used giftcards and funds on my acct from trading textbooks back to Amazon and FINALLY bought my Kitchenaide mixer. So… I plan to have many adventures in the kitchen. Plus, I grew up (sorta) in South America (Peru) and in the last decade the food has started appearing all over the United States. So I found a couple of cookbooks because it’s food I remember and love but I have no idea how to make anything- so I’ve decided to learn some dishes. I’ve also decided to occasionally- not frequently- document the adventures in the kitchen here. So you can all enjoy them with me. 
I tend to be more of a baker or dessert maker then a person who follows recipes for main courses so I thought that my first adventures with South American cuisine should be sweets. Behold- Nut Brittle. 
So… I’ve never actually made anything like this. My mom and brother do the candies at Xmas, I make cookies. So let’s see what we start with… 
Sugar and peanuts… which then get put on medium or so heat… creating the following transition 
Which once the sugar is all melted and carmelly- which it is tough to not burn the peanuts if you follow the directions in the book (note to self, put sugar into the pot FIRST, allow melting process to begin- then add peanuts)- then you simply dump into a pan and allow to cool. You’re supposed to score it for cracking but honestly it cooled so quick while I was spreading it in the pan… I didn’t really get to or need to score it. 
And there you have it. That top pic is actually all the broken pieces put into the storage container. And I should tell you, that aside from a slight overdone taste on a few of the peanuts- damn sugar to forever to melt!- it is quite tasty. And different from the brittles I’ve had before. It’s supposed to be, according to the book, a street vendor type food throughout South America. I have no idea if it is or not- I don’t recall it. But I will tell it’s very simple to make and quick and will probably get added to my staple of edibles.
Next time in Kitchen Adventures- Almond Cream (Peru)
Excellent post today. I really enjoyed it very much thanks!
Family Writers Wanted
We (the kids and I) were not allowed to eat “street food”. That’s one reason you don’t remember it. It was all over Trujillo, Lima everywhere…
Well, there ya go… it does exist, as a street food, but my dad was too uppity to let me have any. Poo. Interestingly, this is a man who took a toddler to country where one of her strongest memories is of a looking at a camel at the zoo and then a guerrilla with a huge gun… but no street food… priorities intact then.
[...] because it is semi-familiar. But I thought there might be some interesting stuff in the other. The Nut Brittle from the last post came from the former book, the all encompassing one. This time I thought [...]