Peanut Buster

Peanut Brittle Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup corn syrup
• ½ cup butter
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda
• ½ Tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 pounds peanuts (roasted, salted)

To make:
In a small, clean saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and butter. Bring to a boil and cook until mixture caramelizes. (This won’t take long!) Remove from heat and add baking soda, kosher salt and vanilla extract.

Stir into peanuts, then spread onto a Silpat-lined sheet pan and place in a 250ºF oven for 15 minutes. Flatten brittle as much as possible and place in the chocolate room to cool. Grind half of the brittle and set the rest aside.

Peanut Brittle Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup egg whites (about four total), room temperature
• ½ cup water
• 2 cups golden cane sugar
• ¼ cup vanilla extract
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 8 sheets bronze gelatin (bloomed in ice water and drained)

To make:
In the mixer with the whisk, begin to whisk egg whites. In a small, clean saucepan, combine water and golden cane sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil and cook to 260ºF.

With the mixer on medium speed, carefully pour the syrup into the mixer, being careful to keep the syrup between the sides of the bowl and the whisk. When all the syrup is incorporated, turn the mixer to high speed and whisk until the mixture is room temperature.

Heat bronze gelatin sheets in the microwave. Whisk heavy cream to medium-firm peaks.

Fold the hot gelatin mixture into the egg whites. Fold the ground peanut brittle from above into the white mixture, then fold in the heavy cream. Fill the dimpled rectangular molds with the mixture, being sure to tap the cream into every nook and cranny. Freeze solid in the blast chiller.

Press the peanuts into the bottoms of each rectangle. Unmold onto a papered sheet pan and hold frozen for service.

Magic Shell: 
*Make this just before service.

In a water bath, melt 1 kilogram 58% chocolate and 300 grams of shortening. Hold hot for service. 

– Chef Maggie Davidson