Excerpt from Ari’s Top 5 enews
A Candy Manufactory classic in the making
The Candy Manufactory has been quietly making these terrifically tasty peanuts in the background, easy to go unnoticed with all that’s going on in the world at large and in our small corner of it here at Zingerman’s.
While the crew at the Candy Manufactory have been crafting these Salt & Pepper Peanuts for years, I hadn’t eaten any of them for ages. No real reason—they just sort of fell off my regular “playlist.” That changed last week when I bought a bag to bring home, and was reminded of just how good they really are. When they first came out a few years ago I thought they were a 10 out of 10! I’m glad to say they still are!
What makes the Salt & Pepper Peanuts so good? Like so many of our best foods, they’re pretty simple, really—start with amazing, plump, and flavorful peanuts, French fleur de sel (the highly prized delicate layer of crystals that form atop the natural salt ponds in the sun), and a healthy dose of that super tasty Five Star Black Pepper Blend put together for us by our friends at Épices de Cru using five different sources of superb black peppercorns (Tellicherry Reserve, Mlamala, Rajakumari, Tellicherry Extra Bold, and Shimoga, in case you were curious), blended to make one incredibly complex and exceptionally good flavor.
These nuts are terrific out of hand—put a bowl or two out with wine, beer, or anything else you’re up for. I can’t guarantee that having them on the table will help your team, but they’re great to snack on while you’re watching a bit of fall football. They’re also great on salads, as well as on ice cream sundaes. You can coarse-chop them and use them as coating for fish or pork chops. Looking ahead to the holidays, you can add them to stuffing. Sweet, spicy, savory, and super tasty. Life changing.