Food

THE FUSION OF SOUND & TASTE

Courtesy of Twophdsbaking. Almond buttercrunch toffee.

Snap, crackle, pop, crunch -- all beautiful sounds when you’ve got a hankering. No other food will do to satisfy that crave. As we play at the intersection of sound and taste today, here’s a basket of magnificent munchies for those times. Or now.

Butter crunch has its own particular sound, as it softly splinters, collapsing down on itself in the chew. Salty sweet and mellow, slathered in dark chocolate.

Here’s one we adapted from Joy of Baking’s Butter Crunch Toffee. We added another flavor note, with burnt orange crispies -- essentially finely grated bits of orange peel that has been roasted to a crisp. Multidimensional sound and flavor.

Photo: Courtesy of Living the Rustic Life. Almonds.

BURNT ORANGE ALMOND BUTTER CRUNCH

Ingredients:

2 cups coarsely chopped almonds
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon light corn syrup (golden syrup)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup finely grated orange peel (use a microplane)
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided in half

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place almonds and orange peel gratings on a baking sheet and bake them for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Once almonds have returned to room temperature, place 1 cups of them in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until finely chopped.
Sprinkle the finely chopped nuts in an 8x10 inch rectangle on a buttered or oiled baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack.
In a medium sized saucepan, combine brown sugar, water, butter and corn syrup. Make sure the baking soda and vanilla extract are close by.
Bring the sugar mix to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Cover the pan with a lid for about one minute so the sides of the pan can wash themselves down and any remaining crystals can dissolve.
Attach candy thermometer to side of the pan, making sure it doesn’t touch the bottom, and cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 285 degrees F.
Immediately remove from heat and wait until temperature rises to 290 degrees F on the thermometer, then add the baking soda and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture over the nuts on the baking sheet, then place the chopped chocolate on top.
Once chocolate is soft, spread with a spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining cup of coarsely chopped burnt orange almonds.
Place in the refrigerator until chocolate is firm, then cut into pieces with a sharp knife.

Photo: Courtesy of Chow. Spicy Oven-Roasted Chickpeas.

Crunchy spicy chick peas pack another paleo crunch. Imagine the sound echoing off the cave walls if your paleo ancestors had Chris Rochelle’s Chow recipe.

SPICY OVEN-ROASTED CHICKPEAS

Ingredients:

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, thoroughly drained and rinsed (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Place chickpeas in a large bowl and toss with remaining ingredients until evenly coated.
Spread chickpeas in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crisp, roughly 30-40 minutes.

Photo: Jo Ann Santangelo. Avocado Fries.

Even an avocado can make a beautiful sound and deliver a crunch fix, for a perfect combo of creamy crispy. We adapted Food Republic’s Avocado Fries by adding sesame seeds, for an extra level of texture, and za’atar, for a tart earthy edge.

ZA’ATAR AVOCADO FRIES

Ingredients:

2 large firm ripe avocados
1 cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
½ cup sesame seeds
kosher salt for sprinkling
2 Tbsp za’atar
oil for deep frying.

Directions:

Mix Panko and sesame seeds together on a tray or platter.
Slice avocados in in half, twist apart and remove pit.
Cut each half into three wedges and peel off outer skin.
Dredge each wedge in flour, then soak in egg, then roll in the Panko mixture.
Preheat fryer to 350 degrees F.
Fry avocado wedges in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the fryer. Remove after 5 minutes or when golden brown and crisp.
Drain on several layers of paper towels, sprinkle with salt and za’atar.

Photo: Courtesy of Fit Sugar. Seaweed Chips.

We started buying packages of toasted nori to snack upon. They have an ethereal kind of crisp -- like something angel mermaids might nibble on for lunch. Sesame Garlic Nori Chips, from Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love to Eat, by Melissa Joulwan, rock the featherweight crunch.

SESAME GARLIC NORI CRISPS

Ingredients:

12 nori sheets
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch ground cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Cover two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
Place six sheets of nori, shiny side up, on the baking sheet.
Lightly brush the shiny side with water using a pastry brush, being sure to reach the edges. Carefully align another sheet of nori on top and press them together. Repeat with remaining sheets.
Using kitchen shears or a knife, cut the nori into one inch strips, then cut those strips in half crosswise. You will end up with about 42 chips. Arrange the chips in a single layer on the baking sheets.
In a small bowl, combine garlic, sesame oil, and cayenne. Use the pastry brush to coat the top of the chips, then sprinkle generously with salt. Use fingers to sprinkle sesame seeds across the tops of the chips.
Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a deep glossy green. Remove from oven and add more salt if desired. Allow to cool before eating for maximum crunch.

Photo: Courtesy Sweet Veg. Seed and Nut Crunch with Nori.

Here’s a savory crunch, made with olive oil vs butter, seeds and nuts held together by a touch of maple and tamari, laced with crumbles of nori, from Sweet Veg, adapted from The MILF Diet.

SEED & NUT CRUNCH WITH NORI

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sesame or olive oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (or brown rice syrup)
1 tsp unpasteurized shoyu or gluten-free tamari
3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup black or brown sesame seeds
4 sheets nori, torn or cut into small 1/2″ pieces

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, bring oil and maple syrup to a boil on low medium heat. Let boil for two minutes or until frothy. Make sure not to boil too long, as it will start to become candy.
Remove from heat and immediately stir in remaining ingredients. Try to keep the nori from clumping as you pour into pan. Stir well.
Pour seed mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place more parchment on top and roll with in with rolling pin. Remove top parchment and bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes. Check frequently during last 5 to prevent burning.
Keep baking until edges are medium brown.
When cool, break into pieces and enjoy.

Photo: Kathy Patalsky. Cinnamon Chili Popcorn.

Pop-corn first makes beautiful sounds as the kernels hiss, then explode, hitting the sides of the pot, bouncing around until the lot of them fill it to the brim, with light puffs. Then it gives you just enough crunch to enjoy in a movie, without driving the non-crunching people around you nuts.

This Cinnamon Chili Popcorn, by Kathy Patalsky will haunt you. It’s got a Mexican spicy sweet kick with a coconut backbeat.

CINNAMON CHILI POPCORN

Ingredients:

1/2 cup organic popping corn
3 Tbsp virgin coconut oil (unrefined for a stronger coconut flavor, refined will have less flavor)
cinnamon (around 1/2 tsp)
salt (around 1/4 tsp)
drizzle of maple syrup (2 tsp)
chili seasoning blend (a few dashes)
optional: sprinkle of hemp seeds for texture and nutrition

Directions:

Using an extra large stock pot or popcorn popping pot, add 3 Tbsp cocunut oil over med-high heat.
Drop in 2-3 kernels and cover pot with lid. Wait until first kernel pops, then add in ½ cup popping corn. Quickly cover with lid.
Shake around pan for next minute as kernels pop. Turn heat higher if needed to help along the popping.
After most corn has popped, turn off heat. Do not open lid as kernels will still be popping.
Let sit until popping stops, then transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with the spices, salt and maple

Image: Courtesy of Stay on Beat. Sound wave.

Read more about Beautiful Sound Visions, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, including 10 New Books on Sound & Vision, and Great Animal Orchestra Vision, in our posts throughout this week.

Enter this week’s BN Competition. Our theme this week is Beautiful Sound Visions. Send in your images and ideas. Deadline is 01.19.14.

Photo: Courtesy of InterActiveMediaSW.

Also, check out our special competition: The Most Beautiful Sound in the World! We are thrilled about this effort, together with SoundCloud and The Sound Agency. The Winner was announced today at 12:00 p.m EST. Click here to see and hear the winning entry.