Pine nuts are used to garnish many Korean dishes and desserts. They are smaller and nuttier tasting than those available in American groceries and are considered precious (and thus are usually pricey). They are often sold in transparent packaging.
Choose pine nuts that have no spots of discoloration and no variation in color from nut to nut. Put them in the freezer as soon as you bring them home, then take out what you need and thaw at room temperature. For aesthetic reasons, I like to remove the tips of the nuts. You can substitute Mediterranean pine nuts, but I prefer the smaller and more flavorful Asian pine nuts sold at Korean grocery stores.
Which to get? I suggest my second book, Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking because it has the most recipes, but my first book has recipes for all the essential Korean pastes and sauces!
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Interesting that just like “Korean grapes”, these come from a special “Korean pine tree”.
I grew up eating these and “Korean Grapes”. (I grew up in New Mexico and Texas.) I don’t think there is anything particularly Korean about them. Pine nuts, aka piñon, do come from a pine tree. But I’m pretty sure that Costco is not importing them from Korea (but hey, I could be wrong….I haven’t read the package to see if they list the origin of their product.) They are native to North America and Europe as well as Asia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinon_nut
Just had to say something since all my Korean friends keep saying “Here, want some Korean Grapes?” LOL But I do really love both the “Korean Grapes” and piñon. And Korean food is my favorite. I can only cook KimChi Chigae right now, so I’ll be watching your vids to see if I can learn some more.