Recipes Sweet-and-Spicy Sesame Walnuts 5.0 (1,271) 1 Review A gentle heat makes these seasoned walnuts ideal with cocktails. By Joanne Chang Joanne Chang Joanne Chang is a James Beard award-winning pastry chef, restaurateur, and five-time cookbook author with close to 30 years in the culinary industry. Since 2000, she's been the owner of Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe — now with 10 locations — and in 2007 opened the acclaimed restaurant Myers+Chang with her husband Christoper Myers.Experience: Joanne began as a management consultant before deciding to pursue a career in food. This change of direction didn't take her to culinary school, however; instead, she began a rigorous series of internships including Boston's Biba restaurant and Bentonwood Bakery before being hired as Rialto restaurant's pastry chef in 1995. Several years later, she moved to New York to work at the renowned Payard Patisserie & Bistro before returning to Boston to open Flour Bakery + Cafe in 2000. In addition to opening nine more locations of the bakery, she and her restaurateur husband Christopher Myers opened Myers+Chang in 2007, a critically acclaimed restaurant serving Taiwanese cuisine with Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai influences. Joanne has published five cookbooks and regularly teaches pastry techniques at her bakeries, in area cooking schools, and on Instagram via her weekly series #flourlove.Education: Joanne has a degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard University. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 15, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Con Poulos Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 7 cups Ingredients 1 pound walnut halves (about 4 cups) 1 cup sugar ½ cup water ⅔ cup sesame seeds (4 ounces) 1 ¼ teaspoons cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon kosher salt Directions Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large, wide saucepan, combine the walnuts, sugar and water and bring to a boil. Add the sesame seeds, cayenne and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the water is nearly evaporated, about 4 minutes. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the walnuts are golden brown and sandy, about 4 minutes longer. Immediately pour the walnuts onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in a single layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the nuts are deeply golden and covered with a sandy coating. Let the walnuts cool completely. Break any large clusters apart; transfer to a bowl to serve. Rate it Print