Jon's grandmother has a pecan tree in her yard. Two years ago, it was very prolific and we received a huge bag of pecans to bring back to DC. Having now waited two years for Jon to make a pecan pie, I decided to candy some of them. Note these are not the heavily sugared pecans you would have as a dessert, but more like a salad topper.

From http://www.slashfood.com/2006/10/24/candied-pecans-easy-and-addictive/

Spiced Candied Pecans

sweet version:
2 1/2 cups raw pecans
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt

spicy version:
2 1/2 cups raw pecans
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cardamom

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir the pecans with the egg white.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Pour over the nuts and stir until evenly coated.

Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Slide parchment paper (with nuts still on it) off of the baking sheet and onto a wire rack (or the counter) to cool.

Break nuts up into a bowl to serve or store at room temperature in an airtight container.