I am totally a dedicated fan of Italian cuisine, whether it’s bread pasta or the sweet dishes. One of the sweets which top my list of sweets is torrone Italian nougat, which is the typical sweet made during festivals and holidays.
It is a soft nougat made of sugar, honey, egg whites, and toasted almonds or hazelnuts. You can find this sweet sometimes covered in chocolate or flavored with spices. The texture of Italian torrone can vary from the duo- crunchy and hard to morbido- soft and chewy. This classic sweet is easy to make at home. However, you should choose a low humidity day to make torrone candy. Traditionally the nougat is made with edible rice paper which makes it easier to cut and slice and serve to eat. You can make other variations too, giving it a different flavor like white chocolate nougat, dark chocolate nougat and Nutella nougat.
Recipe of Torrone –
Ingredients:
- 3egg whites (at room temperature )
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1cup honey
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup regular water
- 1tbs vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups hazelnut or almonds toasted
- Edible rice paper
Steps Involved In Making:
- Firstly, gather all the ingredients.
- Then take a pan of 8×11 inch and line it with plastic wrap then either spray it with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter at all the sides evenly.
- Now place the edible rice paper on the bottom of the pan in a single layer. The paper may not fit, so cut accordingly.
- Take egg whites and salt in a large bowl of stand mixer which has been cleaned and dried to remove any grease from the bowl, because while whisking it may prevent the egg whites from beating properly.
- Take a saucepan to add in three cups of sugar, honey, corn syrup, and water in it and then cook it on medium heat. The mixture will start making foam when cooked for some time. So you must use a pan of large size so that the mixture doesn’t spill out.
- Stir in until sugar dissolves and brush on the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to remove any free sugar crystals.
- Your mixture should be cooked properly at a certain temperature that is 143°C (230 F), you can check it with the candy thermometer. Also occasionally stir syrup for the right consistency.
- When syrup temperatures reach 130°C start beating egg whites and salt in the stand mixer using the whisk attachment, till it reaches soft peaks.
- When soft peaks form, add in the 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk in until the whites are shiny and can hold firm peaks.
- Don’t overbeat the whites; the peak will become stiff, which is not ideal.
- Now fix paddle attachment to the stand mixer.
- Cook the syrup until it reaches 143°C temperature, then switch off the gas and carefully pour the syrup in the large cup which has the capacity of 4 cups or in a container with the spout.
- Slowly mix this mixture into egg whites, with the mixer on medium speed.
- When you have poured in all mixture, increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and continue to beat the egg whites for 5 minutes, until you get a thick, stiff and shiny mix.
- Then add in the extracts and beat to mix them well.
- Now add in the toasted almonds or hazelnut and give it a well-mixed stir. The torrone candy will be very sticky and stiff.
- Scrape candy into the pan and spread the whole mixture evenly. Then spray cooking oil on the top of the syrup to make it smooth.
- Cover it with rice paper and place a pan of the same size on top of your Italian nougat torrone and keep a heavy object on it to let it sit and set for a few hours.
- After its set, cut your torrone Italian nougat in pieces, you can serve it immediately or store in an airtight container and enjoy this sweet whenever you crave it.
