These have become my signature appetizer.

4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
(or fresh if you have it, and plenty of it)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups walnut halves

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and add the seasonings. Place the walnuts in a shallow roasting pan in one layer.* Bake at 325°F until richly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes, shaking occasionally. These are nicest served warm.

*I use a large enough skillet so that I don’t have to transfer the nuts.


Source: A Private Collection from the Junior League of Palo Alto, 1980