Oregon is famous for its
crop of sweet hazelnuts. Embedded in a crystalline syrup, hazelnuts,
also called 'filberts,' add crunch and richness to this amber-colored
candy.
Oregon
Hazelnut Crunch
- 1 1/4 cups granulated
sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup hazelnuts
3 tablespoons almond extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Combine sugar, corn syrup,
water and cream of tartar in a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil.
Heat to the hard-crack stage (see note) without stirring.
- Remove from heat and cool
for about 5 minutes, stirring periodically. Add hazelnuts, almond
extract and baking soda; stir briskly. Pour into a buttered 17
x 11 x 2-inch baking pan. Let cool before breaking into pieces.
Makes 16 servings.
Note: 'Hard-crack'
is a test for candy at which point a drop of the syrup immersed
in cold water separates into hard, brittle threads. On a candy
thermometer, the hard-crack stage is between 300° and 310°F.
