Recipe courtesy of Jacques Torres

Nut Clusters

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  • Level: Advanced
  • Total: 2 hr 5 min
  • Prep: 20 min
  • Cook: 1 hr 45 min
  • Yield: 2 pounds of nut clusters

Ingredients

For the Caramel Mou (soft):

For the caramel:

Directions

  1. Prepare the caramel mou: Place the corn syrup, sugar and just enough water to melt the sugar into a saucepan and place on high heat. Cook until the sugar is very dark brown and begins to burn. You will see white smoke. Remove from the heat and add the 1-ounce of water. Allow this to cool slightly.
  2. Place the roasted nuts on a silpat baking mat lined baking sheet.
  3. Place the butter and cocoa butter in a large heat-proof mixing bowl.
  4. Prepare the caramel: Place the sugar, corn syrup, Caramel Mou, cream, vanilla bean, butter, salt, and lemon juice in a saucepan placed over high heat. Insert a candy thermometer and cook to 250 degrees F (121 degrees C). Remove from the heat and pour over the butter and cocoa butter. Let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon the caramel over the nuts to make the clusters.
  5. Place the bittersweet chocolate in a paper cornet or small piping bag and drizzle chocolate over the nut cluster. Serve.
  6. Jacques’ tip: To make a more kid friendly recipe, use store bought caramel squares. Unwrap them and place them on top of the nuts. Put in a warm oven until the caramel melts.