Lemony Almond Nougat Recipes

LEMONY ALMOND NOUGAT

Steps:

• Place 1 piece of rice paper on a 9-by-13-inch rimmed (quarter) baking sheet.
• Combine sugar, honey, corn syrup, and water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to simmer, about 10 minutes. Cook, undisturbed, until mixture registers 300 to 305 degrees on a candy thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile (when syrup reaches 270 degrees), whisk whites with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. When hot sugar mixture is ready, pour it into whites in a slow, steady stream. Whisk until mixture cools and thickens, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add vanilla, almonds, lemon zest, and salt. Working quickly, spread mixture evenly on rice paper. Place remaining piece of rice paper on top, pressing to flatten. Let cool on a wire rack. Once cool, cover nougat with plastic wrap, and let dry for at least 2 days or up to 1 week.
• Run a knife around edges of sheet to loosen nougat, and invert nougat onto a cutting board. Trim each edge to straighten. Cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide slices. (Dip knife in water between each cut.) Cut each slice into 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. Wrap each piece in cellophane.

LEMON NOUGAT SEMIFREDDO

Steps:

• Process the ricotta and sugar in a food processor until smooth.
• Finely chop the nougat or wrap in a tea-towel and smash with a rolling pin until broken into small pieces.
• Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Combine the ricotta mixture, nougat, cream and zests in a bowl and mix well. Pour into a 2-liter mold that has been rinsed in cold water. Freeze until set. Turn out onto a platter and serve cut into slices with lime slices or fresh seasonal fruits.

LEMON SUGAR ALMONDS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the egg white and lemon juice, combine with almonds, and set aside.
• Combine the remaining ingredients (sugar, lemon rind, & nutmeg) in a small bowl, and mix into almond mixture.
• Spread onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until coating is dry and almonds are crisp; stir almonds occasionally.
• Once cooled, store in airtight tins or in a zip-loc bag in your lunch bag :-).

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.

ALMOND NOUGAT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add hazelnuts and whole almonds to cookie sheet. Toast until golden, about 10 minutes.
• Add sugar, corn syrup, honey, salt and water in a heavy bottomed saucepot (3 quart).
• Over medium heat, stir mixture until sugar dissolves.
• Continue cooking, without stirring until syrup reaches the hard ball stage, reading 252 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.
• Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form.
• While mixer is on, in a thin steady stream, pour ¼ cup of hot syrup over egg whites, beating at high speed until mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape, about 5 minutes.
• Continue to cook the remaining syrup to brittle threads, reading 315 to 318 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.
• While mixer is on, in a thin steady stream, pour remaining hot syrup over egg whites, beating at high speed until mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape.
• Add vanilla extract, almond extract and butter, beating again for about 5 minutes.
• Stir in toasted nuts and ground almonds with a wooden spoon.
• Transfer mixture to a buttered 11 x 7 x 1 ¼-inch pan.
• Smooth the mixture evenly with a spatula.
• Refrigerate until firm.
• Loosen edges of candy with a knife. Invert nougat on cutting board.
• Cut into pieces. Store in airtight container.

CHEWY ALMOND NOUGAT

Steps:

• Heavily butter a 15x10x1-in. pan; set aside. Heavily butter a large bowl; set aside. In a stand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture cones to a boil, about 10 minutes. (If sugar crystals are present, cover and boil for 1-2 minutes to allow steam to wash crystals down.) Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft ball stage), about 6-8 minutes., With mixer running carefully and slowly add hot liquid in a steady stream over egg whites. Beat 10 minutes longer or until mixture holds its shape and is lukewarm. (Mixture will be beginning to lose its gloss.) Transfer to prepared bowl., For almond mixture, in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and corn syrup. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, about 15 minutes. (If sugar crystals are present, cover and boil for 1-2 minutes to allow steam to wash crystals down.) With a clean spoon, cook and stir over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer reads 275° (soft-crack stage), about 15 minutes longer., Pour over mixture in bowl (do not scrape saucepan). With a large wooden spoon, stir until blended. Combine butter and vanilla; gradually add to almond mixture until blended. Stir in almonds and salt until blended. Transfer to prepared pan. Let stand at room temperature for several hours or until firm. Cut into squares. Wrap in plastic or waxed paper if desired.

HONEY ALMOND NOUGATS

Steps:

• Grease a large bowl with the butter; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch and honey. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Cover and boil for 1 minute. Uncover; cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 286° (soft-crack stage)., In a stand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. With mixer running on high speed, carefully pour hot sugar mixture in a slow, steady stream into the mixing bowl. Beat on high for 10 minutes or until mixture holds its shape and is lukewarm, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. , Fold in ground almonds and cinnamon. Transfer to prepared bowl; cool to room temperature. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll balls in chopped almonds. 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.