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French Nougat
1/2 lb. confectioners' sugar 1/4 lb. almonds, blanched and finely chopped Confectioners' chocolate Put sugar in a saucepan, place on range, and stir constantly until melted; add almonds, and pour on an oiled marble. Fold mixture as it spreads with a broad-bladed knife, keeping it constantly in motion. Divide in four parts, and as soon as cool enough to handle shape in long rolls about one-third inch in diameter, keeping rolls in motion until almost cold. When cold, snap in pieces one and one-half inches long. This is done by holding roll at point to be snapped over the sharp edge of a broad-bladed knife and snapping. Melt confectioners' chocolate over hot water, beat with a fork until light and smooth, and when slightly cooled dip pieces in chocolate and with a two-tined fork or bonbon dipper remove from chocolate to oiled paper, drawing dipper through top of each the entire length, thus leaving a ridge. Chocolate best adapted for dipping bonbons and confections must be bought where confectioners' supplies are kept.
This is nougatine rather than the white, egg-white nougat of Montelimar: almonds folded into dry caramel, rolled, snapped and enrobed. Everything after the sugar melts happens in about three minutes, so have the almonds, oiled surface, knife and a warm spot ready before the pan goes on the heat.
- "Confectioners' sugar" is not modern powdered sugar"Confectioners' sugar" is not quite modern powdered sugar -- in books of this period the term meant finely pulverised cane sugar, before the cornstarch that modern brands contain as an anti-caking agent. That starch tends to scorch and clot rather than melt cleanly, so granulated sugar is the closer substitute for this method.
- Dry caramel needs a heavy panHalf a pound of sugar melted with no water will go from clear amber to bitter in seconds over a thin pan. Medium heat, a heavy-bottomed skillet or saucier, and constant stirring with a wooden spoon; pull it at a light copper colour, roughly 340-350F.
- Warm the almondsA quarter pound of cold chopped almonds dropped into caramel chills it and sets it stiff before it can be poured. Toast them lightly and keep them warm in a low oven until the moment they go in.
- In place of the oiled marbleA marble slab is ideal because it pulls heat out evenly, but a heavy baking sheet or a silicone mat, lightly oiled, does the job. Oil the broad-bladed knife as well, and use a bench scraper if you have one.
- Work hot, and keep the rolls movingThis is the hinge of the recipe. Nougatine is pliable only in a narrow window; if the four portions cool while you are shaping the first, warm the sheet briefly in a 250F oven to bring them back. Rolling until almost cold is what stops them flattening.
- Snapping, not cuttingOnce fully cold the rolls are brittle and break cleanly along the edge of a knife. Attempting this while any warmth remains will bend and smear them instead.
- "Confectioners' chocolate" for dippingThis means dipping or coating chocolate, sold now as couverture or as compound coating wafers. Real couverture must be tempered to set glossy and snap; compound coating needs no tempering, is melted to only about 100-110F, and sets hard as it cools, which makes it the simpler choice for a first attempt.
- YieldAbout three-quarters of a pound before dipping.
- KeepingCaramel draws water from the air and goes tacky. Store the finished pieces airtight at cool room temperature, not in the refrigerator, and expect a few days at best in humid weather.