Anny's Red Plate: Toasted!

For Christmas we were given, as a friendship gift, a huge bag of huge pecans. Louisiana grown, of course. Today, I decided to take the remaining 3 cups and make them a bit more special by roasting them. No one can deny this is a perfect appetizer for a round-up of friends or whatever occasion. So easy to do. Here's how.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and scatter the pecans over a sheet pan. Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes OR until you smell heavenly pecan aroma wafting about. Remove them from the oven, pour over 3 tablespoons melted butter and stir to coat all the pecans with the butter.

Note: My rule is 1 tablespoon butter per 1 cup pecans. Easy peasy, no?

After well coated with butter, place back into the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Watch them closely because they will continue to cook from residual heat after they are removed from the oven. Once roasted to perfection, remove and sprinkle on a bit of flavor. Here's the flavor recipe I put together.

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Sugar and garlic you say? Trust me, it's okay. The small amount of sugar is there to balance the sharpness of the salt and is imperceptible in the end. Mix these 4 ingredients well and sprinkle a bit over the hot pecans to your taste. I used only about half or less of this mixture. However, I'll find another use for it, I'm sure. Hmmm, dry rub for roasted pork, perhaps.

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