Snack « (y)our food choices™

Crunchy, roasted chickpeas make for tasty, arguably healthy, and relatively quick bar bites. With cooler weather just around the corner, it’s time to crank up the oven. To heat up the palate, warm spices like cumin, black pepper, and cayenne give roasted chickpeas a punch of flavor and a heat that brings pink to our cheeks (the cocktails help, too). If you want something with a little more complexity, season the roasted beans with garam masala or a spicy curry powder blend. Whatever you do, make sure their completely dry and dark brown. They should shatter when you bite them.

With nothing more than an inexpensive can of chickpeas (garbanzos), some olive oil and a little salt (all pantry staples), you can have this hearty snack prepped and toasting in 10 minutes. The oven does the rest of the work while you prep other dishes. Be sure to drain and pat the chickpeas dry between paper towels before tossing with oil and seasoning. The goal is to dehydrate them as much as possible as quickly as possible without burning them. Extra water slows that down.

Roasted chickpeas are a perfect snack whatever the libation. They’re equally at home with a glass of bubbly and a pint of beer. Their spices get an amplification boost from stiffer drinks like our favorite gin martini or a great rye Manhattan. In the highly unlikely event you have leftovers, they make great croutons on salad. Whatever the occasion, roasted chickpeas are a guaranteed crowd pleaser!

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Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garam masala (or other dried herbs of choice)
kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Drain the can of chickpeas (discarded or save water for another use)and pat down the peas with a kitchen towel or paper towels until the peas are as dry as possible. Place the peas on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil over them and toss until coated. Put the sheet pan in the oven.

After 8 minutes remove the peas from the oven and place them into a medium sized bowl. Add the garam masala, kosher salt, and pepper, toss until coated. Put the peas back on the sheet pan and return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes or until dark and crispy.

Let cool for about 10 minutes before eating.

We always look forward to attending Le diner à SF and have only missed one over the years. Weeks before the event we find ourselves scouring recipes in our cookbooks and on-line. Then as the day gets closer, we spend hours in the kitchen preparing for Le cuisine de jour, whipping up madelines or some other confection at the last minute, wondering the whole time where it is we’ll have to schlep it all. Over the years we’ve contributed a coconut cream cake that tilted a little, an array of white vegetable crudités, and an assortment of white candies and desserts. And always plenty of wine, usually sparkling.

However, and more importantly, it’s the wonderful time we have with friends that keeps us coming back each year. We hope all who attend have a wonderful time. We’ll be missing this year’s Le diner en SF, but for good reason. Instead of waiting for our day-of-event location alert, we’ll be attending the SF Crafts Spirits Carnival, where we’ve been asked by Bulleit Bourbon to bake 500 of our tasty Bulleit Pecan Bites. We’ll miss our picnicing friends and hope they have a great evening in white, wherever it may be.

One of our most favorite confections is a simple white chocolate caramel popcorn. A little herbs de Provence adds the perfect touch of France to this American standard. The recipe is a little odd, directing you to boil chocolate, butter, and brown sugar for 5 minutes. The first time we made it we thought it would be a complete disaster, but it all came together beautifully. This is hot caramel, so always be careful when tossing the popcorn and keep a bowl of ice water on the side near you in case of burns!

Bon Appetit!

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White Chocolate Caramel Popcorn
Recipe from McCormick
Makes 13 cups (16 servings)

10 cups plain popped popcorn
2 cups coarsely chopped mixed nuts
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 225°F. Mix popcorn and nuts in large bowl. Spray foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan with no stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Bring sugar, butter, corn syrup and chocolate to boil in medium saucepan on medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in Herbes de Provence and baking soda. Pour over popcorn mixture. Toss to coat evenly with spatula sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Spread evenly in prepared pan and place on middle rack of preheated oven.

Bake 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Break into clusters. Store in airtight container