Fleur de Sel Peanut Brittle

Peanut Brittle!

Best made when having a bad, bad day.

Physically smashing something with a mallet and eating candy afterward will cure what ails you.

Like when you're loading your daughter into her car seat and some guy who decides that the parking spot next to you, the one your open door is crowding, is where he needs to park his SUV. Despite the wide open parking lot, he wants that particular spot next to you bad enough to honk at you, while you're wrestling with buckles half hanging out of your car.

Oh yes folks, Ms. Humble was not pleased.

Of course I closed my door on myself as far as I could while buckling in the little one and he then whips into the stall, bumping my car door. I kid you not. Luckily not hard, since I do prefer my legs in their current non-crushed state.

So I was livid, finished buckling my daughter in and duck out to yell at this jerk who had the gall to honk at me and then hit my car. Too late, he has already descended upon me, angry that I so cavalierly placed my car door in a parking spot he wanted.

What on earth is wrong with some people? I asked him this and he just stormed off into the...

Local organic, whole foods store?!

I thought people who shopped at this place were all nice folks, prone to wearing mocknecks and Birkenstocks. Lovers of soy dogs and whole grains. Not leather jacket wearing, SUV drivers who go all road rage on a mother trying to buckle in her daughter.

So yes, Peanut brittle today.

One pot. Heat. Stir. Pour. SMASH. Eat.



Fleur de Sel Peanut Brittle
adapted from Brittles, Barks & Bonbons
yields 1 1/2 lbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus some for buttering the pan)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts

fleur de sel

Lightly butter a large jelly roll pan and set aside.

In a high sided sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter and then add the sugar, corn syrup and water. Bring to a boil stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Once boiling clip on your candy thermometer and then allow to boil, only occasionally with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.

Bring the mixture to 335-340°F on your candy thermometer and remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and baking soda and mix well. Stir in the peanuts and immediately pour into your prepared pan.

Quickly spread the mixture to achieve the desired thickness, sprinkle with the fleur de sel and allow to sit at room temperature until cool. Pop out of the pan and break into pieces or just smash it with a wooden mallet.

Feel free to imagine it being the hood of a certain man's SUV.


Oh and to you Mr. SUV, should you ever stumble across my blog, perhaps looking for a recipe for organic tempeh stir fry: You look like a molting elephant seal in that old leather jacket.

Just a heads up.

♥

Ms. Humble