Smells have an evocative capacity much more powerful than any other form of memory. A song, a phrase, a picture, can bring back memories, but a scent transports you to the moment itselft. It fills your brain, forcing you to close your eyes. You breath deeply and you think you are living back those memories. It happens to me specially with cinnamon. Smelling a bit of cinnamon instantly transports me to endless afternoons of games that ended with a rice pudding or homemade custard, and a huge smile appears in my mouth, exactly the same kind of smile that appears now. I had not tried to combine cinnamon with chocolate and nuts before but for sure it is a winning combination. I wanted to try this recipe since I saw it in Green Kitchen Stories, a wonderful vegetarian blog. I only added cardamom, and I think it just improves the combination.
200grams walnuts
100 grams dark chocolate
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon cinnamon (powder)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Preparation
Melt roughly chopped chocolate in a bowl over steaming pot of water on medium heat Add cardamom, stir on heat until melted and smooth. Toss the walnuts a few at a time in the melted chocolate, and transfer onto a parchment paper or a silicon sheet to cool.
Mix cinnamon and cocoa powder in a small freezer bag. Toss the set chocolate covered nuts in the powder until evenly coated.
PDF