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.