Chile & Lime Jicama Wedges, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Chile-Spiced Peanuts

Preparation

1. Chile & Lime Jicama Wedges

   Step 1

   To prepare the jicama, trim the peel from the jicama with a sharp knife. Cut the jicama into 1/4-inch strips or wedges and put into a bowl. Toss in the lime zest, lime juice, cayenne, and salt and mix well. Serve.

2. Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

   Step 2

   To toast the seeds, heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the pumpkin seeds. Toss well in the oil and sprinkle in the salt. Toast for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pumpkin seeds begin to pop and release their fragrance. Transfer to a small bowl and serve.

3. Chile-Spiced Peanuts

   Step 3

   To toast the peanuts, heat a nonstick pan over high heat. Add the peanuts and shake the pan often so that the nuts do not burn but rather toast slightly. After about 2 minutes you should begin to smell the aroma of toasted nuts. Remove the nuts from the pan and set aside.

   Step 4

   To make the spice mixture, decrease the heat to medium and return the pan to the stove. Sprinkle in the sugar, cayenne, and coarse salt (be careful because the heated cayenne can cause coughing). Allow the mixture to melt slowly, stirring lightly with a heatproof silicone spatula. As soon as all the sugar has melted, return the peanuts to the pan and coat well with the sugar mixture. The peanut mixture may clump a bit, but that is okay.

   Step 5

   Invert the spiced nuts onto a sheet of parchment paper. Allow the nuts to cool and the sugar to set for a few minutes.

   Step 6

   Serve with wedges of lime for guests to squeeze over their nuts right before eating.

4. Cooking Notes

   Step 7

   INGREDIENTS

5. Step 8

   Cayenne Pepper

   Step 9

   While you can use almost any type of dried chile powder for these recipes, I like cayenne for both its heat and availability. Ancho chile powder would be a good mild substitute. Just be careful with blended dried chile mixes, such as generic chili powder, because they are blends of garlic, oregano, and other spices.

6. Step 10

   TECHNIQUES

7. Step 11

   Julienned Lime Zest

   Step 12

   The easiest way to julienne lime zest is with a citrus zester. If you do not have a zester, you can finely grate the zest with a box grater or a rasp.

8. Step 13

   Melting Sugar

   Step 14

   Melting sugar is not difficult so long as you use the proper tools. For this you will need two items—a nonstick pan and a heatproof silicone spatula. Equipment of any other material will cause the melted sugar mixture to stick to it, making it difficult to handle, and the equipment will seem impossible to clean.

9. Step 15

   ADVANCE PREPARATION

10. Step 16

    The pumpkin seeds and peanuts can be made well in advance—up to 24 hours before you are going to serve. Both should be kept in airtight containers at room temperature.

11. Step 17

    The jicama should be made no more than 4 hours in advance. Keep it in the refrigerator and mix in the cayenne pepper 30 minutes before serving.