Chocolate Nougat (Abruzzo)

Desserts

Ingredients

Honey - 2/3 cup

Shelled hazelnuts - 1 1/2 pounds

Granulated sugar - 1 1/8 cups

Bitter chocolate - 8 squares

Egg whites - 2

Rice paper

Pour the honey into the top of a double boiler and cook until liquid over boiling water, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. Let it cook over simmering water, stirring frequently, for 1 hour or until a little dropped into cold water forms a hard ball.

While the honey is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients. Toast the hazelnuts in a moderate oven (375F)  and rub off their thin outer skins. Dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in the same quantity of water and let it cook slowly until it thickens. Add the chocolate, broken into small pieces, and continue cooking, stirring all the time, until the chocolate is completely melted and blended into the sugar. Put aside but keep warm.

Dissolve the remaining sugar with 1 or 2 tbsps water and cook slowly until it caramelizes, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time.

Beat the egg whites until very stiff. By this time the honey should be ready; add the egg whites to the honey slowly, beating constantly. The mixture will become white and fluffy. Stir the caramelized sugar into the honey and egg white mixture, and when thoroughly blended, add the warm chocolate. Mix well, then add the nuts. All this should be done with the pan on the heat.

Remove the pan from the heat and spread the mixture over wafers or rice paper. Quickly smooth it down with a wet palette knife into an even layer about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. Some recipes also cover the top with a layer of wafers, which is rather nice. Cool for 20 minutes, then with a sharp, wetted knife, cut the torrone into two long strips, and each of the strips into equal sized pieces - the size is a matter of preference. Let the torrone become quite cold; then, if keeping for later use, wrap each piece in foil or wax paper and store in a cool dry place.