Nougat Food

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.

NOUGAT

Steps:

• Line the sides and base of a 4 by 6-inch baking pan with rice paper. Whisk the egg white in a heatproof bowl until stiff.
• Combine the sugar, glucose, honey and water in a small saucepan. Stir over very low heat until the mixture reaches the small crack stage, or 275 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. While whisking, drizzle the syrup into the egg white and continue whisking until glossy and beginning to stiffen.
• Stir in the almonds, and spread the mixture over the rice paper in the prepared pan, pressing it down well. Cover with another layer of rice paper, and place a light weight evenly over the top. Leave nougat until cold, and then cut into squares, wrap in waxed paper, and store in an airtight container.

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.

NOUGAT BARS

Steps:

• Grease one 8" square cake pan or casserole dish.
• In a dutch oven, melt the butter; then add the marshmallows and melt them over low heat, stirring as it melts until you have a smooth mixture.
• Remove from heat and add the cereal, peanuts and coconut, stirring until the mixture is completely covered with the melted marshmallows.
• With buttered hands, press the cereal mixture into the greased cake pan.
• Spread the melted chocolate chips over the cereal mixture.
• Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour; then cut into bars and serve.
• NOTE: the 'cook' time covers the chilling time and the 'prep time covers everything else.
• Suggestions: swap out the peanuts for another kind, like almonds or macadamia; use a different crunchy cereal like Kix or Cocoa Puffs, etc; swap out the chocolate chips for a different flavor like butterscotch, peanut butter or mint chocolate.