Thursday, December 9, 2010

Habanero Honey Peanut Brittle


I drew my inspiration for this recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers, girlichef!   Her recipe for Habanero Honey looked so amazing and I love spicy foods so, the logical course of action was to make some for my kitchen pantry!  My only problem was thinking of how to use the darn stuff after making it.  You see...it could peel the paint off the walls!! 

Just a whiff from the jar and I could feel the heat from the chili in my throat!  It looked so inviting and without hesitation, I stuck my finger in the jar for a little taste!!  Holy Crap!! I got some really spicy stuff in that jar!!   Thank God, I didn't stick my finger in my eye after I licked it or I may have been blinded for life! 

After a few moments and a few tissues, I recovered.  I love spicy foods, the kind that bring that "burn so good" feeling to your mouth!  This honey certainly did the trick, it's just a little too spicy by it's self. 

My husband loves peanut brittle so I made my first batch two nights ago and just about cooked it to death....as you'll see in the picture below.  However, it got me thinking about girlichef's Habanero Honey and how tasty it might be added to the peanut brittle. 

Lord in the Heavens!! It's the best peanut brittle I've ever made or tasted...don't mind me while I toot my own horn!  The famous combination of sweet and salty with the blazzin hot chili was smashing!!



Here it is, in all of it's fiery glory!!

You can substitute Scotch Bonnet Peppers...which to me, are almost the same thing as Habanero but grown in different regions, honestly, I can't tell the difference


What you'll need:



1 cup raw peanuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Karo Syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Habanero Honey (recipe below)
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 candy thermometer

Prepare a non stick cookie sheet with butter or vegetable spray, set aside




Method:

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, mix sugar, Karo syrup, water and Habanero Honey together until just blended, place the candy thermometer into the saucepan and bring mixture to a rolling boil.



don't stir the mixture! It will take 25-30 minutes to reach the hard crack stage or 302 degrees on the candy thermometer.

When the candy thermometer reads 250 degrees or soft ball stage
  • add the peanuts,
  • cook until the thermometer reaches 302 degrees or hard crack stage,
  • remove from heat,
  • add butter and stir to blend,
  • add baking soda.   

Remember to use a wooden spoon to stir the hot syrup or you'll melt your spatula like I did !  Duh! 

The baking soda will make the mixture froth and double in size, stir for about 30 seconds then...



pour the syrup out onto a prepared baking sheet, spread into a thin layer and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, break the hardened brittle into pieces,  store in a airtight container





Habanero Honey:
A very simple recipe...

Habanero Chilies
Honey
a pretty jar with an air tight cover
Gloves

Thinly slice the Habanero and place in the jar, pour honey over to cover the chilies and let them steep at room temperature.  The chilies will expel their juice and oils so you must stir the mix a few times during the steeping process. 

Honey is a natural preservative and will keep the chilies preserved at room temperature indefinitely.



Here's a photo of my "almost burnt peanut brittle" from my first batch...the over cooked, darker brittle is the one in back...it was still tasty but I prefer the  taste of brittle that has less color.  Luckily, my husband likes it either way and the first batch will not go to waste!


I was very pleased with the spicy, sweet peanut brittle! However,  I ate more than I should and had a raging sugar high for a few hours.

Another Habanero Honey recipe I've been thinking of trying is, pan seared scallops in garlic brown butter and habanero honey drizzled over...yum!  Or maybe I'll just pour the honey over a brick of cream cheese and eat it with crackers.  

Check out girlichef's recipe for homemade Mizithra cheese and crackers with her Habanero Honey!  It's a must have for any kitchen pantry!!


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15 comments:

  1. Rebecka...I'm laughing so hard over here...because that honey is just so alluring! I continued to stick my finger in for a dip after blowing my head off the last time----over and over again, LOL!! I'm glad that you liked it and I LOVE the idea of using in a fiery brittle...YUM! It's fantastic w/ pork, too...blogging that soon. Thanks so much for sharing the love :D

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  2. Alluring is the perfect word for it alright! I still sneak a lick ever now and again. I just can't help myself!

    I'm happy to share the love♥

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  3. Hi Rebecka. I do make Habanero jam/jelly. I love it! We grow our own habaneros so we always have tons. I freeze it or dry it in the dehydrator. I took one out of the freezer this morning to eat with my scrambled egg. Now I'm getting tempted to make this but I'm not. I may just make some jam. :) Thanks, it looks so good. Enjoy and I love Heather and her blog too.

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  4. That's one fiery and fierce peanut brittle! I am a big fan of peanut brittle but have never made it. Perhaps I should make this fiery version for the holidays.

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  5. Gloria, you're so lucky to grow your own habanero plants. I live so high in the mountains that almost nothing grows up here. I'm forced to purchase all my produce and after years of having my own garden that makes me a little sad!

    I make lot's of recipes with habaneros too. Peach Salsa and Pepper jelly are two of my favorites! xo

    Biren, If you like spicy, sweet foods you'll love this peanut brittle! I've eaten so much of the first batch that I'm sure to pop! It has the same allure as the honey... once you get a taste you just can't stop!

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  6. I've been wondering what to do with the honey! This is perfect!

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  7. Rebecka, do you refrig your honey habanero? I'm getting ready to make some. Thx. I'll check back later.

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  8. Hi Pam!! How's you neck of the woods?? It's snowing a bit up here and the wind is howling. Maybe we'll get a few inches of snow tonight! I hope you try making this brittle. It's really something different for the Holiday's. I tried it on some Greek yogurt today an it was to die for...it's become my newest food obsession!! Like I need another one!!

    Gloria, I don't refrigerate my honey. After doing some research about the subject I found that honey acts as a natural preservative. Just make sure to store it out of direct sunlight. I read a very informative article about the natural antibacterial nature of honey...check out this link for more info: http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/132772675.html

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  9. This looks fantastic. I made a Honeydew Melon chilli jelly/jam recently, so I know I would love these.

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  10. That looks so exotic, I've never seen anything like it! But the way you describe it, I think I would like the taste!

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  11. mangocheeks, I would love your jelly!! All my favorite things mixed into one jar...YUM!

    Anette, You're right, the flavor is very exotic! If you like spicy foods you'd love this honey! I just suggest you use it with other foods to help calm the fire! xoxo

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  12. This looks very addictive! If I make this, then there will be more for me, it will be spicy for the kids! Love this!

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  13. Rebecka...this would likely kill me, but it sure looks like a good way to go, lol!

    Hey, do you have a RSS feed here on your blog? I'd like to add you to my reader, but I couldn't find it.

    Thanks!

    -Perry

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  14. Hi Perry, I moved my RSS subscribe widget up closer to the top of my blog. You'll find it right under the Foodie Blogroll Winner Badge. I have it set so you can subscribe in several different readers. Let me know if you have any trouble!

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  15. How long did you let the habaneros sit in the honey before using the honey?
    How many habaneros did you use in your batch?

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♥I really appreciate your comments♥

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