Nougat Recipe

I think I need to change how I choose my recipes – I tend to choose things that look pretty easy enough but end up being a lot more complicated and as a result, never look anything like what they are supposed to!

This was one of those recipes. Week 8 of the Cookbook Challenge had the theme of Sweet so I turned to one of my Christmas presents, Movida Rustica, which is full of beautiful Spanish recipes. I thought I’d give Nougat a go so I went and bought a kitchen thermometer because you need to cook to specific temperatures…how hard can that be?

Ingredients

1/3 cup honey

225g glucose syrup

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 egg whites

rice paper (for lining)

1 1/3 cups blanched almond kernels, toasted

grated zest of 1 lemon

Place the honey and 175g (1/2 cup) of the glucose syrup in a small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over low heat until well combined, then cook until the temperature reaches 130 degrees celcius on a kitchen thermometer.

Meanwhile, put the sugar, remaining glucose syrup and 50ml water in another small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then cook until the temperature reaches 170 degrees celcius.

While the syrups are cooking, beat the egg whites, beating continuously. When the sugar syrup reaches 170 degrees celcius, very slowly add it to the egg whites and continue beating until the mixture has cooled enough so that it is just hot, but not hot enough to burn you.

Lightly grease a 15 x 25cm tray and line with rice paper.

Stir the almonds and lemon zest into the nougat mixture, then pour it into the prepared tray. Cover the top of the nougat with more rice paper, cutting the sheets to fit. Leave to stand until cool, then cut into 12 pieces. The nougat will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Now…I actually made 2 attempts at this recipe…here is how the first attempt turned out:

It was very sticky and way too soft to be nougat!

Here is how the second attempt turned out:

A little better, not quite as sticky but still not hard like nougat should be, it was a bit more like a fluffy marshmallow. So…at least now I know how to make marshmallow!