Tropical Fruit Splits With Rum Sauce And Chile Macadamia Brittle Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the nuts on a baking tray and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, turning the nuts after 5 minutes. Cool and then coarsely chop. Set aside.
• Place the sugar in a medium deep saucepan. Add the corn syrup and water, and over medium heat, bring to a boil. Boil until a layer of bubbles forms on top, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and continue to boil 5 minutes longer.
• Remove the foil, add the butter, and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer registers 300 degrees F, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Immediately stir in the salt, baking soda, and reserved nuts.
• Meanwhile, coat with vegetable oil or spray a 12 by 17-inch half sheet pan. Spread the nut mixture over the prepared pan, spreading it as thin as possible with a long, metal spatula. When cool, run a clean, dry towel over the top to absorb some of the oil.
• Cut or break the brittle into desired pieces.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F. Lightly oil a large sheet of foil on a baking sheet, then warm in oven.
• Shake nuts in a coarse sieve to remove any nut powder (this will create a clearer brittle).
• Cook sugar and water in a deep 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan, until golden. Immediately stir in red pepper flakes and nuts and cook, stirring, until nuts are golden, about 1 minute. Quickly pour onto foil, tilting baking sheet to spread brittle evenly before it hardens. (If caramel hardens too fast, put in a 400°F oven until warm enough to spread, 1 to 2 minutes.) Cool brittle on baking sheet on a rack until completely hardened, then break into large pieces.