I like serving these with Corn Panna Cotta (page 83), but they’re also delicious with cheese and perfect to put out with beer for Sunday football.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 1/3 cups

　　

For the Spice Mix

3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

　　6 allspice berries

　　1 1/4 teaspoons (5g) black peppercorns

　　4 whole cloves

　　17 cardamom seeds

　　2 star anise

　　1/8 teaspoon (0.4g) ground mace

　　1/8 teaspoon (0.5g) coarse salt

　　

For the Walnuts

3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter

　　4 ounces (113g) walnut halves

　　1 tablespoon (6g) spice mix

　　

For the Spice Mix

Step 1

Combine all the spices with the salt in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Sift, then store for up to 3 months in a glass jar out of the light.

　　

For the Walnuts

Step 2

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the nuts and cook, stirring often, until the nuts are fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Scrape into a strainer so all the excess butter can drip off. Transfer to a bowl and toss the nuts with the spice mix.

　　

Step 4

Let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__