French Almond Nougat Food

FRENCH ALMOND NOUGAT

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.

FRENCH NOUGATINE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Roast the pistachios in the oven for 10 minutes and immediately transfer to a sheet pan. When the pistachios are cool, transfer them to a greased sheet pan.
• Line a 1 pound (4 1/2-by-8 1/2-by-2 2/3-inch) bread loaf pan with plastic wrap.
• Combine the 4 ounces of sugar with 3 tablespoons water in a small heavy saucepan. Cook until caramel is light amber. Immediately pour over the pistachios and give them a quick shake. Allow the brittle to cool, then chop it into pistachio-size bits. Set aside. Whip the eggs whites with the pinch of salt until stiff, set aside in a large bowl.
• Whip the heavy cream with the 1 cup of sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Fold the egg whites and whipped cream gently together. Add the chopped nut praline and fold it into egg/whipped cream mixture. Place the mixture into the lined loaf pan.
• Fold the plastic wrap over the top to cover. Freeze 8 hours or overnight.
• For the sauce, blend the raspberries, sugar and lemon zest in a food processor. Strain the mixture and refrigerate.
• At least 20 minutes before serving, combine 1 pint of fresh raspberries with the framboise in a small bowl and macerate.
• When ready to serve, remove the nougatine from loaf pan, unwrap, and slice. Serve each slice with the berry sauce and/or macerated raspberries.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 NOUGAT

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.