1 1/2 cups hazelnuts (if using whole, remove the skin)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste, if desired)
3 large egg whites
DRESSING:
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon deli-style mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
SALAD:
Mixed greens or baby Romaine
Fuji apples, sliced
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix hazelnuts, sugar and salt. Lightly whisk the egg whites and stir them into the hazelnut mixture, making sure the hazelnuts become well coated. Spread this mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake 15-20 minutes until nuts are golden brown.
Remove the pan from the oven and separate the hazelnuts from each other and from any pools of the sugar mixture. This allows each hazelnut to cool individually and avoids excessive stickiness.
While the hazelnuts cool, prepare salad ingredients and balsamic vinegar. For the balsamic, shake all ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.