This is certainly a bit of heaven on a plate—and so easy to make. I got the recipe from my friend Eloise Perret, a passionate home cook who is undaunted by any recipe she finds. This is one of the best she has
ever sent my way. Filled with crisp, caramelized almonds and pine nuts, studded with delicious dried fruit, and perfumed with orange flower water, it is both ethereally light and delicate and stunningly
satisfying. The first time I served this to my wine-tasting group, I thought they would riot over the slices left in the pan. So I say this serves ten to twelve, but it really depends on the voraciousness of the appetites present!
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients:
FORTHENOUGATINE:
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1½ cups (230 g) almonds, lightly toasted
¼ cup (40 g) pine nuts
FOR THE LIAISON:
2 cups (500 ml) heavy non-ultrapasteurized cream
2 teaspoons orange flower water
3 tablespoons mild honey (if you can nd lavender honey, use it!)
3 large egg whites
Pinch of ne sea salt
4 dried figs, diced
½ cup (95 g) dried apricots, rehydrated and patted dry if necessary, diced
2 to 3 cups (9 to 14 ounces) fresh berries, preferably raspberries, for garnish (optional)
Note: Traditionally, nougat glacé is served with a raspberry sauce, which is delightful. I prefer to serve this perfect nougat on its own, however, with just a fewfresh berries sprinkled around it. If you don’t
have fresh berries, use frozen that you’ve let thawjust slightly. And if you don’t have either, serve this on its own. I call for dried apricots here. I get them unsulfured, from Turkey, and they can be a bit hard,
so I cover them with boiling water for about 2 minutes, drain and pat them dry, then coarsely chop them.
Directions:
1. Oil a baking sheet or heatproof work surface. Line two 9 × 5 × 3- inch (23 × 13 × 8-cm) loaf pans with plastic wrap, leaving plenty hanging over the edges.
2. Place the sugar and ½ cup (125 ml) water in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk them together. The mixture will first simmer, then as it thickens it will begin to bubble stickily. You don’t
need to hover over it until it begins to turn golden. At that point, stay close, as it can go from golden to black very quickly, and what you are looking for is a deep golden color. The minute it is deep golden, stir in the almonds and pine nuts; the mixture will tend to clump, but keep stirring so the caramel coats all the nuts. Turn out the mixture onto the oiled baking sheet or surface, spread it out as best you can, then let it cool. When it is thoroughly cool, slip it into a double plastic bag and crush it by hitting it with a rolling pin. What you are looking for is unevenness—some clumps of whole caramelized almonds and some dust.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the cream into stiff peaks, then whisk in the orange flower water and reserve, chilled.
4. Heat the honey until it is nearly at the boiling point and remove from the heat. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites with the salt until they are white and making soft points. Pour the hot honey into the egg whites as they are whisked, until the egg whites are glossy and
stiff. Be careful not to pour the hot honey right onto the whisk, or it will spatter.
5. To assemble the nougat, fold the crushed and caramelized nougatine into the whipped cream along with the dried fruits, then fold the egg whites into the fruit and nut mixture. Turn out half the mixture
into each of the prepared loaf pans. Gently fold the edges of the plastic wrap over the nougat and place the pans in the freezer to freeze for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. This will keep in the freezer for up to 1 week, tightly wrapped.
6. To serve, unwrap the nougat and turn it out onto either a cutting board or a serving plate and slice it into serving-sized pieces. Garnish it with the berries, if using. Serve immediately, while it is still thoroughly chilled.
