Sunday, December 13, 2009

Edamame Brittle

I'm always one for trying something new and different. So when I heard about making peanut brittle with roasted edamame (edamame brittle), I leapt at the chance.

Edamame Brittle

The edamame are first seasoned with soy sauce, cayenne and salt. Then the tricky part begins. Working with sugar is always a touchy task. You have to be cognizant of temperature, time, color, and many other details. In short, you have to dissolve sugar into some water and let it boil until it becomes light amber in color. Afterwards, you mix in the edamame and pour it all out to cool on a baking sheet.

You may notice from the picture that my brittle is a little cloudy. Turns out I forgot my basic chemistry. While boiling sugar to make many candies, you have to mix in any sugar granules that have stuck to the sides. Now I've realized why. If you leave those granules, they will mix back into the candy and act as a seed crystal to start off the crystallization of the candy. Crystals are not what you want when you want clear, pretty candy. But luckily, it did not affect the flavor. The brittle is sweet with hints of salty and surprising bites of spiciness. Alton Brown has created a wonderful concoction with these edamame brittle. I know my family will enjoy receiving it for the holidays.

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