I love adding sugared almonds or toasted nuts to many dishes, but especially to a green salad. Not only do they make the salad something a little special, but my kids love the nuts so much, they will eat a serving of salad to get them.
Toasted nuts have a better deeper, better flavor than raw nuts. One mistake people often make is toasting the nuts too long. Take them out of the pan or oven when they are just golden. Transfer them to another dish when they are done cooking to prevent them from cooking further on the hot pan.
Another mistake is adding oil to the pan before toasting the nuts. You don’t need to do this because nuts have a naturally high concentration of oil.
Sugared almonds are quick to make. The best way to make them is to buy a package of slivered almonds at the grocery store. Put about a quarter cup of them in a small saucepan with about a tablespoon of sugar. Heat the nuts and sugar over medium to medium high heat, stirring constantly. Things seem like they’re moving really slowly, so you might get distracted and want to stop stirring, but once the sugar melts and starts to stick to the nuts, they can burn easily, so pay attention. Keep stirring until all the sugar is melted and the nuts are coated. Pour out quickly on to a plate to cool. Resist the urge to sample one while they’re still hot. Just trust me and my lesson-learned-the-hard-way on this one.
Toasted nuts are simple enough to make in the oven, but you can also make them in a skillet on the stovetop. To make them in the oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking pan. Cook them for about 10 minutes, but start checking them at 5 minutes because depending on the kind, size and shape of the nut, they will cook at different rates. Take them out when they are just golden.
To toast them in a skillet, place a small amount in the pan (no more than a single layer on the bottom of the pan) and heat over medium to medium high heat for about five minutes, just until they are golden.