Curry and orange play up pecans' natural sweetness. Nibble before dinner or sprinkle atop a bowl of butternut squash or crab soup. 

Makes 16 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes, plus 45 minutes to cool in turned-off oven

1 pound Georgia pecan halves
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon mild curry powder

Preheat oven to 250°. In a medium bowl, combine pecan halves with egg white that has been whisked with a tablespoon of water. Stir so pecans are well coated.

Combine sugar, orange rind, seasoned salt and curry powder in a small paper sack or plastic bag. Add pecans to bag, and gathering the neck of the bag, shake vigorously to coat them with spices. Spread nuts onto two baking sheets and place in oven.

Bake pecans 20 minutes, then remove from oven and stir and spread out on pan again. Turn off oven, place pecans back in the oven, and crack oven door. Let them remain here for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are crisp. They should not continue to cook during this drying period. If your oven runs hot, you may want to check them or give the oven some time to cool down before placing pecans back inside.

When pecans are completely cooled, store in airtight tins.