I make this recipe every Christmas. They are also served at the Christmas Dance held in Fort Clinch in my historical novel, Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie, set in 1882.
Here is an excerpt from that book:
As they headed straight for the
delicacies, they passed near the tree. This caused the flames of the small
white candles on the pine boughs to flicker. A young lad was stationed by the
water bucket, patrolling for any wild sparks and called out, "Ladies, tend
your skirts. Ladies, tend your skirts."
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| http://www.amazon.com/The-Goodbye-Jane-Marie-Malcolm/dp/0974918229 |
Breelan recognized him as the son of the
commander of the fort. "Thank you, Master Maveney." A nod was his
acknowledgement, and he was quick to catch a penny someone tossed him for his
trouble.
The raised platform in the south corner of
the room held the musicians from town. They were playing seasonal songs amongst
some of the more popular tunes of the day. A beautifully printed sign decorated
in red and green read Courtesy: Mrs.
Luella Smitty and sat atop the handsome harpsichord. Violin, fife, double
bell euphonium, clarinet, trumpet and snare drum made for quite the orchestra.
The girls nibbled on triangular egg salad
sandwiches, rolled ham, and sugared nuts while watching Mrs. Bleether. The
stout widow was still dressed in black for General Bleether who had passed away
in the line of duty before Breelan was born. Tonight, the widow nodded
periodically to the conductor with instructions. A self-described expert
tunesmith, she could always be found near the hapless leader of the band at any
social function she attended.
"Wasn't that last song The Jack-in-the-Pulpit Waltz?"
Breelan asked.
"I believe so." Nora checked her
dance card hanging from her wrist. "It says the next is to be the Sweet Brier Polka followed by the Fort Clinch Cannon Brigade. Oh, look
here, in parentheses it says Haymakers
Reel."
Breelan recognized the name. "I think
we've played that one on the handbells. I'll know it when I hear it."
And she did.
She danced with Trip each time he asked
despite his occasional cutting remarks. She didn't understand why he was
becoming increasingly nasty as the evening advanced. Usually that happened as
he drank more alcohol, but the refreshment committee was only serving spiced punch
and mulled cider heated with a fire poker. When Trip crushed her to him in an
indelicate moment of lust, she felt the hard flask under his tunic and
understood.
Sugar and Spice Nuts Recipe
You'll need:
- 12 ounces. whole pecans (almonds or unsalted walnuts will work, but pecans are best)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- Pinch of cloves
- 1 teaspoon. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon. nutmeg
- Grated rinds of 2 oranges
Mix all the ingredients in a heavy skillet. Simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until the water evaporates.
Pour the nuts out onto two large cookie sheets sprayed with non-stick spray. Separate them quickly with a fork, and let them cool.
The nuts can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. They may be kept at room temperature for about two weeks.
Reprinted from www.GraciousJaneMarie.com
