Edible Christmas gifts are a great excuse to get experimental with global flavours. For spice lovers, this moreish Mexican brittle, which is inspired by salsa macha (a delicious chilli-crunch), is sweet, salty, smoky, crunchy and has hints of anise. Then, for savoury lovers, some cheesy pinwheel cookies enlivened with XO sauce. XO is a deeply umami condiment from Hong Kong made from dried seafood, salty ham, chilli and spices. Paired with tangy manchego, it adds a funky kick to these crumbly biscuits.
Mexican pumpkin seed and salted spice brittle
Prep 5 min
Cook 25 min, plus cooling
Serves 6-8
100g pumpkin seeds
125g salted peanuts
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp ancho chilli powder or smoked paprika
2 tsp smoked salt, crushed to powder
70g butter
300g caster sugar
In a large, dry frying pan or skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring the whole time, for two to three minutes, until they start to pop and tint brown. Tip into a large bowl and leave to cool completely. Repeat with the peanuts, until they just tint brown, then tip into the bowl.
In the same pan, dry toast the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, caraway seeds and dried oregano for a minute or two, until they take on just a little colour and release their aromas; take care not to burn them. Pour into the nut bowl.
Finally, dry toast the sesame seeds for 30-45 seconds, until they just tint brown, then tip into the bowl. Add the chilli powder and smoked salt, mix well and set aside.
Have ready a large rectangle of nonstick baking paper or a large silicon baking mat. Heat the butter in a large pan until fully melted, then add the caster sugar and 50ml cold water. Swirl the pan gently over a medium-high heat (do not over-stir, because the mix can easily crystallise) for five or six minutes, until the mix turns a deep caramel colour and reaches 155C on a sugar thermometer – this is important, because it’s the hard crack point for the sugar.
Quickly pour in the nuts, seeds and spices, mix thoroughly, then pour evenly on to the baking paper – take care, because it will be hot. Put a sheet of greaseproof paper on top of the mix and use a rolling pin to flatten it out into an even layer about ¾cm thick. Peel off the top sheet of paper, leave to cool completely, then snap into shards and enjoy. They’ll keep for a month in an airtight container.
Manchego and XO-poppyseed pinwheels
Prep 15 min
Chill 45 min
Cook 50 min
Makes 25-30
3 tbsp XO sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee) – if you can’t find any, mix 3 tbsp Chinese chilli crisp with ¾ tsp shrimp paste
50g black poppy seeds
2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
Sugar
350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp black pepper, coarsely crushed
1½ tsp English mustard powder
2 tbsp coarse semolina
Fine salt
200g butter, cold and cubed
150g manchego, finely grated
50g parmesan, finely grated
2 large egg yolks, whisked
In a small blender, whizz the XO sauce, black poppy seeds, white-wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar for one to two minutes, scraping down the sides halfway, until you have a consistent coarse paste. Add a splash of water to loosen, if need be, then scrape into a bowl, cover and chill.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, black pepper, mustard powder, semolina and a half-teaspoon of fine salt. Using your fingers, rub in the butter cubes until the mix resembles even, small, damp breadcrumbs with no lumps. Mix in the cheeses.
Add the eggs yolks, then use your hands just to bring everything together into a dough, adding two teaspoons of ice-cold water. (Don’t over-knead; add an extra one or two teaspoons of water, if needed.) Press into a very tight ball with no cracks, then shape into a flattened square about 20cm x 20cm x 2½cm. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Put the dough on a floured surface, cut it in half vertically, then put one half on top of the other. Roll into a large rectangle about 40cm x 30cm x ½cm, pressing together any cracks.
Use a spatula to spread the XO-poppy seed filling in an even layer over the dough. Carefully and tightly roll from the top to the bottom, a bit like a Swiss roll (don’t worry if it cracks). Slice the log into 1cm-thick cookies, then arrange on two oven sheets lined with baking paper. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Bake the cookies for 16-18 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway, until golden brown. If you like, sprinkle with an extra grating of manchego three minutes before the cooking time is up. Remove, leave to cool completely on a rack, then store. The cookies will keep for a week in an airtight container.
-
Flavour Heroes: 15 Modern Pantry Ingredients to Amplify Your Cooking, by Gurdeep Loyal, is published by Quadrille at £27. To order a copy for £24.30, go to guardianbookshop.com
