March 14th
2006
My fault. The thought of making my very own torrone (almond nougat) was so intriguing, I couldn't wait for N. to join me on this and jumped in at the deep end. When I think of torrone I think of wonderfully sunny late summer Oktoberfest-days, but also rides I should have never gotten on, not with a full stomach anyway. But hey what to do when a pair of big blue eyes talk you into believing that after a Mass (mug of beer), Steckerlfish ('fish on a stick') and Brezn (pretzel) it's a great idea to go on a ride, for old times' sake, when we did it for hours without getting sick. Today I can safely say that about the first 20 seconds of being on such a ride are fun, the rest is hard work!
Anyway, I never buy torrone in stores, it's an Oktoberfest thing for me and if I wouldn't have come across this great looking recipe I would have had to wait another 6 months to get some. Lucky me :) (and I so know that this will be used against me, talking about cookbooks and such).
Keeping the temperatures in check and timing the various ingredients for a smooth cooking process was the hardest part. The first batch of melted sugar I tossed, because that one extra minute was all it needed to turn it into caramel (the sugar/syrup should stay clear). Also, I couldn't find large enough wafer papers (and didn't want to deal with a zillion small ones - besides, it would have looked funny anyways), so I decided to proceed without them.
Other than that I stuck to the recipe like torrone sticks to a spoon. Taste-wise it was perfetto, but lacked firmness, even after hours of chilling (perhaps too much honey?). Since it turned out a little short of cutting-grade firmness, I decided to try a workaround which turned the torrone into a delish cold dessert. Two hours in the freezer did the trick, and produced a firm consistency and taste-wise, fully up to par with any purchased ones I have had - no, even better.
O.
PS: If you can think of anything that would help to achieve a firmer consistency, I'd love to hear about it ;)
If you choose to go with the wafer papers, you first want to arrange several of them to evenly cover the bottom of a deep baking tray or baking dish (lined with parchment paper first). Roast almonds and hazelnuts (not the pistachios) in the preheated oven (200°C/390°F) for about 6 minutes or until they've become golden brown. Gather hazelnuts in a clean dish towel and rub to remove husks.
Add honey to pan and bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to control a steady heat of 115°C (240°F) until the honey starts to foam slightly.
Meanwhile beat egg whites. Continue to whip the egg whites and slowly add the honey, blend well for about 6 minutes, or until the mass sets. Then stirr in the vanilla seeds (I chose to use real vanilla as opposed to the vanilla aroma as the recipe suggests).
Dissolve sugar and syrup in 2 tablespoons of water in a pot over medium to high heat and gradually bring to a boil. Use your candy thermometer again to ensure a maximum temperature of 148°C (300°F), the sugar should not take on any color. Then remove pot from stove, wait a few seconds until it stopped bubbling and add syrup to the honey-egg-white mass while constantly stirring. Continue to stirr until the mass becomes thick and satiny.
Blend in the nuts and distribute evenly across the baking sheet (with or without the wafer papers). The mass should be about 3 cm (~1 inch) high. On top add - again, if you chose to- another layer of wafer papers and use a second baking tray to gently push down to ensure a even surface.
Allow to cool down at room temperature. Once completely cooled down, cut into squares or bars and wrap up in plastic foil. Wrapped up airtight, let rest for a few days for even better taste.
(this is what it looks like 5 minutes after removing it from the fridge; 'need to work on the consistency...)
Torrone
Recipe source: dolcissimo from Maxine Clark, p.60, adapted
Prep time: 30min.
.
Ingredients (yield: plenty):
100g almonds, peeled
200g whole hazelnuts
100g unsalted pistachios, peeled
2 large egg whites
250g Acacia honey
1 vanilla bean (scraped out seeds)
200g fine sugar
3 tbsp syrup (sugar/water mix 50:50)
optionally: wafer papers for baking
First, let me say that I've been a regular reader of your blog for several months. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes. Also, I love the photos of Munich--I've never been to Germany & based upon your blog I am determined to visit one day.
Re: your post: I've seen such candy in Greece & have never been able to find them (or even seen them) in the US (East Coast). I didn't even know that an English word for this type of dessert existed. Thanks so much for bringing me back to my childhood vacations & for sharing the recipe.
WOW. i am totally impressed. your torrone looks seriously delicious and your photos are wonderful. i love that you put all those different nuts in. hey, i wonder what a walnut terrone would taste like. anyway... i have no guesses when it comes to your texture challenges - i've never made candy except for caramels and those are idiot-proof. I did a little post about torrone last year. check it out:
http://easilypleased.blogspot.com/2005/09/nyc-why-italians-rock-264.html
these look exactly like what we had in Brugge on our honeymoon! perfect!
That looks better than any store-bought torrone I've ever had. And so much honey, I bet they're divine!
(Your photos are gorgeous too, as usual.)
Looks heavenly!
First of all, I love this site and your photography. Beautiful!
The recipe for torrone sounds a lot like divinity, a traditional American candy most often associated with the South. Basically, you whip egg whites until they are stiff but not dry, then pour in a thin stream of sugar heated to the hard-crack stage, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture gets extremely stiff and loses its sheen. The most common mistake is not beating long enough; I use a stand mixer and it usually takes at least 15 minutes until the mixture cools and loses its shine. Then you have to work quickly to get the candy rolled or scooped out; it quickly sets and becomes chewy and nougat-like.
So, the differences in recipes might be too great; the process may be different. But my guess is that the sugar and egg whites need to be beaten for a longer time as they cool. Good luck - I love nougat of all kinds, and torrone specifically reminds me of my favorite flavor of gelato!
Your turrone looks so dreamy & snowy white...as beautiful as a snowstorm in Munich! : 0
To make firmer turrone, it's generally 'cooked' while being whipped, during step #6. Recipes for homemade versions never call for that, perhaps because it seems to difficult to explain on the page, but that's the secret.
To do so, you can either beat it by hand (a very good way to burn off pretzels and beer!) over a pan of simmering water, or place a Sterno-style flame under the mixer bowl while it's whipping.
Oh wie lecker! Ich hätte ja nicht im Traum daran gedacht, dass man türkischen Honig selbst herstelle kann, was für eine Idee! Wenn man Fotos anbeißen könnte, ich würd's tun ;)
I'm impressed ! it looks so perfect, so good ! Great !
Incredible! I print your recipe right now ! What a wonderful pictures too!
Looks brilliant! I had torrone in Spain few years ago, and I liked the taste thou was a bit worried to loose all my teeth, as it was immensely hard and sticky:) I imagine I'd like your softer version more, Oliver, as it'd be less threatening:)
Super schöne Fotos... ist echt toll. bitte immer wieder neue Ideen, macht freude bei euch vorbeizuschauen
incredibly amazing photos... reminds me to get mself an SLR.
Hi Steph, Thanks for the tip on Mankas! Checked out their website and it indeed looks like a great place to visit.
LR, Obviously I'm totally biased and would only recommend Munich as THE city to visit in Germany. But truth is, that there is handful of great cities -a few even more metropolitan- and places to visit in Germany (including Hamburg, Berlin...). Thinking about it again - nah, just come and visit Munich, you'll love it! ;)
Faith, David, Good points you brought up! Next time I'll try whisking the egg whites longer and will do so over simmering water (while adding the syrup). Let's see if that does the trick.
Hallo Sonja, ist wirklich nicht all zu schwer. 'Timing' ist nicht ganz einfach, aber wenn ihr zu zweit seit, sicherlich kein Problem. Versuch's einfach mal. :)
Hi Pille, That's what I kept telling N. "It's better for your teeth." ;)) She didn't believe a word I said, but liked the taste a lot. PS: The torrone shown in that last image (at the bottom) we forgot to put back into the fridge and it became -30 minutes later- even softer, so we had to use a spoon! With a cup of good coffee, unbeatable.
What beautiful photos. I've tried torrone once or twice and loved it. Never thought of making my own. Thanks for the recipe!
j
I love your site. I just discovered it a few weeks ago and I am hooked. I just finished culinary school in RI and there is a beautiful buttercream that I love to make and it is made with whipped egg whites and hot sugar syrup. I have never made Torrone, but when making the buttercream it is important to make sure that the whites are whipped enough (stiff, but not dry) and then when adding the sugar syrup whip until it is cool then add your nuts. I don't know if that will help with the stiffness, but it might. I have only been to Munich once, but it was the best 2 weekss I've had in a long time.
I have been really enjoying reading your posts, your site is brilliant and so is your photography. You have inspired me to go out and buy a new camera and I have been looking up photography courses to improve my shots.
Keep up the great work!
(p.s I wish I hadn't just started a diet otherwise I would have definately tried your torrone recipe, it looks really tasty!)
Pamela
Your site is amazing! Love it! About your torrone: I especially like the fact, that it contains different nuts. Never had it before, but now I’m craving this delight :)
Spectacular! We make torrone at Christmas time ... but who says you can't celebrate Christmas in March!
Bravi!!!
I'm with Faith, it is a lot like divinity, except you whip divinity a lot longer, and divinity looks rough once it's portioned out.
Bravo, fantastic and fabuleux
Can't wait to try this. And it's gluten free, which is essential for me (newly diagnosed Nov. 05). I linked to your blog from mine. I love your pictures, I love your writing. Keep up the fabulous work!
Fantastic idea! I'm off shopping nuts and more, let's see, if the mentioned tips in the comment section (about its consistency) can help me with my first attemt. But then, I'm really not very experienced in the kitchen ;)
Thanks for your lovely site!!
Always love your photos and recipes, it always been a sight to behold.
All those colours look so nice together, so soothing. The green agaisnt the white. I am not a fan of this kind of sweet but you can sell it to me, no problem. See what great photos and presentation do! Would do a nice fabric colour pattern ;-)
Merveilleux, indeed!
[...] Estou passando mal de tanta vontade de provar esta receita de torrone publicada no Delicious Days. Felizmente, esta é feita com mel ao invés de xarope de milho (que eu considero um veneno). Mas eu pretendo usar avelãs e talvez um pouco de nozes, ao invés de amêndoas e pistaches. [...]
very nice. i have never attempted torrone, but it does bring to my mind french nougatine. re texture, how about substituting isomalt..instead of the sugar syrup. professional kitchens do substitute part of the sugar with isomalt. iirc, isomalt cannot caramelise, altho' sugar and honey caramelises beautifully. so you dont want to rely on isomalt only.
Oh, oh, oh ... I adore torrones! Especially in Germany as the consistency is just right. I last had some in Australia but they were too hard and I almost broke a tooth once! Now I can make this at home. Thanks so much! You have no idea how much I love you right now!
[...] this site is making me hungry! delicious:days [...]
Hele mooie foto's!
Acaciahoning blijft altijd vloeibaar dus zal de torrone moeilijker opstijven. Met andere, stevigere honing zal het allicht beter gaan.
I dreamed of this nougat !
Wow, two things, LOVE the pictures and your website! Great design, captivating in it's simplicity! That preview script is very cool, ;)
I think this is the best nougat recipe I've see on the internet so far! I can't wait to try it myself. Beautiful pictures and thorough instructions. Maybe we'll stop importing nougat and just make it from your recipe now!
i arrived at your website after my own attempt at making torrone, following a slightly different recipe involving double-boiling the honey for 2 hours. i also had trouble making the nougat firm up, but will try your recipe next. thanks for your post and congrats on a wonderful site!
I too love your photos. I make torrone that is soft, cuts easily and holds its shape. My recipe differs from yours in that I do not use honey. I would like to try your recipe but I would make the following changes in order to insure a soft, chewy torrone:
I would heat both the honey, sugar and syrup or water to 260 degrees F which is between soft ball and soft crack stage. Beat egg whites til stiff peaks form and then using an electric mixer beat for 15 minutes. Then stir in flavorings, nuts, etc. I think your problems are not heating the sugar mixture to a high enough temperature and not beating long and fast enough. I let my torrone sit in the pan lined with eatable paper overnight, loosen the sides, flip over and cut with a large double handled cheese knife which makes the cutting much easier. Good luck and I look forward to trying your recipe sans directions.
I have to correct the above instructions as follows: Beat egg whites until stiff.
Continue to beat while slowing pouring the heated sugar, water, etc into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Beat with electric mixer for 15 minutes. Sorry for the confusion.
Donna, Thank you so much for taking the time to write down your recipe :) I'll keep your advice in mind for next time.
I make nougat with dried egg white powder. Is there anyone out there with experience using this medium.
Hello Ray, I've never worked with dried egg white powder and can't imagine the taste of the final product. Maybe some readers have?
Hi there,
I have to agree with Donna, I think you may need to heat the sugar mixture to a higher tempature. I just finished making a recipie I found on Martha Stewart's site. It call to heat up the sugar honey mixture to 315 and cool to 300 before adding to the egg whites. However, it was not a bright white I expected so perhaps I need to reduce temp down from what is in the recipie. Anyway it is fairly soft and hoping it will firm up. I also mixed it for 5 -10 mins with the beaters after the sugar mixture was added to the egg whites which helped to thicken...your pics look make it look really thick but light. Nonetheless, her recipie also has you knead the mixture on a board with 1/3 cup of cornstarch...which also helps thicken it...I did not knead it in I simply added it in the last 5-10 mins of mixing....looks better than the first batch I did....I will have to try yours next.
Hi Iee, Thanks for the tip! To be honest, I haven't tried making it since, but certainly am intrigued to try my luck again as I wasn't totally satisfied with the final consistency.
Although a little late, I just read your recipe as I LOVE torrone. It took me a looooong time to get it right and I discovered (with a little help from a couple of chefs) the secret to the right consistency:
1) never refrigerate - this has to stay at room temperature - even the perfect result will mush up in fridge
2) heat up honey to a certain (TBC) temperature, separately to the sugar
3) when beating everything together, beat for a loooooong time until mixture cools - dont just cool after beating.
I promised. I have sacrificed many eggs, nuts and kgs of sugar to find this out...
Let me know if u want the finer details (temp of honey) and i will forward my perfect recipe. Love your blog btw.
Debbie, Thank you for sharing your tips on making torrone, I feel really tempted to try it again! If you don't mind, I'd love to get your detailed recipe and instructions :)
I LOVE your blog! I just tried this and also had problems with the consistency - I covered up the stickiness with bitter chocolate and toasted coconut coatings so it wasnt a total disaster. I think my sugar syrup was not hot enough - my pan base was too thin and I was afraid of burning it! I would also love to try Debbie's recipe.
Helen, I'd love to share, but haven't heard back from Debbie yet ;(
Sorry, I've been holidaying in Crete so haven't read my emails (poor me). Will have to look through my files for the recipe (I dont make this usually in the humid summer). I emailed the translated recipe + detailed instructions previously to the owner of the blog. Is it not possible to place it here??? I cant find the email that i sent. If this cannot be done, let me know and i'll look for it and add it here.
I found my email...
Almond, Hazelnut and Pistachio Nougat (recipe by Oren Giron, Israel)
125g toasted hazelnuts
60g toasted Pistachios
175g toasted almonds
415g sugar + 20g sugar (for beating with eggwhites)
125ml water
90g glucose syrup
250g honey
50g eggwhites
30g cocoa butter (optional, but highly recommended for the shine) - melted
- Prepare a 25*25cm oiled or rice paper lined pan
- Melt sugar, glucose and water to 150 degrees C
- Melt honey to 130 degrees C
NOTE: both syrups must reach the desired temperature at the same time, hence start with the sugar mixture and when it reaches 120 degrees C, begin heating the honey (heats up faster).
NOTE: while doing all this, beat egg whites and 20g sugar on low . Start beating faster as syrups reach their desired temperature
- When syrups have reached the right temperature, pour honey in a thin stream and then repeat with the sugar syrup
- Keep beating until temperature of mixture has cooled (about 20 minutes)
- Fold in cocoa butter and nuts with a sillcone spatula and then spread well in prepared tin
- Cover well and keep somewhere dry for 24 hours
- Slice into pieces and enjoy!
VERY VERY IMPORTANT:
Nougat hates humidity, hence best to make on a dry day in humidity free kitchen (with cool aircond) Never put nougat in fridge, this is a sure recipe for melting (oddly enough)
i made my first batch of nougat this afternoon (using an inferior recipe from a scurrilous publication that seriously believes people can learn how to crochet via diagrams) and had to have a nanna nap to recover.
in all the excitement i even had my five year old whipping the whites with the old hand held Kenwood whilst i flew in the face of kitchen safety regulations and poured the boiling syrup into the bowl as she held it.
although a rank amateur i thought i had scaled the dizzy splashback of kitchen kudos when i bought a sugar thermometer but now i see myself for what i really am ... a wanna-be in desperate need of a heavy based pan and a beater with a stand.
ps no 5 year olds were harmed in the making of our delicious, incorrect, shiny, gooey nougat.
Do you use a flat beater or whisk attachment?
Hi Jillian, At the time we used a standard, hand-held electric mixer (with whisk attachment), not our Kitchenaid.
In hindsights I would have chosen the Kitchenaid with the flat beater instead.
I've had some gorgeous Sardinian torrone made with just honey, egg white and nuts - have you ever tried it? I've been led to believe that such a recipe is the 'original'. In the hot Italian summer we had to keep it in the freezer (not the fridge, as others have noted.)
Anyway, just out of interest, there is a translation of a 16th century Spanish recipe for 'torron' - with just honey, egg whites and nuts - at http://www.larsdatter.com/manual.htm#turrones
Thank you for your interesting, helpful and attractive blog :)
*Tip*
Use 1 egg white rather than the 2, for a more solid consistancy and don't put it into the fridge because doing so may cause the produce to seep.
Hi everyone. I tried to make torrone, however it didint turn out to be white, the colour was brown. What did I do wrong?
Ever since I read this article on Torrone I've been experimenting. I've tried out your recipe and debbie's. Your recipe, as you have experienced yourself always seems to end up making a pile of very tasty goo that never seems to set.
Debbie's version did set. The taste was good, but every time I made it, the outcome was a little too chewy for my taste. (This chewiness cost me two spoons while mixing in the nuts...) Moreover, getting the sugar mixture to 150C without it turning into caramel was nearly impossibe.
So I started looking at other recipes online, but most of them had about the same amounts of everything or didn't really convince me.
Then it hit me! Si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more; si fueris alibi, vivito sicut ibi... if you want a good Torrone morbidi, get an Italian recipe. My Croatian/Italian grandmother asked around for me and here's the recipe she got from a friend:
500g honey
500g sugar and a tbsp or so extra for the egg whites
125ml water
125g glocose syrup
2 egg whites (appr. 85g)
Vanilla seeds from 2 pods
3-4 tbsp brandy or other alcohol (optional)
appr. 600g nuts
ostia or wafer
1. Boil the sugar, water and glucose to 140C.
2. When the sugar has reached about 115C boil the honey to 122C.
3. Meanwhile whip the eggwhites stiff with the sugar.
4. Add the honey in a slow stream while continuously stirring.
5. Add the vanilla and brandy.
6. Add the sugar is a slow stream while still stirring.
7. Keep stirring for about 20-30 mins, then add the nuts and put the mixture in a cellofane lined, ostia/wafer filled tray/dish/pan and leave to set.
Note: Get yourself a kitchenaid or other standmixer. It makes life so much easier.
I used the flat beater and it did a great job.
Make sure you pour in the syrups carefully and slowly as the mixture will rise to the top of the bowl.
Glucose syrup is not really easy to find. Here in Holland you can get it in reform shops or at http://www.chocolatewarehouse.nl
This recipe made a really nice soft, fluffy torrone and kept it's shape. That did surprise me though as there is more honey in this recipe than any other I have seen. You'd expect the torrone to run all over the place but it didn't.
I'm curious what others think of this recipe.
I had the same problem, even when I raised the temperature of the sugar up higher. My solution was like yours to freeze it, and then it cut fine. I then dipped the frozen pieces in tempered chocolate, and it made some of the best chocolates I've had in ages. A crisp layer of dark chocolate outside, and the overly soft torrone inside - heaven. Plus friends who got them for christmas were suitably impressed at the contrast of the crisp chocolate, and the squidgy nougat. I recommend it. And if you do try a re-run of the nougat recipe its a good way to use it u if it fails to set again!
can u modify this recipe to eggless??
@ krutee?? The egg makes the white fluff, so I suppose it is quite impossible to make an egg-free torrone. But I'm very curious if anyone has pulled it off...
i love torone... for this recipe i made some modification... i prefer to make my own vanilla beans extract... its very easy to make and the end product is much richer and smell good... for vanilla beans, i got one from myvanillashop (click my name for link) they offer premium natural vanilla beans and vanilla powder directly from Madagascar at a bargain value... try it... happy cooking ^^
Good lord, your photos are gorgeous. For a long time now I've been toying with the idea of getting myself a Nikon D70s, especially since I have lots of lenses from my old Nikon FM2. And then I read that's what you guys are using for your incredible shots, aside from the Fuji. And because I just sobbed a little (I always get homesick when I read your posts, bin aus Muenchen), I did some retail therapy and ordered it. Thanks for enabling me :-)
Btw, next time you make it to San Francisco, I highly recommend a visit to Manka's (about 1.5 hours north of the city on Point Reyes). http://www.mankas.com/mankas/intro.html
Food so good it makes you feel dizzy, all grown and raised within a 15 mile radius.