Classic Nougat Recipes

CLASSIC NOUGAT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Scatter the nuts over a baking tray and toast in the oven for 10 mins, then set aside (they don't need to cool). Cut the two pieces of rice paper to fit a 20 x 20cm square tin. Line the tin with one sheet of rice paper, brush the sides of the tin with oil, then dust the tin with icing sugar.
• Put the honey into a saucepan, then in another saucepan tip in the sugar, glucose and 100ml of water. Put the egg whites in the very clean bowl of a tabletop mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk on a low speed. Heat and boil the honey until it reaches 121C on a digital cooking thermometer, then straightaway pour the honey over the egg whites and set the speed to medium. While the whites and honey are whisking, bring the sugar and water to the boil and keep boiling until the syrup reaches 145C exactly on a digital cooking thermometer. Pour the hot syrup in a slow, steady stream into the beating egg white mixture. Continue beating for about 10 mins until you have a thick, glossy, firm meringue. It's hard to over-whisk at this stage but easy to under-whisk, so keep going until the meringue looks like sticky chewing gum.
• Use a spatula to stir though the nuts (which should still be warm), the vanilla extract and a small pinch of salt. Scrape the mixture into the lined tin, then smooth over to spread the mixture out evenly (if you have an offset spatula, now is the time to use it). Finally, top with the remaining sheet of rice paper and press down. Leave the nougat to set for at least 2 hrs or overnight.
• To turn out and portion, use a spatula to loosen the edges of the nougat away from the tin, then invert the tin on to a clean board and use a sharp serated, hot knife to portion into bars or squares. The nougat will keep, stored in an airtight container, for up to a month.

CLASSIC EUROPEAN NOUGAT

Steps:

• Prepare the baking sheet: If you're using wafer paper (see note in description), place a single sheet on the bottom of the pan and trim pieces from another sheet to fill in any gaps. Otherwise, grease the bottom and sides of the baking sheet with the butter and sprinkle the cornstarch over that, tilting and tapping the pan (over the sink or a trash can) to coat all the surfaces evenly. Set it aside. Coat your heatproof spatula generously with cooking spray and set it aside, too.
• Place the egg whites in the bowl of the stand mixer. Add the cream of tartar and whip on medium speed until the whites are frothy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly stream in the 1/2 cup sugar. Once it is all mixed in, continue to whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form (if you lift the whisk out of the whites, they will form a point that flops over onto its side), 3 to 5 minutes. Set this mixture-it's now meringue-aside, but keep it in the mixer bowl, with the mixer ready to go.
• Combine the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar with the honey, corn syrup, water and salt in a medium-size (4-quart) saucepan. Bring to a boil, uncovered and without stirring, over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high, insert the candy thermometer, and cook the syrup until it reaches 295°F (soft-to-hard crack stage), about 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat.
• Start whipping the meringue on medium speed; then put on your oven mitts and slowly pour the hot syrup in a stream down the inside of the mixer bowl (careful, careful, careful: If you pour the syrup directly on the whisk, it will splatter). Once all the syrup is incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and whip until the meringue gets very stiff and sticky, 3 to 5 minutes. When your mixer starts complaining, you'll know it's ready.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and immediately and quickly stir in all the nuts and the vanilla seeds with the spatula. Pour the nougat onto the prepared baking sheet and either cover it with a layer of wafer paper or sift a generous amount of confectioners' sugar on top. If you need to spread it out into a more even layer, place a piece of parchment or a silicone mat on top of the wafer- or sugar-covered nougat and gently press down with flat hands until it's even. Allow the nougat to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Cover a cutting board with parchment or a generous dusting of confectioners' sugar. Generously coat a sharp chef's knife and a paring knife with cooking spray. Run the paring knife around the edge of the nougat to loosen it, and then gently turn it out onto the cutting board. (If the nougat is being stubborn, oil a bench scraper and use it to help loosen it around the edges.) Using the chef's knife, trim the edges of the nougat and then slice it into bars or little bites.
• Store the nougat, layered with parchment or wrapped in wax paper wrappers, in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

NOUGAT

Steps:

• Line the sides and base of a 4 by 6-inch baking pan with rice paper. Whisk the egg white in a heatproof bowl until stiff.
• Combine the sugar, glucose, honey and water in a small saucepan. Stir over very low heat until the mixture reaches the small crack stage, or 275 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. While whisking, drizzle the syrup into the egg white and continue whisking until glossy and beginning to stiffen.
• Stir in the almonds, and spread the mixture over the rice paper in the prepared pan, pressing it down well. Cover with another layer of rice paper, and place a light weight evenly over the top. Leave nougat until cold, and then cut into squares, wrap in waxed paper, and store in an airtight container.

ALMOND ORANGE NOUGAT

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with aluminum foil that extends over the sides. Cut another square of foil to fit the top of the pan. Coat the foil in the pan and the foil square with 1 tablespoon of the butter, and set aside.
• In a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, cook the corn syrup, sugar, the water, and the salt until the sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water to prevent the sugar from crystallizing. Increase the heat to medium-high, place a sugar thermometer in the pan, and cook the mixture without stirring until it registers 250°F on the thermometer (about 10 minutes). Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water two more times during the cooking process.
• While the sugar syrup is cooking, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat the egg whites until they hold firm peaks (3 to 5 minutes).
• Remove the pan with the sugar syrup from the heat and pour one-quarter of the syrup into a glass measuring cup. With the mixer at medium speed, slowly pour the smaller amount of sugar syrup into the beaten egg whites, and beat until the mixture is firm (about 3 minutes). Return the saucepan to the heat and cook the remaining sugar syrup, without stirring, until it registers 300°F on the thermometer (about 10 minutes). With the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour the remaining hot sugar syrup into the egg whites, being careful not to drip the syrup down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the mixture is cool (about 15 minutes). Blend in the vanilla and almond extracts, beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then blend in the chopped almonds and candied orange peel.
• Turn the mixture into the prepared pan. Spread it out smoothly and evenly into the corners of the pan. Place the square of buttered aluminum foil on top of the candy. Let the nougat set completely at room temperature (12 hours or overnight).
• Remove the top piece of foil from the candy, then remove the candy from the pan by lifting out the foil. Invert the candy onto a cutting board, peel the foil off the back of the candy, then reinvert so the top side is facing up. With a large chef's knife dipped in hot water and dried, cut the candy into 1-inch squares using a sawing motion.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Melt and temper the chocolate (see pages 25-30). Dip a piece of the nougat into the tempered chocolate, coating it completely. With a fork or dipper, remove the piece from the chocolate, carefully shake off the excess chocolate, and turn the piece out onto the paper. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Let the chocolate set up at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. When the chocolate is set, place each piece in a paper candy cup. Between layers of waxed paper, in a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the nougat will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator. The nougat is best eaten at room temperature.
• VARIATIONS
• Substitute other nuts for the almonds.
• Almond Lemon Nougat: Substitute candied lemon peel (a variation of candied orange peel, see page 212) for the candied orange peel, and substitute lemon extract for the vanilla extract.
• Almond Lime Nougat: Substitute candied lime peel (a variation of candied orange peel, see page 212) for the candied orange peel, and substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract.
• Almond Tangerine Nougat: Substitute candied tangerine peel (a variation of candied orange peel, see page 212) for the candied orange peel, and substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract.