Noix de Pecan à la Cannelle

This recipe is almost too sinful to print. Honestly, these seasoned nuts, which I like to serve as an aperitif, push even the most righteous into decline, for it is impossible to eat just one. They are crisp, they are sweet, they are salty, they are simply delicious. They will keep, but I doubt that there will ever be, anywhere, any to store.

1 large egg white

Pinch fine sea salt

3 cups (350g) pecans

1 cup (140g) almonds, coarsely chopped

¼ cup (30g) sesame seeds

1/3 cup (65g) vanilla sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably from Vietnam

Fleur de sel – optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and the cinnamon, so they are mixed.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg white with a pinch of salt just until it foams. Add the nuts and the sesame seeds, and stir to coat. Add the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss with the nuts so that they are thoroughly coated. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel, if you like. Turn the nuts out onto a jelly roll pan and place them on the center rack of the oven. Toast until they are golden and smell like heaven, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove the nuts from the oven and let them cool on the pan. They will cool into clumps. To serve, break up the clumps. These nuts will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks. They can also be frozen.

Yields about 4 cups nuts