Chocolate Hazelnut Nougat
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup honey
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 large egg white, at room temperature
- Pinch of cream of tartar
- 1 1/3 cups toasted, skinned, roughly chopped hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a 4 1/2 by 14-inch flan form in the center of the foil.
- Coat the foil and the inside of the flan form with the butter; set aside.
- In a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, heat the honey until it is lukewarm (3 to 5 minutes).
- Remove the pan from the heat and cover it to keep the honey warm.
- In the top of a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water, melt the chocolate, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula to ensure even melting.
- In a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, cook the corn syrup, sugar, and the water until the sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon.
- Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, place a sugar thermometer in the pan, and cook the mixture without stirring until it registers 268F on the thermometer (about 10 minutes).
- Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water two more times during the cooking process.
- While the sugar syrup is cooking, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg white on medium speed until it is frothy.
- Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat the egg white until it holds firm peaks (about 3 minutes).
- Remove the pan with the sugar syrup from the heat, remove the thermometer from the pan, and place the thermometer in warm water to cool.
- Blend the beaten egg white into the sugar syrup, stirring constantly, then blend in the warm honey.
- Return the saucepan to low heat and cook the mixture until it thickens (about 15 minutes), stirring constantly.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and blend in the melted chocolate and the chopped hazelnuts.
- Turn the mixture into the flan form, spreading it out smoothly and evenly into the corners.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then let the nougat set at room temperature for 12 hours.
- With a sharp, thin-bladed knife, loosen and remove the flan form from the candy.
- Dust a cutting board with the confectioners sugar, invert the candy onto the cutting board, and peel the foil off the back of the candy.
- With a large chefs knife, cut the candy into fourteen 1-inch-wide strips, then cut each strip into four pieces.
- Between sheets of waxed paper in a tightly covered container, the candy will keep for 1 week at room temperature or 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
- The nougat squares are best eaten at room temperature.
- Substitute other nuts for the hazelnuts.
- Double Chocolate Hazelnut Nougat: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper.
- Melt and temper 1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate (see pages 2530).
- Dip a piece of the nougat into the tempered chocolate, coating it completely.
- With a fork or dipper, remove the piece from the chocolate, carefully shake off the excess chocolate, and turn the piece out onto the paper.
- After dipping 4 pieces, touch the top of each piece with the tines of the fork, making a design before the chocolate sets.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces.
- Let the chocolate set up at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- When the chocolate is set, place each piece in a paper candy cup.
- Between layers of waxed paper, in a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the nougat will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator.
- The nougat is best eaten at room temperature.
unsalted butter, honey, bittersweet chocolate, light corn syrup, sugar, water, egg white, cream of tartar, hazelnuts, confectioners sugar
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-hazelnut-nougat-393499 (may not work)