Italian torrone candy is very easy to make but it does take a while mostly standing at the stove and stirring But its worth it for the gorgeous nutstudded amazingly textured final product
Prep Time
1 hr
Dificult
Medium
Servings
2 hrs 30 mins
Ingredients
Instructions
Line an 8x11-inch baking dish with plastic wrap
allowing ends to hang over the sides. Place 1 sheet wafer paper in the bottom of the lined dish. Place almonds and pistachios in a warm place to make them easier to mix in at the end.
Pour honey into a heavy-bottomed pot. Add 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar; cook over low heat with a spatula
stirring constantly
until mixture turns from grainy to silky and smooth
about 30 minutes. Remove the pot from heat.
Place egg whites and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk until whites form soft peaks
3 to 4 minutes. Place the pot with honey mixture back on low heat. Gradually whisk 1/4 of the whipped egg whites into honey mixture; whisk in remaining egg whites in 3 more batches.
Continue cooking over low heat
stirring constantly with a spatula
until mixture turns a brighter white and a ribbon of mixture on the surface does not immediately incorporate
about 40 minutes. You can add a few drops of mixture to a small bowl of ice cold water to test the consistency; ideally it should feel like soft clay.
Whisk in lemon zest and vanilla. Add warm almonds and pistachios; stir to incorporate evenly. Transfer nougat mixture to the prepared baking dish; smooth the top with a clean
oiled spatula. Top nougat with remaining sheet wafer paper
shiny-side up. Lay plastic wrap over the top and press down evenly
tamping mixture down gently but firmly. Remove top plastic wrap.
Allow nougat to sit at room temperature until cool
firm
and ready to cut
1 or 2 hours.
Lift the edges of overhanging plastic wrap to release nougat from the baking dish. Invert and remove plastic wrap from the bottom. Trim off the edges if plastic wrap is hard to remove. Cut torrone into 1-inch squares using a sharp serrated knife.
Nut and Nougat Confection.
Chef John
Chef's Note
If you don't have wafer paper
you can spray the plastic wrap with vegetable oil. Some people use cornstarch
