Its nearly Christmas and at this time of year, more than any other time of the year my thoughts are of Gelsomina. I loved spending Christmas with her, we would spend weeks in the kitchen coming up to the big day baking, making mincemeat and just really enjoying the company of kindred woman in a shared and happy past time.
So much time has past, but I still keep the Italian spirit alive in our household as I feel it is so important for the Children to be brought up with a culture that respects family values, traditions and beliefs and Christmas is a great time to do this. We may have evolved as a family over the years but I still love bringing them all home to the table for delicious food.
Now torroncini is just nougat, torroncini means little pieces of nougat and it is just delicious and this recipe is great because it is so simple and doesn’t require a sugar thermometer, sugar is so hard to work with normally, burns far to easily and destroys your pan in seconds if you are not careful, but not this recipe, because you cook it over a low heat, as long as you keep and eye on it, keep stirring, you will be fine.
I made the basic recipe below, but have already decided that this needs playing with and think that next time I will add orange zest and cherries, for a seasonal twist you could used dried cranberries. Torroncini lasts up to a month if stored in an airtight container, so its perfect to make as Christmas gifts or to have to hand to serve at the end of a meal with an espresso or if cut it to larger squares is just great to serve with a cup of tea to unexpected guests.
I personally would love to serve it at the end of an Italian feast on gorgeous crystal glass cake stands with ricciarelli and big fat juicy dates, a luxurious end to a decadent meal is just heavenly.
So if you are looking for something simple to make that is very traditional in Italy, need a homemade present or just want to have some lovely homemade christmas nibbles to hand, these are just perfect.
Buon Natale
4 sheets of rice paper
1 egg white
200g honey
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
400g icing sugar, sifted
250g blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
250g pistachios, toasted and chopped
Line a 20cm x 23cm tray with two sheets of overlapping rice paper, the paper that I used was rather large and I only needed one piece.
Place egg white in a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat until firm peaks form. Add the honey and vanilla essence and beat until well incorporated. Gradually beat in the icing sugar until thick and glossy, then transfer the mixture to a heavy-based pan and stir over a low heat for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has become nice and chewy.
Stir in the nuts and remove from the heat.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tray and spread evenly using a wet palette knife or back of a metal spoon. Top with the remaining rice paper.
Let it cool, then cut into individual pieces.
Store in an airtight container for up to one month.
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