A Tasty Shell Game

When it comes to providing food with a nice, flavorful “crunch,” nothing works better than nuts. And when it comes to growing nuts, nowhere has it been done with more success than in California--the only state in the Union where almonds are grown commercially. And only recently, California moved into the No. 2 spot (Iran is still in first place) in the commercial production of pistachios worldwide. That in spite of the fact that growing pistachios commercially on a large-scale basis is a relatively new undertaking in this country. Walnuts, on the other hand, have been a major agricultural crop for a number of years, and macadamias from California are also becoming a harvest crop to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, unless harvested nuts are properly cared for, they tend to lose the crispness that makes them so popular. Nuts still in the shell, of course, keep better than shelled nut meats. If unshelled nuts are stored in a cool, dry place, they will remain crispy and edible for about a year. On the other hand, shelled nuts deteriorate fairly rapidly when they’re exposed to air. To keep shelled nuts crisp and ready for use, pop them into airtight plastic bags or containers and store them in the refrigerator or, preferably, the freezer. They’ll stay fresh, sweet, and yes, crunchy, for a year or more when they’re frozen, and they’ll hold well for six to nine months in the refrigerator. Even outside a refrigerator, shelled nuts will stay pristine for two to three months if kept in a well-sealed container at room temperature.

Though most types of nuts make wonderful snacks simply when they are lightly roasted and salted, they often taste even better when various spices are added for seasoning. Freshly roasted pecans or walnuts sprinkled with a small amount of garlic or chili powder are almost irresistible to snackers, as are almonds after having been seasoned with liquid smoke.

In salads and cooked dishes, nuts can provide both a touch of texture and their own subtle flavor. Chopped pistachios, for instance, complement the bland flavor and smooth texture of mushrooms when used in the filling of a broiled mushroom appetizer. And macadamias provide just the right touch of sweet crispness when they are combined with pineapple into a fruit-bread with a tropical flavor. Hazelnuts, on the other hand, are sturdy enough to hold their distinctive flavor and texture when they’re blended with oats in an interesting, macaroon-style cookie.

However you choose to utilize them, remember when you’re buying nuts to purchase plenty . . . as insurance. It’s almost impossible to resist sampling a few, whether you’re simply putting them in a bowl for snacking purposes or chopping them up for cooking. CHOCOLATE-COVERED PRALINE COOKIES 1 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed cup shortening 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup chopped pecans Dipping chocolate

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, shortening, egg and vanilla. Blend well and stir in pecans. Roll into 1/2-inch balls and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 10 to 12 minutes. Cool. Hold cooled cookie with tongs and dip into Dipping Chocolate, covering completely or only half of cookie. Or drizzle chocolate over cookie on both sides, letting chocolate harden on one side before turning to coat other side. Makes 60 cookies. Dipping Chocolate 1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate pieces 6 tablespoons oil

Melt chocolate pieces in top of double boiler set over hot water. Add oil; stir until smooth. PINEAPPLE-MACADAMIA NUT BREAD 4 eggs 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup oil 3/4 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple with juice 1 tablespoon baking powder 3 cups flour 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Combine eggs, sugar, oil, juice and pineapple and mix well. Sift together baking powder and flour and mix into pineapple mixture. Fold in nuts. Pour into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan lined with wax paper and bake at 350 degrees about 50 minutes. Or fill greased muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees 25 minutes. Makes 1 loaf or 18 muffins. SMOKY ALMONDS 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke 2 teaspoons water 1 cup unblanched whole almonds 1 teaspoon oil 1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix liquid smoke and water. Toss with almonds. Place in shallow pan, cover and let almonds stand overnight. Add oil and toss again. Bake at 300 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn often with spatula while roasting. Sprinkle with salt. Makes 1 cup or 4 servings. OATMEAL-HAZELNUT MACAROONS 1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 egg cup sifted flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda teaspoon salt 3/4 cup ground hazelnuts 1 cup oats 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Combine shortening, sugars, almond extract and egg, mixing well. Sift flour, soda and salt together. Add to shortening mixture, blending well. Stir in nuts, oats and coconut. Drop on greased baking sheet by tablespoons. Bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes or until golden. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. SEASONED WALNUTS 1/2 cup walnut or pecan halves, whole cashews, Brazil nuts or almonds 1 teaspoon oil 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or 1/8 teaspoon each paprika and cayenne or chili powder

Toss walnuts lightly with oil in shallow metal baking pan. Roast at 300 degrees 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Cool and toss with salt and choice of seasonings. Makes 1/2 cup.

Note: Double, triple or quadruple the recipe as needed. PISTACHIO-TOPPED BRIE 1 4 1/2-ounce package Brie or Camembert 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios

Slice cheese in half horizontally. Press pistachios firmly into cut sides. Arrange on serving plates and cut into 6 wedges each. Makes 12 appetizer servings. PISTACHIO-STUFFED MUSHROOMS 20 medium mushrooms 3 tablespoons minced onion Butter or margarine cup fine dry bread crumbs cup chopped pistachios 2 tablespoons chopped parsley teaspoon marjoram, crushed teaspoon salt

Remove stems from mushrooms and chop finely. Reserve caps. Saute stems and onion in cup butter until tender. Stir in bread crumbs, pistachios, parsley, marjoram and salt, mixing well. Remove from heat. Place mushroom caps, stem-side up, on baking sheet. Fill centers with stuffing and sprinkle with about 3 tablespoons melted butter. Broil about 6 inches from heat source 5 minutes or until browned and heated through. Makes 20 appetizer servings. FRIED WALNUTS, HUNAN-STYLE 1 pound walnut halves 1 cup water 3/4 cup sugar Oil for deep frying

Wash walnuts to remove excess flaky coating. Combine water and sugar in saucepan and cook 5 minutes to make syrup. Place walnuts in jar with cover. Pour sugar syrup over walnuts. Cool, cover and let stand overnight to marinate in syrup.

Heat oil to 350 degrees. Deep-fry nuts, a batch at a time, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve at once. Makes 4 cups. BRANDIED PEANUTS 1 1/2 cups peanuts 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar 1 tablespoon oil 1 tablespoon milk 1 1/2 teaspoons brandy flavoring

Place peanuts on baking sheet and heat about 8 minutes in 350-degree oven. Mix together sugar, oil, milk and brandy flavoring until smooth. Stir hot peanuts into sugar mixture until nuts are well coated. Spread out on wax paper to cool. Makes 1 1/2 cups. MIXED NUT SABLES 1/2 cup walnut pieces 1/2 cup whole shelled pecans 2 cups unbleached flour 1 cup butter or margarine, cut into tablespoon-size pieces 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla cup sugar pound semisweet chocolate pieces 2 tablespoons oil

Fit container of food processor with metal knife blade. Put walnut pieces, pecans and flour in container and process until nuts are ground as finely as flour, about 40 seconds. Set aside. Without cleaning container, put butter in processor. Add lemon juice, egg and vanilla. Process with 3 to 4 1-second pulses to break up pieces. Add sugar and process with 3 to 4 1-second pulses to thoroughly mix. Add flour. Use 1-second pulses, processing until texture of dough is evenly soft and dough begins to clump.

Place dough into cookie press or spritz gun fitted with cookie-forming ring of choice. Press out cookies, 1 inch apart, onto buttered baking sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time in middle of oven at 350 degrees until light ring forms around edge of cookies, about 10 to 12 minutes. Repeat to bake all cookies. Transfer cookies to rack to cool.

For topping, fit clean, dry container with metal knife blade. Process chocolate pieces into small-bead consistency by dropping pieces through food chute with machine running (work carefully because chocolate pieces tend to jump). Transfer to mixing bowl. Put bowl over saucepan containing 2 inches of boiling water. Remove saucepan from heat. Add oil to chocolate and work with spatula until chocolate melts and thins to consistency of unbeaten cream (lift up bowl from time to time to permit steam to escape). Immediately remove bowl from saucepan.

Cover baking sheet with wax paper. Working quickly, dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate. Shake off excess chocolate and place cookies on wax paper. Repeat until all cookies are dipped, reheating chocolate as necessary. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Transfer to airtight storage containers. Makes 5 dozen cookies. MINTED ALMONDS 1 egg white 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract 1 1/2 cups unblanched almonds

Stir egg white with fork just to break up. Separately blend sugar, salt and peppermint extract. Dip almonds, a few at a time, into egg white, turning the almonds with fork. Drain nuts on paper towels a moment, then roll in sugar mixture. Spread in single layer on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until crusty. Makes 1 1/2 cups.