Seeing Red - Red Walnut Divinity

Nothing says the holidays quite like Walnuts.  They lend crunch to Fruit Cake and Brownies, speckle Divinity and Fudge and flavor Baklava and Nut Rolls.  In fact, it should be illegal to have Christmas without Walnuts. 

Historically, at least in the United States, we have had a choice between the mild transplanted "English" Walnut (which are really Persian) and the stronger flavored "native to the US" variety known as the "Black" Walnut.  But no more, for California has done it again.  They have successfully begun producing RED Walnuts.

Don't freak out, it's not a GMO, nor is it a gimmicky artificially colored food product.  The interior husk REALLY is Red.  From the outside, you would not be able to tell the difference between the standard English/California/Mission/Persian Walnut and the new Red Walnut (which is either a Livermore or a Yolo) developed at UC Davis by grafting a Persian red skinned variety to the more common English (insert litany of AKAs here) Walnut. 

Unlike "English" Walnuts, which take 2-3 years to begin producing, these red varieties can take as long as 8 before producing a significant crop.  Thus, those that were planted over a decade ago are now beginning to bear "fruit" as it were.

(Black Walnut, English/Mission/California/Persian Walnut, Red Walnut)

The harvest is still low, when compared to the massive quantities of English Walnuts produced by California. Heck, very low when compared to the copious amounts of nuts that are produced by California in general.  Texas, New Mexico and Georgia have their Pecans.  While Oregon and, to a lesser extent, Washington have their Hazelnuts.  Even though Hawaii is the land of the Macadamia nut.  It is California's harvest of Walnuts, Pistachios and Almonds along with a few Pecans, Macadamias and Hazelnuts as well, which culminates into 90% of the United States yearly nut crop.

Which only proves that California is seriously full of nuts.  I'm just sayin'

So what do "Red" Walnuts taste like?  To me, they taste more "nutty", almost like they have already been lightly toasted.  Here is the interesting thing though, they are lacking in that bitter tannic bite that English (AKA litany) and Black Walnuts have.  Thus, I think the "nut" flavor is more pronounced simply because they aren't as bitter as common Walnuts.  

I chose to use the few I was able to procure in a batch of Divinity.  I have covered Divinity several times before, both Lavender and with Black Walnuts, so I am not going to run through the procedure again in this post.

I am, however, going to show off my vintage Betty Furness "Westinghouse" thermometer set.  (I wonder if she's fictitious like Betty Crocker)

And show a picture of the addition of chopped Red Walnuts to the Candy mixture... Exciting, huh?

To be honest, though I was happy with the end result, I think I should have left my Red Walnuts in larger chunks.  They really didn't show up in the finished Divinity, which kind of bummed me out.  (and why I posted the picture of me adding them to the candy batch --  they really are in there)

I was hoping for a nice punch of red within the pristine whiteness of the candy. (sigh) Oh well.

The flavor was delicious and that is really the important thing.

So check them out and give them a try.

Mangia!!
~~

Back in Black - Black Walnut Divinity

Last year I played around with making Violet flavored divinity for a family friend who adores anything and everything of the violet persuasion.  This year I am making divinity for her again, though I am sticking with a flavoring that is reminiscent of her childhood.  Enter the Black Walnuts.  It's the way her Mom and Grandma made it when she was little.

Black Walnuts seem to be one of those odd ingredients here on the west coast.  Everyone knows about them because either Mom or Grandma or even Great Grandma had a Black Walnut Tree in the yard at some point.  We, even had a Black Walnut tree at one point.... we lost it in a really bad wind storm one winter.  They were a pain in the but to crack, cause the shells are so stinkin' hard, but many delicious homemade goodies, from desserts to candies, were made from said Black Walnuts, lending their distinctive flavor to the holiday spread.  To top it all off, according to Wikipedia, the largest known Black Walnut tree is HERE, on Sauvie Island just outside of Portland.

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

Something strange has occurred with the walnuts available in the Mega-Marts though.  We have been inundated with the softer shelled, much milder flavored English Walnuts  (sometimes called Persian Walnuts or California Walnuts).  I mean, EVERYTHING is an English Walnut.  I see commercials on TV advertising Hammon's Black Walnuts.... Do you think I can find them?  Nope.  So I, as I so often do, went on an insane pilgrimage and hit just about every grocery store in Portland, from Albertson's to Zupan's, in an obsessive hunt for the elusive Black Walnut.  (I almost drove to Sauvie Island to go and pick them myself, then I realized that the season is over)  (sigh)

I was eventually successful, thank goodness.  There is nothing worse than when my obsessive behavior is all for naught.   Ah, the joys of being OCD.  LOL

But I have them, my lovely Black Walnuts... and I am making Divinity again.  Penny will be pleased with a childhood memory revisited.

Black Walnut Divinity

3 cups (21 oz) (600 g) Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz) (120ml) Corn Syrup
1/2 cup (4 oz) (120ml) Water
2 Large Egg Whites
1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
a pinch of Cream of Tarter
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3/4 cup (5 oz) (140 g) Black Walnuts, chopped

Separate the egg whites and place them in the bowl of your mixer, along with salt and a pinch of Cream of Tarter.

Line to baking sheets with waxed paper and set aside, or just spread waxed paper over your counter top.
Place Sugar, Corn Syrup, and Water in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium high heat and stir the mixture until it just comes to a boil.

Place the thermometer into the Sugar mixture

and begin beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

When the Thermometer reaches soft ball (238 F or 118 C), pour half the sugar syrup into the egg whites with the mixer running.

Return the syrup to the stove and continue boiling, also leave the mixer running.

When the syrup reached Hard ball (253 F or 125 C), it is time for the second pour.

Pour very carefully, because the egg whites will splatter a little bit before coming back together.

When you have incorporated all of the syrup, stop the mixer, move the bowl from the mixer base to the counter top where your waxed paper lined pans are located and stir with a wooden spoon.

Stir, Stir, Stir, Stir; add Black Walnut pieces and the Vanilla, then....Stir, Stir, Stir, Stir....

Until the mixture begins to stiffen (don't worry about the shine) and feels kind of like you are stirring Choux Paste after adding the last egg.

Once the candy can hold a peak and not "melt" back into the mass, it's ready.

Now, it's all about speed, so as quickly as possible begin scooping out the mixture, by teaspoon, onto your waxed paper.

Allow to sit for 30 minutes to cool and harden completely. (It will loose some of it's shine while drying)

Store in a Zip-Loc bag inside another air tight container and store at room temperature.

There, all packaged and ready to go... All it needs is a big Bow.

Mangia!!
~~

P.S. This will more than likely be my last post before the holidays are upon us (Though I am still debating on posting the Honey Egg Nog I am making on Christmas Eve, if there is time).

But I wanted to take a moment to wish you, and yours, a very Merry Christmas.

Divine Violets - Violet Nut Divinity, Take 2

This is my seconds shot at Divinity...
Little did I know, that I would be visiting my grandmother in The Dalles this weekend, so I am going to take advantage of the dry cold of eastern Oregon and try again... Besides, this way she can show me EXACTLY what it is that she does, in case my recipe is missing an instruction or 2. All I can say after this is that my gramma is an expert at divinity (and Almond Roca too). It took all of 13 minutes to make it (as opposed to my 50 minutes to make goo) and it came out perfect. WOW!

I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, but I was listening intently to my "instructor". Now I am pretty sure I have the method down. (I will probably try this again) I was doing a couple of things wrong. I had the basics, but she has far more knowledge and finesse than I do when it comes to candy. One of my mistakes is that I did not hand stir, I was placing too much faith in technology and it failed me. Sometimes there is just no replacement for a strong arm, a good wooden spoon, and knowing how something should "feel" when stirring.

So here we go, round 2

Violet Nut Divinity with Gramma

3 cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Corn Syrup
1/2 Cup Water
2 Egg Whites
1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
a pinch of Cream of Tarter
1 tsp Violet extract (or Vanilla extract)
3/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

Separate the egg whites and place them in the bowl of a Oster Kitchen Center fitted with the beater attachments, along with salt and a pinch of Cream of Tarter.
Line to baking sheets with waxed paper and set aside.
Place Sugar, Corn Syrup, and Water in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium high heat and stir the mixture until it just comes to a boil.

Place the thermometer into the Sugar mixture

and begin beating the egg whites.

When the Thermometer reaches soft ball, pour half the sugar syrup into the egg whites with the mixer running.

Return the syrup to the stove and continue boiling, also leave the mixer running.

Add flavoring to the egg whites and continue beating with the mixer.
When the syrup reached Hard ball, it is time for the second pour.
Pour very carefully, because the egg whites will splatter a little bit before coming back together.

When you have incorporated all of the syrup, stop the mixer, move the bowl from the mixer base to the counter top where your waxed paper lined pans are located and stir with a wooden spoon.
Stir, Stir, Stir, Stir add Walnut pieces and....Stir, Stir, Stir, Stir.... Until the mixture begins to stiffen (don't worry about the shine) and feels kind of like your are stirring Choux Paste after adding the last egg. (That's the best way I know of to try and convey the way the mixture should feel while you are stirring)
With all haste begin scooping out the mixture, by teaspoon, onto your waxed paper lined baking sheets.

Allow to sit for 30 minutes to cool and harden completely.
Store in a Zip-Loc bag inside another air tight container (gramma uses 3 lb coffee cans)

and keep at room temp (the refrigerator is too humid) away from ANY humidity or it will "melt".

Mangia!!
~~

Those Divine Violets - Violet Nut Divinity

Little puffs of sweetness bursting with walnutty goodness, no wonder it is reputed to be the food of angels. Divinity is, although be it extremely sweet, delicious and can be made in a variety of flavors, depending on what extracts are available in your pantry.

While I was growing up, it was my grandmother who always made the Christmas Divinity. With good reason. My grandmother lives east of the Cascade Mountain range (The Dalles) and it is much dryer on the east side of the mountains. Divinity is EXTREMELY sensitive to humidity, so in a wetter environment, as in the west side of the Cascades in the Willamette Valley, it is much harder to avoid the inevitable mounds of hard frosting that usually occur when atmospheric moisture is high.

BUT, I am going attempt it anyway because the east wind has been blowing the last couple of days and everything seems to be dried out a little... So take a deep breath and lets take the Divinity plunge. Besides, this gives me a chance to utilize my precious bottle of Violet Extract. For I am making Violet Nut Divinity for a family friend, who adores Violets.

Violet Nut Divinity

3 cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Corn Syrup
1/2 Cup Water
2 Egg Whites
1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
a pinch of Cream of Tarter
1 tsp Violette extract (or Vanilla extract)
3/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

Combine Sugar, Corn Syrup and Water in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Stir the brew until it begins to boil, then remove the spoon and brush any crystals from the side of the pan with a brush dipped in hot water.

Place the candy thermometer, not touching the bottom of the pan, and cook the syrup to soft ball stage, without stirring.

In the meantime, place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer with salt and begin beating with a whisk attachment.
Once they become foamy, sprinkle with a pinch of cream of tarter and continue whisking on medium speed until stiff glossy peaks form.

Once the syrup comes to 237 degrees, pour 1/2 of the syrup into the beaten egg whites, with the mixer running at medium speed (be sure to pour between the rotating beater and the edge of the bowl or you may end up with sugar shards in your candy from "quick cooling")

Place the remaining sugar syrup back on the stove and continue to cook it to the hard ball stage, while leave the mixer running.

Once it reaches 260 degrees, begin pouring the syrup into the still mixing egg whites.

Then add any flavorings to the mixture.

Once it begins to stiffen and loose it's shine, stop the mixer, remove the bowl and fold the nuts into the candy very quickly.

Then, begin spooning teaspoons full of the divinity onto aluminum foil or a greased baking sheet. (Careful, it's still hot)
When all the warm candy has been spooned out, leave for 30 minutes to cool, dry and harden.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen we have, yet again, a failure.... It is just too humid on the west side of the cascades to make divinity....

But I did make the most perfect little goo gobs to have with coffee... yum yummy! NOT!

I did find out later that I was wrong about how dry it was. According to the Weatherman, the humidity was 86% today.... OOPS!

Oh well, if at first you don't succeed... try, try again... :)

Mangia!!
~~