French nougat is a long-time favorite of mine: love the major Terrazo vibes of the nut and fruit-studded cross sections. Crazy what some air and heat can do to egg whites, honey, and sugar!
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1
quarter sheet30
minutes20
minutes2-12
hoursThese ingredients are based on Ryan Norbauer’s Nougat de Montélimar with inclusion ratios from Peter Greweling’s Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner.
Since Ryan Norbauer’s guide is so thorough, the below appends the recipe: it’s not considered a standalone reference.
Ingredients
- Meringue
50g fresh egg whites
10g meringue or albumen powder
30g granulated sugar
- Sugar Syrup
120g glucose syrup
380g granulated sugar
- Honey Syrup
100g water
380g honey
- Other
50g vanilla paste
5-8 drops orange oil
2 tablespoons orange zest
50g confectioners’ sugar, optional (see “notes”)
- Inclusions (see “table”)
200g blanched slivered almonds, toasted
70g whole raw or roasted almonds, toasted
70g hazelnuts, toasted
100g raw or roasted pistachios, toasted
100g dried apricots, ¼” dice
90g dried cranberries, rough chop
- Candy Preparation
2 sheets of wafer paper
Cornstarch, as anti-stick coating for hands and tools
Directions
- Keep nuts and fruit warm in the oven at 150 degrees.
- Follow instructions as written for meringue.
- Follow instructions as written for sugar syrup. 135°C achieves a very soft nougat. If a firmer texture is desired, heat to just below 140°C.
- Follow instructions as written for honey syrup.
- Alongside the vanilla paste, add orange oil and orange zest.
- Complete nougat per instructions.
Notes
- Ryan Norbauer recommends the addition of confectioners’ sugar to create a fluffy texture instead of elastic. I used half the recommended 100g, and achieved a short texture.
Inclusion Table
Use this as a reference for customizing your own combination of nuts and fruits.
Inclusions | Grams |
Blanched slivered almonds, toasted | 200g |
Whole raw or roasted almonds, toasted | 70g |
Hazelnuts, toasted | 70g |
Raw or roasted pistachios, toasted | 100g |
Dried apricots, ¼″ dice | 100g |
Dried cranberries, rough chop | 90g |
Nuts | 440g |
Fruits | 190g |
Total | 630g |
