Almond Nougat Recipes

Steps:

• Begin by making the mazetta: Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff; set aside. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, and sugar. Clip on a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until temperature reaches 242 degrees (soft-ball stage), 15 to 20 minutes. Remove sugar syrup from heat. Beating constantly on medium speed, slowly pour hot syrup into egg whites. Continue beating for 3 to 4 minutes until syrup is incorporated. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to make the nougat.
• Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable-oil spray; set aside. Place mazetta in a large bowl; set aside. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine corn syrup and sugar. Clip on candy thermometer. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, 5 to 10 minutes. Wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals.
• Over medium-high heat, cook to 280 degrees (soft-crack stage), 12 to 15 minutes, without stirring. If heat is too high, it can boil over, so watch carefully. Remove from heat; let stand for 2 minutes. Without scraping pan, pour syrup over mazetta. Working quickly, stir with a wooden spoon until almost smooth. Stir in butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix until butter is incorporated. Stir in nuts. Scrape into prepared pan, and smooth the top; you may spray your hand with vegetable-oil spray and run it over the warm candy to smooth it. Let stand at room temperature, uncovered, until firm, 4 to 6 hours.
• Spray a large cutting board generously with vegetable oil spray. Unmold nougat from pan onto sprayed surface. Cut nougat into 3-by-1-by-3/4-inch pieces or other desired shapes. Wrap each piece in cellophane or waxed paper.

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Beat egg whites until they're white and fluffy.
• Boil the honey over medium-high heat until it becomes a thick caramel-consistency.
• Mix the honey and the egg whites.
• Continue to beat this mixture with a wooden spoon (wooden spoons are best for candies and sweets).
• Add the vanilla extract and cook with the double boiler method.
• note: If you don't have a double boiler available, place a medium-sized pot inside a slightly bigger and deeper pot, fill the bigger pot with water so that the smaller one is halfway submerged.
• Continue stirring until you achieve a caramel consistency.
• In a separate pot over high heat cook the sugar, corn syrup and the water until you obtain a caramel.
• Once you have the caramel add the other mixture and the almonds.
• You have 2 options for assembly:.
• Grease a working surface.
• Place the mixture and roll out with a rolling pin, shape to your liking.
• (it's usually sold in a rectangle shape).
• Let it cool.
• Or if you find the oblea cover a rectangular baking sheet with the oblea.
• Roll out the mixture and let it cool.
• break into pieces.
• When cooled the candy should be really hard.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius
• Place nuts in a roasting tray, dry roast for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 100 degrees C; keep nuts warm.
• Line a 20cm x 30cm x 3cm baking tray with baking paper. Place 2 sheets of rice paper in tray, covering the bottom of the tray.
• Place water, sugar and glucose in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Cook to 150 degrees C (using candy thermometer).
• Place honey in second saucepan, bring to the boil over medium heat and cook to 135 degrees Celsius.
• A few minutes before honey reaches 135 degrees C, beat egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
• While continuing to mix at low speed, drizzle in hot honey; add sugar syrup in the same manner. Continue to beat at low speed for about 5 minutes.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in warm nuts.
• Pour nougat into prepared tray; flatten with a wet metal spoon.
• Cover with remaining sheets of rice paper. Refrigerate when cold.
• To cut when set, turn out onto chopping board and slice with a large knife.

Steps:

• Mix first 4 ingredients in heavy saucepan.
• Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved.
• Cook,without stirring, until a small amount of the mixture dropped in cold water forms a hard ball (250-f).
• Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry, in large bowl of electric mixer.
• Gradually beat in about one fourth (not more) of the syrup and continue beating until mixture holds its shape.
• Cook remaining syrup until a small amount of mixture separates into hard and brittle threads when dropped in cold water (300-f) gradually beat into first mixture, and continue beating until the mixture begins to hold its shape.
• Add flavoring and food coloring to tint a delicate shade.
• Beat in butter; continue beating until very thick and satiny.
• Stir in nuts and cherries.
• Press into a buttered 8x8x2" pan, smoothing top.
• Let stand until firm.
• Turn out of pan, and cut in 1 1/2" by 1" pieces.
• Wrap each piece individually in waxed paper.
• For best flavor, store several days in a cool place before serving.

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.