Food & Wine
Macadamia nougat
Packed with fruits and nut, this macadamia honey nougat makes for a delicious snack.
Makes: 25
Ingredients
- 200g macadamias, roasted and roughly chopped
- 100g dried apricots, chopped
- 100g dried figs, chopped
- 400g raw caster sugar
- 180g honey
- 150g liquid glucose (available from supermarkets)
- 2 eggwhites (from extra-large eggs)
- 4 sheets edible sweet rice paper
Method
- Line a 23cm square cake tin with cling wrap and line the base with 2 sheets of rice paper. Turn the oven onto its lowest setting. Spread the dried fruit and macadamias onto a baking sheet and put into the oven to warm. Into a small heavy based saucepan put the caster sugar, honey, glucose and 100ml of water, heat over a medium high heat stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to heat until the sugar syrup reaches about 120°C (on a sugar thermometer).
- At this point whisk the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, continue to heat the syrup until it reaches 138°C (for a softer nougat) or to 150°C (for a harder nougat), this will take 8-10 minutes, you must keep a close eye on the sugar thermometer during this stage.
- Once the sugar syrup has reached the desired temperature remove it from the heat and with the mixer on high slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites. Continue to beat until the mixture is thick and glossy (about 5 minutes). Reduce the mixer speed and fold through the warm fruit and nuts. Working quickly, tip the nougat mix into the prepared cake tin and flatten using a wet offset spatula, top with the remaining rice paper and leave to set overnight. Turn nougat out and score then slice into your desired portion sizes.
Tips
- The reason for warming the fruit and nuts is to stop the mixture seizing when they are added and to provide more working time to spread the nougat.
- Do not attempt to caste the nougat in a fixed sided pan without first lining it, as it will be very difficult to turn out. If you prefer you can simply lay the rice paper on a clean board and spread the nougat ‘freeform’, topping with remaining rice paper, before setting and cutting.
- Like many sugar treats (meringues/toffees etc) nougat is not a fan of humidity, too much moisture in the air will cause it to sweat, so this treat is best made when the weather is dry.
Recipe courtesy of Australian Macadamias – visit their site for more yummy food ideas.
Related links:
Orange, ricotta and rosemary cheesecake flan