Tuesday 22 March 2011

La dolce vita


An oh-so-sweet, pillowy confection of honeyed nougat, studded with nuts.

I was somehow convinced by a curious friend to make Italian torrone after we nibbled on it at Greenwich market. Quite a lot actually - I've halved the recipe for you here as it turned out be a rather sizable batch.

I've discovered that these are excellent alongside a strong cup of coffee, preferably consumed in my occasionally sun-drenched back garden, and certainly on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Then just sit back, channel Anita Ekberg and enjoy the sweet life.

HAZELNUT AND ALMOND TORRONE


170g clear honey
300g caster sugar
30g icing sugar
150g whole almonds/hazelnuts/pistachios or a combination
2 medium egg whites
about 30g cornflour
Edible wafer paper

1) Line an 8"x8" metal pan with the wafer paper, making sure to cover it all but without overlapping the pieces. Now place the caster sugar and honey in a large pan with a sugar thermometer, and stirring occasionally, heat until the mixture reaches 315 degrees. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 300 degrees while you whisk the egg whites.

2) Place the egg whites in a scrupulously clean bowl and use a hand whisk to mix it to stiff peaks, then add the icing sugar and beat again until glossy. When the honey mixture has cooled to 300 degrees, slowly start to whisk it into the egg white mixture in a thin, steady stream. When all the honey has been incorporated, continue to whisk until the mixture thickens to a stiffish paste, then stir in the nuts.

3) Turn out the mixture onto a cornflour covered surface and use a knife or your cornflour dusted hands to knead it for a minute, then stretch into a rectangle roughly the shape of the 8"x8" pan and place it onto the wafer paper. Cover with another layer of wafer paper, and gently press down all over to flatten. Allow to cool overnight before cutting into squares.

9 comments:

  1. Your torrone looks fabulous! It caught my eye on foodgawker because my sister LOVES Italian torrone. Seems like an easy straight forward recipe =) Just one question....where would I find the edible wafer paper?

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  2. Ahh, what a lovely sisterly thing to do! I must do something similar for my sis soon.

    I used Dr Oetker's edible rice paper, which I bought from the monolithic supermarket I live near http://www.oetkeronline.co.uk/products/Edible-Wafer-Paper.html

    You can also buy it online from the link above

    Good luck, I hope your sister likes it!

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  3. Thank you so much! Will come back and let you know how it turns out :)

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  4. A lazy, Sunday afternoon sure sounds nice right now! I have never had Italian Torrone before, but it sure looks delicious!

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  5. @ Jenn:

    A lazy Sunday is a MUST! I find cooking on Sundays so relaxing - it's one of the few times I feel justified in spending an entire day making just one or two exquisite, dainty things to eat at dinnertime.

    ... Hope you get one soon! x

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  6. I have been looking for a nougat recipe since forever, this is amazing will definately be trying in the future.

    (gingercooksallthingsnice.blogspot.com)

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  7. Nougat is such a nostalgic memory-inducing sweet treat for me, we always had it round my grans house and i absolutely adorreeee it :) I think i might well try out this recipe sometime soon as i would love to be able to recreate it at home!

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  8. This looks amazing! Do you think you could sub glucose (corn syrup) for the honey? I want to do a lime/pistachio flavour.

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  9. Hi Mim! Yes, I think if you used corn syrup it should have a similar texture, but this torrone has a pronounced honeyed flavour which would be lost, a shame perhaps..? Let me know how the lime/pistachio turns out, it sounds yummy!

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