Easy Pistachio Nougat Recipes

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.

GUMDROP AND PISTACHIO NOUGAT

Steps:

• Line an 8-by-11-inch baking pan with plastic wrap and spray the wrap liberally with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper and spray the parchment with cooking spray.
• Slice 1/2 cup of the gumdrops in half long ways with a paring knife and lay them flat-side down on the parchment. Roughly chop the remaining gumdrops and set aside.
• Put the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Combine 3 1/4 cups of the sugar, the honey, corn syrup and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove sugar crystals and continue to cook, brushing the sides of the pan down occasionally, for 8 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. When the syrup reaches 260 degrees F, about 9 minutes, turn the stand mixer on to medium-high speed and whip the egg whites until foamy, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and whip the egg whites until they hold firm peaks, about 3 minutes.
• Continue to cook the syrup, swirling the pot occasionally, until the mixture reaches 290 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Replace the stand mixer's whisk attachment with a paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-low speed, carefully pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the egg whites become stiff and glossy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the vanilla extract and orange zest; mix to combine. Add the 1 cup chopped gumdrops and the pistachios to the nougat mixture and stir to combine. The mixture will be very stiff.
• Spread the nougat into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a small offset spatula sprayed with cooking spray. Spray a piece of parchment paper with nonstick spray and place over the nougat, sprayed-side down. Let sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Once the nougat has set, place a piece of parchment paper on top of a cutting board and spray with cooking spray. Lift the nougat out of the pan and flip it over onto the cutting board, then peel off the plastic and parchment. Trim the edges with a large heavy knife sprayed with cooking spray. Cut the nougat into about 40 pieces, each about 1 1 /2 inches square, spraying the knife with cooking spray as needed.
• Wrap the squares individually in parchment paper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

EASY PISTACHIO NOUGAT

Steps:

• 1. Entirely cover an 8 x 8 inch pan with aluminum foil.
• 2. Put a large pot on medium high heat and add the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water and cook until the mixture reaches the hard-ball stage (120°C).
• 3. While mixture is cooking, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• 4. When sugar syrup has reached 120 degrees, remove from heat and gradually pour ONE QUARTER of the mixture into the egg whites, continue beating until the egg whites hold their shape.
• 5. Place the pot with the rest of syrup on the stove and continue cooking over medium high heat until the mixture reaches 150 degrees (hard-crack stage).
• 6. Do not turn the mixer off, slowly add the rest of the syrup into the egg mixture and continue beating until the mixture is thick and stiff.
• 7. If using add a few drops of food coloring to turn a delicate green color. Next add the softened butter and beat until the candy is very thick and satiny.
• 8. Now add the nuts and mix until well combined, spoon into the pan, press down gently, making it smooth and even. Leave to set at room temperature.
• 9. When ready to serve cut into small squares and enjoy.

EASY PISTACHIO-CRANBERRY NOUGAT

Steps:

• Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Spray parchment and dust with milk powder. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add marshmallows and cook, stirring, until melted, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in milk powder, then cranberries and pistachios. Transfer to prepared pan, pressing or spreading to evenly fill. Lightly dust top with more milk powder. Let stand until set, at least 2 hours.
• Use overhangs to lift nougat out of pan. Cut as desired (we made strips slightly less than 1/2 inch wide, then cut them in half again to create about 4-by-3/4-by 1/2-inch pieces). Store between layers of parchment or waxed paper at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

TORRONE (ITALIAN NUT AND NOUGAT CONFECTION)

Steps:

• Line an 8x11-inch baking dish with plastic wrap, allowing ends to hang over the sides. Place 1 sheet of 8x10 wafer paper in the bottom of the pan. Keep the roasted almonds and pistachios in a warm place until ready to add at the end. This makes it easier to mix them in.
• Pour honey into a heavy-bottomed pot. Add sugar. Mix and stir over low heat with a spatula, stirring constantly until mixture turns from grainy to silky and smooth, about 30 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
• Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl; add a pinch of salt. Whisk until whites form soft peaks, 3 to 4 minutes. Place pot back on low heat. Gradually whisk about a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the honey/sugar mixture; whisk in the remaining egg whites in 3 more batches.
• Continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula until mixture turns a brighter white and a ribbon of the mixture does not immediately incorporate back into the rest of the mixture and stays intact on the surface for a while. This will take about 40 minutes. You can add a few drops of the mixture into a small bowl of ice cold water to test the consistency; ideally it should feel like soft clay.
• Whisk in vanilla and lemon zest. Add warm almonds and pistachios and stir to incorporate evenly.
• Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Even out as best you can with a clean oiled spatula. Top with 2nd sheet of wafer paper, shiny side up. Cover with plastic wrap and press down evenly, tamping mixture down gently but firmly. Remove top layer of plastic.
• Allow torrone to sit at room temperature until cool, firm, and ready to cut, 1 or 2 hours. Lift torrone from baking dish with the edges of the bottom layer of plastic wrap. Invert and remove plastic from the bottom. If the plastic wrap is difficult to remove from the edges of the torrone, you can trim off the edges.
• Cut torrone into 1-inch squares using a sharp serrated knife.

CHOCOLATE, PISTACHIO & NOUGAT SEMIFREDDO

Steps:

• Butter and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with cling film. Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer. Put the sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl, then place over the simmering water and whisk until pale, thick and doubled in volume. Remove from the heat, plunge the bottom of the bowl into cold water and continue whisking until the mixture is cool.
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave on Low, stir, then fold into the egg mixture. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the chocolate egg mixture with the nougat and pistachios.
• Pour the mixture into the loaf tin, smooth the surface with a spoon, then cover and freeze until firm. This can be done up to 2 weeks ahead. To serve, turn out onto a serving dish, remove the cling film and leave in the fridge for 15 mins to soften slightly before slicing.