HAZELNUT NOUGATINE - NOUGATINE

In June this year, I had blogged about a "Danish Lemon Mousse" which I had put in a verrine and served with some swirly decorations which had captured your attention. As many of you asked for the "Sesame Nougatine" recipe, I thought that it was about time for me to share it with you...

Instead of giving you the recipe for the "Sesame Nougatine", I am posting about my "Hazelnut Nougatine" recipe which is in many ways exactly the same. The only difference resides in the fact that it is made with nuts instead of seeds. In any case, the kind of nut that you are going to use all depends on your personal choice and on what you are going to make with the praline or how you are going to serve it.

"Nougatine" (dark brown) is the cousin of "Nougat" (white). Both are confectionaries made with sugar, honey and roasted nuts. While "White Nougat" is chewy, soft and made with beaten egg whites, "Nougatine" is hard, crunchy, dark and made with caramelized sugar.

I really like this addictive candy as it tastes gorgeous and is wonderfully as well as exhilaratingly fragrant thanks to the roasted nuts and the caramel. It is also very versatile as it can be used as decoration for desserts or processed in order to make "Praline Powder" or "Praline Paste"...

I hope you'll enjoy my recipe and will have fun playing around with your "Hazelnut Nougatine"!

~ Hazelnut Nougatine ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2008.

Makes about one candy bag nougat.

Ingredients:
200g de Castor sugar
2 Tbs Runny honey
200g Hazelnuts (or other nuts, see remarks)

Method:
1. In a thick-bottomed pan, put the sugar first, then the honey and the nuts (without mixing).
2. Cook, at medium heat.
3. After a few minutes, when the sugar will have partially melted, mix well in order to coat the nuts. Repeat this operation until the sugar has melted completely.
4. Then stop stirring, until the sugar has turned to caramel (light brown not black).
5. Pour that mixture onto a baking tray covered with baking paper.
6. Spread the mass before it hardens.
7. Let cool.
8. Break into pieces of the desired size.

Remarks:
You don't need to pre-roast the nuts as they will get roasted to perfection while they are in the caramel.
If you want, you can replace the hazelnuts by any other nut of your choice (macadamia nuts, almonds, cashew nuts, etc...) or sesame seeds (add them at the end).
You can also transform this "Hazelnut Nougatine" into "Praline Powder" or "Praline Paste" (use 50% hazelnuts + 50% almonds). You'll just have to break it into tiny pieces (with the help of a hammer) and put the broken pieces into a blender and grind them to a thin powder ("Praline") or, if you continue a little longer, to a thick, viscuous and homogenous paste ("Praline Paste").

Serving suggestions:
This "Hazelnut Nougat" can be eaten alone or accompanied by a good cup of tea or coffee.
It is delicious and very pretty when served as a decoration for ice creams, panna cotta or any mousse (see my "Danish Lemon Mousse", my "Tiramisù Mousse & Lemon Curd Verrine", my "Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse" or my "Chocolate Mousse" recipes).

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~ Nougatine Au Miel Et Aux Noisettes ~
Recette de Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2008.

Pour un sachet de nougat.

Ingrédients:
200g de Sucre semoule
2 CS de Miel liquide
200g de Noisettes (voir remarques)

Méthode:
1. Mettre le sucre (en premier), puis le miel et les noisettes dans une casserole à fond épais (ne pas mélanger).
2. A feu moyen, faire chauffer.
3. Après quelques minutes et lorsque le sucre aura partiellement fondu, bien mélanger et continuer ainsi jusqu'à ce que le sucre ait complètement fondu et que les noisettes soient bien enrobées.
4. Ne plus remuer jusqu'à ce que le sucre soit transformé en caramel (brun moyen et non noir).
5. Verser délicatement ce mélange sur une plaque recouverte de papier sulfurisé.
6. Etaler rapidement avant que le caramel se fige.
7. Faire refroidir.
8. Une fois, reffroidi, casser en morceau de la taille désirée.

Remarques:
Vous n'avez pas besoin de torréifier les noix car elles prendront tout leur arôme lorsqu'elles seront dans le caramel.
Au lieu d'utiliser des noisettes, vour pouvez utiliser d'autres noix (noix de macadamia, amandes, noix de cajou, etc...) ou des graines de sésame (ajoutez-les à la fin).
Vous pouvez faire du "Pralin" ou du "Praliné" avec ce nougat (utiliser 50% noisettes + 50% amandes). Pour ce faire, casser la nougat en petits morceaux (avec un marteau), puis les mettre dans un mixer afin d'obtenir une poudre fine (pralin) ou continuer à mixer afin d'obtenir une pâte homogène, visqueuse et épaisse (praliné).

Idées de présentation:
Le "Nougat Noir" se déguste seul, avec un thé ou un café.
On peut le servir avec une glace, une panna cotta ou une mousse (voir mes recettes: "Mousse Au Citron", "Verrines A La Mousse De Tiramisù et Au Lemon Curd", "Mousse Au Chocolat Et A l'Earl Grey" & "Mousse Au Chocolat"), en guise de décoration.