Ingredients
| 2-4 sheets of edible rice paper | |
| 150g whole almonds | |
| 100g shelled unsalted pistachios | |
| 50g hazelnuts | |
| 2 large egg whites | |
| 300g caster sugar | |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract | |
| pinch of salt | |
| 250g fragrant honey | |
| 50g liquid glucose | |
| ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar |
I have had a lifelong obsession with torrone. It’s not hard work to make and delivers a really reliable result, so makes the perfect edible gift. A must-have piece of equipment to make this perfectly every time is a sugar thermometer.
View the recipe collection here
Instructions
| 1. | Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. |
| 2. | Take a 20cm square baking pan, grease with neutral oil and line with baking paper. |
| 3. | Cover the base of the prepared baking pan with a single layer of the rice paper; it may need to be trimmed to fit in the pan exactly. Set aside. |
| 4. | Tip all the nuts onto a baking sheet and lightly roast in the oven for about 4–5 minutes, then roughly chop once cooled. |
| 5. | Place the egg whites with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the vanilla extract and salt into a bowl or a free-standing mixer with a whisk attachment and leave to one side for the moment. |
| 6. | Warm the honey in a small saucepan over a low heat until just boiling. Remove from the heat and keep warm. |
| 7. | Tip the remaining caster sugar, liquid glucose, cream of tartar and 75ml water into another pan and stir gently over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. |
| 8. | Pop the sugar thermometer into the pan, bring the syrup to the boil and continue to cook until it reaches 149°C. |
| 9. | Remove the pan from the heat, carefully add the hot honey, stir well, return to the heat and continue to cook until the syrup returns to 149°C. |
| 10. | Slide the pan off the heat and, working quickly, whisk the egg whites on a fast speed until stiff peaks form. |
| 11. | Reduce the speed of the mixer slightly and gently pour the hot honey syrup onto the egg whites in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. |
| 12. | The mixture will foam up dramatically as the hot syrup cooks the egg whites. |
| 13. | Increase the speed to medium and continue to whisk for another 3 minutes until the mixture is very thick and a pale buttermilk colour. |
| 14. | Fold in the chopped nuts using a rubber spatula. |
| 15. | Quickly scoop the mixture into the prepared pan and spread into a smooth, even layer using a palette knife. |
| 16. | Press a single layer of rice paper on top of the torrone, flatten completely using another baking pan and weigh the top down with a couple of cans. Leave to cool overnight. |
| 17. | The next day, when the torrone is completely cold, turn it out of the pan and onto a chopping board. |
| 18. | Peel off the baking paper and, using a greased kitchen knife, cut into strips or squares to serve. |
This is an extract from
Dolci Italiani by Ursula
Ferrigno, published by
Ryland Peters & Small.
Photography by Clare
Winfield © Ryland
Peters & Small, NZ
agent bookreps.co.nz.