Katie Hodel's Vanilla Spiced Pecans
1 lb. pecan halves 1/8 t. black pepper1/2 c. sugar 1/4 t. ground coriander
2 1/2 T. corn oil 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. vanilla 1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. allspice
Preheat oven to 325.Blanch pecans for 1 min. in boiling water. Drain well.
In medium bowl, mix together sugar, oil and vanilla. While pecans are still hot, add to bowl and toss with sugar, corn oil and vanilla mixture. Let stand 10 min.
Place pecans on a rimmed baking tray. Bake for 30-35 min., turning every 5-10 min. until nuts are light brown andcrispy. Watch the pecans carefully in the last minutes of baking so don't burn.
Combine the salt, pepper, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in a medium bowl. Put the still hot nuts into the bowl and toss with the seasoning mixture.
Spread in a single layer to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Katie, my student at Wesleyan in 2004, got this great recipe from her late great aunt and "fiddled with it."