PREPARATION AND ROASTING
- Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a wide bowl with the help of an electric food mixer. When you see foam appearing, start to add the sugar little by little until you get stiff white peaks.
- Add the toasted nuts and fold everything together by making smooth movements with a spatula.
- Divide the mixture into three parts, spread them over three sheets of baking parchment and cover each one with another sheet of the same parchment. Smooth out and flatten the mixture with the help of a rolling pin. You want to achieve a thin sheet of nougat, no more than ½ cm thick.
- Place the nougat-filled parchments on flat oven trays and bake for 8 minutes at 140°C. Remove the top parchment from each nougat and bake for an additional 40 minutes at 100°C until they are dry and crispy. Once cooled, store them in an airtight container.
OPTIONAL
Before presenting the nougat on the table, carefully add the gold leaf flakes. A final touch as gorgeous and glamorous as gold will help make the awe-inspiring feat of home-made nougat look even more astonishing. Plate your nougat on individual dishes or stack large pieces on a platter to make it easy for everyone to grab a piece for themselves.
SERVES 4
100 g toasted hazelnuts, peeled and chopped into uniform pieces
100 g toasted almonds, peeled and chopped into uniform pieces
100 g lightly toasted pistachios, peeled and chopped into uniform pieces
2 egg whites
150 g sugar
a pinch of salt
optional: 10 thin gold leaf flakes (available for purchase in pastry shops)
