Nougat Recipe - Italian Torrone - Your Guardian Chef

Nougat Recipe - Italian Torrone

This Torrone or Nougat recipe is simple and straightforward, so you can easily try it at home, using only natural ingredients, no corn syrup. Torrone or nougat is a caramelized mix of marshmallow and honey filled with toasted almonds and pistachios. There are different variations of flavors, hard and soft versions, this is the soft one.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French, Italian

Diet Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Keyword hezelnut marshmellow, nougat, torrone

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 40

Resting time 1

Total Time 1 1 40

Servings Bars

Calories 853kcal

Author Laura Tobin

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup caster sugar
⅓ cup fresh water
⅓ cup honey acacia or wild flowers
2 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 oz peeled whole almonds
3 ½ oz peeled whole pistachios
2 sheets rice/waffle paper

Chocolate ganache for the coating

11 ½ oz dark chocolate 70%
1 cup whole cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing the nuts

Let the almonds soak in hot boiling water
14 oz peeled whole almonds
Wait until the water cools down
The almond's peel will slip out by simply squeezing it with your fingers
It will only take a few minutes to peel them all
Place the peeled almonds and pistachios on a baking tray over parchment paper
3 ½ oz peeled whole pistachios
Toast the nuts for 15 minutes in a hot oven at 300 F - 150 C

Making Italian meringue with caramel and honey

Before you start, place the electrical mixer next to the pot you will be making the caramel
Place in the pot the fresh water, the sugar, and the honey
1 cup caster sugar, ⅓ cup fresh water, ⅓ cup honey
Turn on the heat and let it simmer at medium heat. Do not stir, do not move the pan
Place the egg whites into the mixer
2 egg white
Start whipping the egg whites only when the caramel starts to turn slightly yellow
Check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer. The caramel has to reach 300 F - 150 C
The caramel is done once it turns golden yellow.
Start slowly pouring the caramel in a thin stream into the egg whites while whipping. Just like a Mayonaise
Even if some caramel is still in the pan, do not try to collect it with a spoon and pour it into the mixture. You need to focus on the meringue. Let it go!
Keep mixing it until it cools down completely. It will form a shiny, thick ribbon.
Once the honey and the caramel are incorporated, add the roasted almonds, pistachios, vanilla essence and mix them with a spatula by hand
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Making the Torrone Nougat

Place a rice waffle sheet on a flat tray and keep the other sheet on the side.
2 sheets rice/waffle paper
Spread the nougat mix over the rice waffle sheet with a spatula
Cover with a second rice waffle sheet and press
To make it even, you can roll it flat with a rolling pin
Let it rest overnight in a dry place
Remove the uneven edges
Cut the nougat into bars
You can package them as candy bars

Covering with chocolate

Cut the uneven edges into small bites and remove with a scissor the extra waffle paper
Prepare the chocolate ganache by melting the chocolate in the microwave for few minutes at low to medium watts (500W).
11 ½ oz dark chocolate
Slightly warm up the whole cream and add to the chocolate
1 cup whole cream
Deep the nougat bites in the chocolate ganache, lay them on a tray and put them in the fridge to solidify. This is a fun activity to do with children. The bites do not have to be perfect, they are handmade
I left some plain bites and put them mixed in the jar. You can also coat them in white chocolate or make different flavours

Video

Notes

If you have never made nougat before, you need to make your plan as it is not an easy recipe. I made it easy to follow by simplifying some steps, but you still need to be thoroughly prepared:

Make sure you do not have any distractions, as the preparation of the marshmallow requires your total attention.
Read the entire recipe before you start, and prepare all the necessary ingredients and equipment.
You will need to whip the egg whites with hot caramel for a long-time. It is best to have an electric mixer with a heat-resistant bowl
If you are not familiar with caramel, you need a kitchen thermometer
Sheets of rice waffle paper are essential for this recipe, but you may have to order online. They are thin edible sheets that contain the nougat so it doesn't stick to the pan.
Egg whites: Use fresh egg whites at room temperature. If cold, the egg whites will not beat to stiff peaks
Toasting the nuts: Do not get distracted, as the nuts burn suddenly if kept longer in the oven.
Making the caramel: Do not mix, not move the pan, or continually check the temperature, even if the sugar is not completely dissolved. It will eventually. If you move the caramel, the sugar will crystallize, and you will have to start all over again. Even if the caramel boils too vigorously, the sugar can crystallize. Keep it simmering at medium temperature.
Mixing egg whites and caramel: The egg whites will form a stiff peak in only a few minutes. At that point, you will need to stop whipping and pour the hot caramel. If the caramel is not ready, the egg whites will not hold their stiff peak for long and will start separating at the bottom. You must start whipping them again just before the caramel is ready. Timing is of the essence!

Nutrition