Capital of the province of the same name, Cremona has given life to one of the typical sweets of Christmas: nougat. Consumable at any time of the year but produced more during the Christmas period, nougat is a dessert based on egg whites, sugar, honey and toasted dried fruit, which, once cooked together, turn into a pasty composition that is placed in a pan between two wafers; once cooled it is cut into bars, becoming the classic soft nougat with a white color interspersed with hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios; with an amazing sweet and caramelized taste!
INGREDIENTS for 3 bars:
- Peeled almonds: 500 g
- Shelled and unsalted pistachios: 100 g
- Acacia honey: 280 g
- Glucose: 30g
- Sugar: 330 g
- 21x21cm wafer: 2 sheets
- Egg whites at room temperature: 60 g
- Sugar: 30g
- To prepare the soft nougat, start by toasting the almonds and pistachios: pour them onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Let them toast in a static oven at 150° for about 15 minutes. Once the dried fruit is cooked, leave it in the oven off and with the door slightly open, in this way the dried fruit will remain hot and it will be easier to mix it with the mixture.
- In the meantime, pour the sugar and honey into a large steel pot, add the glucose. Place on the heat and let it melt completely, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are uniform.
- Turn off the stove and let it cool for 5 minutes. In this time, you can prepare the meringue by pouring the egg whites at room temperature into the cup of a planetary mixer, add the sugar and activate the whisk, gradually switching from medium-low to medium speed.
- The mixture should take on a frothy consistency. Transfer the meringue to the pan with the warmed syrup and mix well.
- Turn the burner on to low again and, stirring constantly, cook for 20-25 minutes. The mixture should be thicker. Do a test to check the consistency: immerse a teaspoon of the mixture in a bowl with cold water. If it is plastic and malleable then it will be ready. Try not to go beyond the times indicated because the mixture could dry out too much, if on the contrary it is still too soft then you can lengthen the times, always paying close attention.
- Pour the toasted and still hot almonds and pistachios into the mixture and mix well to make everything uniform.
- At this point place a sheet of wafer paper inside a 21x21cm mold already placed on a tray. Transfer the mixture inside and use a spatula to level everything thus obtaining a homogeneous surface. Then lay the second sheet of wafer paper and press carefully with a spatula to compact and adhere. Let the mixture crystallize for 12 hours at room temperature in a cool, dry place.
- To detach the nougat, use a smooth and resistant small knife, pass it between the mixture and the mold and finally detach the form. Cut out 3 7x21 cm strips and your soft nougat is ready, enjoy it as well.
