As I am delving into the world of spirits, I am finding myself absolutely adoring the celestial orb of whiskey and single malt Scotch.

It’s delicious.

And while I’m highly versed in the arena of food and wine pairing, I’m just beginning to explore the food flavor combinations that complement and creatively coincide with smooth and smoky Scotch sips alike.

For this single malt Scotch tasting we hosted, I decided on a menu of smoky pulled pork shoulder, hickory onion apple chutney (recipe to come), smoky aged Jack cheese, and Hickory Smoked Candied Pecans.

Oh my, the combination was delightful.

I’ve grown in to the smokiness of low land Scotches and come to crave it, as well as the smooth creaminess of a good single malt highland Scotch variety in the afternoon and evening hours.

Yes, I’m spoiled. But we already knew that.

Hickory Smoked Candied Pecans

1 lb. raw pecans
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. Hampton Sea Salt Hickory Smoked Artisan Sea Salt
1 egg white
1 Tbs. water

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix sugar and salt together in a bowl.
Whisk egg white and water together in a separate bowl until frothy. Toss pecans in the egg white mixture. Mix sugar mixture into pecan mixture until pecans are evenly coated. Spread coated pecans onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans are evenly browned, 1 hour.
Cool completely before noshing.