danish designs

The March Elle Decoration made for a good tube journey home, Graphic Grace features the wallpaper of ferm, Denmark. The website shows all the bold designs, each captured in a beautifully styled setting.

Torrone, the delicious Italian nougat. Via delicious days.

torrone
Recipe source: dolcissimo from Maxine Clark, p.60, adapted
Prep time: 30min.

Ingredients (yield: plenty):
100g almonds, peeled
200g whole hazelnuts
100g unsalted pistachios, peeled
2 large egg whites
250g Acacia honey
1 vanilla bean (scraped out seeds)
200g fine sugar
3 tbsp syrup (sugar/water mix 50:50)
optionally: wafer papers for baking

{If you choose to go with the wafer papers, you first want to arrange several of them to evenly cover the bottom of a deep baking tray or baking dish (lined with parchment paper first). Roast almonds and hazelnuts (not the pistachios) in the preheated oven (200°C/390°F) for about 6 minutes or until they’ve become golden brown. Gather hazelnuts in a clean dish towel and rub to remove husks.}

Add honey to pan and bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to control a steady heat of 115°C (240°F) until the honey starts to foam slightly.

Meanwhile beat egg whites. Continue to whip the egg whites and slowly add the honey, blend well for about 6 minutes, or until the mass sets. Then stirr in the vanilla seeds (I chose to use real vanilla as opposed to the vanilla aroma as the recipe suggests).

Dissolve sugar and syrup in 2 tablespoons of water in a pot over medium to high heat and gradually bring to a boil. Use your candy thermometer again to ensure a maximum temperature of 148°C (300°F), the sugar should not take on any color. Then remove pot from stove, wait a few seconds until it stopped bubbling and add syrup to the honey-egg-white mass while constantly stirring. Continue to stirr until the mass becomes thick and satiny.

Blend in the nuts and distribute evenly across the baking sheet (with or without the wafer papers). The mass should be about 3 cm (~1 inch) high. On top add - again, if you chose to- another layer of wafer papers and use a second baking tray to gently push down to ensure a even surface.

Allow to cool down at room temperature. Once completely cooled down, cut into squares or bars and wrap up in plastic foil. Wrapped up airtight, let rest for a few days for even better taste.