From “Bite-Sized Desserts,” by Carole Bloom (Wiley). Makes about 2 dozen pieces.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola or safflower oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup (5 ounces) toasted salted peanuts
1 to 1 1/2teaspoons fleur de sel or other fine-grained sea salt
Directions
Using a paper towel, oil the back of a baking sheet.
Combine sugar, water and cream of tartar in a 2-quart heavy-duty saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, without stirring. Place a wet pastry brush at the point where the sugar syrup meets the sides of the pan and sweep it around completely. This helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing. As the mixture cooks, do this one more time. Cook the mixture, without stirring, until it turns light amber colored, about 8 minutes.
Using a heat-resistant spatula, immediately stir in the peanuts, coating them completely with the caramel. Pour the brittle onto the baking sheet and quickly spread it out thinly. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the top of the hot brittle.
Let the brittle stand at room temperature until firm, about 30 minutes. Gently lift the peanut brittle off the baking sheet and break it into 1-inch pieces.
Serve the peanut brittle at room temperature.
