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Nougat
Nougat is a sort of paste made of sugar, almonds, pistachio nuts, or filberts, and used by confectioners for making pretty sweet dishes. A little practice is necessary before it can be well made. The process is as follows. Blanch one pound of Jordan almonds, dry them well in a soft cloth, cut them into quarters, put them on a baking-sheet in a cool oven, and let them remain until quite hot through and lightly browned. When they are nearly ready, put half a pound of sifted sugar into a copper pan, without any water; move it about with a wooden spoon. When it is melted and begins to bubble, stir in the hot almonds gently, so as not to break them. Have ready the mould which is to be used, slightly but thoroughly oiled, and spread the paste all over it about a quarter of an inch thick. This is the difficult part of the operation, as the nougat hardens very quickly. The pan in which it is should be kept in a warm place, to prevent the contents stiffening before the mould is finished. It is a good plan to spread out a piece for the bottom of the mould first, and put that in its place, then pieces for the sides. Care must be taken, however, to make these pieces stick closely together. A cut lemon dipped in oil is a great assistance in spreading the paste. When the nougat is firmly set, turn it out carefully, and serve it on a stand filled with whipped cream, or as required. Time to boil the sugar, till it is well melted. Probable cost, 2s. for a good-sized mould.
This is nougatine — dry caramel bound with toasted almonds — not the white, whipped, egg-white nougat of Montélimar. Everything depends on working fast while the mass is still pliable.
- The hinge: heat managementCaramel and almonds set into a solid sheet within a minute or two of leaving the heat. Keep the pan over the barest heat or on a warm surface, and warm the oiled mould as well; a cold mould chills the paste on contact and it will crack rather than bend.
- "Jordan almonds"In Victorian usage this means large, fine-quality shelled almonds, traditionally of the Málaga type, not the sugar-coated confetti sold under that name today. The name is usually derived from French jardin, garden, though the derivation is not certain. Use whole blanched almonds and quarter them yourself; pre-slivered almonds are cut too thin and scorch.
- A cool ovenRoughly 250-300F. The almonds are being dried through and barely coloured, not roasted dark. They should be genuinely hot when they meet the caramel, or the caramel stiffens on contact.
- Sifted sugar, no waterThis is a dry caramel. Use caster or granulated sugar, sifted to break lumps, in a heavy pan — a copper sugar boiler if you have one, otherwise stainless steel. Melt it in stages, stirring only as much as needed, and pull it off the heat at a light amber; residual heat will darken it further.
- Proportions and yieldOne pound of almonds to half a pound of sugar gives a nut-heavy, brittle paste. At the specified quarter-inch thickness that is enough to line the "good-sized mould" the recipe assumes; the capacity of the mould and the number served are not stated.
- The oiled lemonA cut lemon half dipped in flavourless oil is a traditional tool for pressing nougatine into a mould: it is heatproof, gives an even face, and the oil stops it sticking. A metal spatula chills the paste and drags it.
- Molten sugar burnsThe mass is well above 300F and clings to skin. Work over a folded towel, keep a bowl of ice water beside you, and do not test consistency with bare fingers — this is the one real hazard in the recipe.
- StorageCaramel is hygroscopic. A finished case goes sticky and slumps in a damp kitchen within a day, so build it as close to serving as possible and fill it with cream only at the last moment.
Nougatine of this kind — nuts suspended in hard caramel and moulded into baskets, domes and cases — belonged to the confectioner's and pastry-cook's craft rather than the family kitchen, which is why Cassell's opens by warning that practice is needed. It descends from the ornamental sugar work of French pièces montées, where a nougat case might hold whipped cream, ices or a compote and stand as the centrepiece of a dinner table; the name is generally traced to Provençal nogat, from Latin nux, a nut. The word covered several quite different sweets in the nineteenth century, from the soft white honey-and-egg-white nougat of Montélimar to this brittle almond caramel. The costing of 2s. for a good-sized mould reflects the price of imported almonds.