Best Sherried Walnuts Recipes

SHERRIED ORANGE WALNUTS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Place the brown sugar, white sugar, salt, sherry, orange zest, and orange extract into a heavy saucepan, and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Stir in the butter. Remove from heat, and stir in the walnut halves to coat with syrup.
• Spread the candied walnut halves out onto the prepared baking sheet, and allow to cool thoroughly, at least 1 hour. Break into bite-size chunks to serve.

SHERRIED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Line 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper. Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cook without stirring until clip-on candy thermometer registers 240°F., about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add nuts and stir until syrup begins to look cloudy, about 2 minutes. Divide mixture between cookie sheets. Working quickly, separate nuts with fork. Cool. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

SQUASH RAVIOLI WITH SHERRIED ONION SAUCE, WALNUTS & CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Filling: Roast squash using the amounts for the squash, butter, maple syrup, & oj: put seeded (unpeeled) squash halves on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub w/ butter, season w/ S&P, drizzle w/ oj & maple syrup, & flip over. Roast in a 400° oven for 40-45 minutes, til skin is blistered & browned & flesh is tender. When cooled, peel. Put flesh & juices from roasting into a large sauté pan & cook over med heat, stirring frequently, about 10 min, to further dry out mixture. Mash with a potato masher. Put squash in a bowl & set aside to cool. When cooled, mix in ricotta & grated Parm & season w/ S&P. The mixture can be made a day ahead, covered, & refrigerated. Sauce: Sauté onions in 3 Tbs. of the butter over med heat, 20-25 minutes. Add sherry, raise heat to med hi, & cook until evaporated. Add cream & broth (or all broth) & sage; reduce by half or til sauce is good consistency. Makes 2 to 2-1/2 cups. Season w/ S&P. If using broth only, whisk in 1- 2 Tbs. butter at the end to give sauce a bit of body. (If making sauce ahead, add butter at reheating. If w/ cream, reheat the sauce gently.) Assemble ravioli: Dust surface w/ cornmeal, lay out wrappers (10-12 at a time) & brush half w/ egg wash. Place 1 scant Tbs. filling in the center of each piece of egg-washed pasta & flatten slightly. Quickly cover each with a second wrapper & press tightly around each mound & out towards edges of the pasta to create a tight seal. If you like, trim ravioli. Arrange filled ravioli in a single layer on a sheet pan dusted w/ cornmeal. Cover & refrigerate or freeze til ready to use. Cook & serve Boil salted water, add drop of olive oil, & drop in 4-6 ravioli at a time. When rise to the surface, boil for 4 min & then remove them to a strainer (or cooling rack set over a pan) to drain. Arrange 3-4 ravioli on a large plate for an appetizer (6 for a dinner), cover lightly w/ the sauce (about 1 Tbs. per ravioli), & sprinkle w/ walnuts, cranberries, & chives. Add a few shards of Parm & serve.

SQUASH RAVIOLI WITH SHERRIED ONION SAUCE, WALNUTS & CRANBERRIES - RECIPE - FINECOOKING

Steps:

• Follow the master method for roasting squash (see photos) using the amounts for the squash, butter, maple syrup, and orange juice above. After peeling the cooked squash, put the flesh and any juices from roasting into a large heavy-based sauté pan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes, to further dry out the mixture and intensify the flavor. To smooth out the squash somewhat, break up lumps with a spatula, a potato masher, or the back of a wooden spoon. Put the squash in a bowl and set aside until cool. When cooled, mix in the ricotta and grated Parmigiano and season with salt and pepper. The mixture can be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Master method for roasting squash: Ris Lacoste puts seeded (unpeeled) squash halves on a rimmed baking sheet. She rubs the flesh with softened butter, seasons with salt and pepper, drizzles with orange juice and maple syrup, and flips them over.
• Sauté the onions in 3 Tbs. of the butter over medium heat until very soft and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the sherry to deglaze, raise the heat to medium high, and cook until all the liquid is evaporated. Add the cream and broth (or all broth, if you prefer) and the chopped sage, and reduce by half or until the sauce is the consistency you like. You'll have 2 to 2-1/2 cups sauce. Season with salt and pepper. If using broth only, whisk in 1 to 2 Tbs. butter at the end to give the sauce a bit of body. (If making the sauce ahead, reserve the butter until reheating. If using cream, reheat the sauce very gently.)
• Lightly dust your work surface with cornmeal, lay out the wonton wrappers (10 to 12 at a time) and brush half of them with egg wash. Place 1 scant Tbs. of the squash filling in the center of each piece of egg-washed pasta and flatten slightly (a pastry bag works well here). Quickly and gently cover each with a second wrapper (without egg wash) and with the tips of your fingers, press tightly around each mound and out towards the edges of the pasta to create a tight seal. (Start pressing around the filling first to avoid creating air pockets). If you like, trim the ravioli with a cookie cutter or knife. (Alternatively, if using homemade pasta sheets, space the filling 3 inches apart on first sheet, cover, seal, and crimp as desired). Arrange the filled ravioli in a single layer on a sheet pan lightly dusted with cornmeal. Cover and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
• Warm the sauce and have the garnishes ready. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add a touch of olive oil, and drop in 4 to 6 ravioli at a time. When they rise to the surface, boil for 4 minutes and then remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a strainer (or a cooling rack set over a pan) to drain. Arrange 3 or 4 ravioli on a large plate for an appetizer (6 for a dinner portion), cover lightly with the sauce (about 1 Tbs. per ravioli), and sprinkle with the walnuts, cranberries, and chives. Add a few shards of Parmigiano and serve.