Warm mixed nuts tossed with chopped fresh rosemary, melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and a whisper of cayenne: the addictive, sweet-savoury, herb-scented bar snack of the modern American kitchen, served warm with a drink
Origin: California, United States
From the journey of Rosemary.
Warm rosemary bar nuts are a small modern American classic, made famous by the New York restaurant kitchens of the 1990s but utterly at home in the Mediterranean-influenced cooking of California, where rosemary grows in every garden and the impulse to toss it through warm, salty, sweet roasted nuts feels entirely natural. The formula is simple and irresistible: a generous mix of nuts roasted until fragrant, then tossed while hot with finely chopped fresh rosemary, melted butter, a little brown sugar, flaky salt, and a pinch of cayenne, so the herb wilts and perfumes the whole bowl. Served warm with an aperitif, they are the taste of the California wine country and the modern cocktail hour, the ancient Mediterranean herb reinvented as a bar snack.
Use any mix of good nuts; cashews, almonds, and pecans are classic, but walnuts, hazelnuts, and macadamias all work. The balance of sweet, salty, herby, and hot is the point: adjust the sugar, salt, and cayenne to taste. They keep in an airtight jar for several days, though they are best the day they are made. A squeeze of orange or a little maple syrup in place of the brown sugar are pleasant variations.
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