Peanut Brittle

Makes 1¾ pounds

½ tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan 2 cups sugar 1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup water 2 cups roasted, salted peanuts ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter and set nearby. In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (236 degrees on a candy thermometer), which means if you take a bit of the mixture and drop it in a glass of cold water it will form a soft ball, like a chewy caramel. Add the peanuts and salt and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until it reaches the hard-crack stage (295 degrees on a candy thermometer), which means if you take a bit of the mixture and drop it in a glass of cold water it will become hard, like a lollipop.

Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the baking soda, butter and vanilla and stir to combine; the mixture will foam up. Working quickly, pour the mixture onto the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Let cool completely until hard, then break into pieces.

Store the brittle in a well-sealed tin or plastic storage bags in a cool, dry place (if it’s particularly humid where you live, you might consider storing it in a sealed plastic storage bag inside a tin). It will keep for a month.

Makes 1 cup; can be doubled or tripled

1 whole roasted red pepper, from a jar

1½ teaspoons whole cumin seeds (or 2 teaspoons ground cumin) 1 teaspoon coriander seeds (or 1¼ teaspoons ground coriander) 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (or 1¼ teaspoons ground caraway) 4 cloves garlic

1 to 2 tablespoons cayenne

1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika

2 teaspoons kosher salt

¼ cup tomato paste

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

If you are using whole spices, in a small frying pan over medium-high heat combine the cumin, coriander and caraway seeds and toast until lightly browned and aromatic and a wisp of smoke rises from the pan, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar and pestle, add the garlic, and pound to a paste. In the bowl of a food processor, put the roasted red pepper, tomato paste, garlic-spice paste (if using ground spices, add them now, along with the garlic), 1 tablespoon of the cayenne, paprika and salt. Process until smooth. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and season with additional cayenne. The harissa can be made ahead, transferred to a lidded jar and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.

Makes about 4 cups; can be doubled or tripled

1 cup ancho chile powder ½ cup dried thyme

½ cup fine sea salt

½ cup sugar

½ cup granulated garlic ½ cup sweet paprika ¼ cup ground cinnamon ¼ cup ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Transfer to lidded jars and store in a cool, dry place. The spice mix will keep for six months.