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Vanilla, Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts

Vanilla, Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts

by | Dec 4, 2015 | 0 comments

Homemade Vanilla and Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts
For as long as I can remember, every gift I've ever given my father, has involved nougat. He can't get enough of the stuff and can devour an entire stash in one sitting. No surprises as to who I get my sweet tooth from (she says as she licks her sticky nougat fingers in order to type this post)! This Christmas I've decided that I'm making all my own gifts, mainly because:

1) It's cheaper.

2) I get to eat the 'off-cuts'.

3) Nougat tastes better than socks.

4) Nougat is more thoughtful (than socks).

5) Boney M doesn't play on repeat in my kitchen.

So I'm making a gigantic batch of nougat - for not just my dad but the whole family. You get nougat! You get nougat! Everybody gets nougaaaaat!

Homemade Vanilla and Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts
Like all my favourite things, this one is versatile - you can pretty much design your own according to your - I mean your friends' - taste. I went for a fancy-sounding but uber delicious combination of vanilla, honey, macadamia nuts and proper extra virgin olive oil. I know we think of olive oil as great for salads and drizzling over literally everything savoury (a la Jamie Oliver) but I'm telling you that good olive oil adds something really special to desserts, not only adding complexity but balancing the sweetness too. I used Olive Pride's Extra Virgin Olive Oil in my nougat since it has a lovely peppery flavour that is just heavenly with the vanilla and honey.
Homemade Vanilla and Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts
Nougat has always intimidated me a bit, I'm not going to lie. In fact, the last time I made it was probably in cooking school (eek!). But this recipe right here is gold! If you don't already have a sugar thermometer, then get yourself one as a Christmas gift because it is totally worth not running around the kitchen going 'Is it ready? Maybe I should wait... No, it's ready. Or not." The only chicken that should be headless in your kitchen at this time of year, is the one in your oven for lunch. And speaking of gifts to yourself, would you not be the happiest sugar addict on this earth if you received this:
Homemade vanilla and olive oil nougat with macadamia nuts
A folded tea towel, a vintage baking tray (or box), some wrapped up sticks of your homemade nougat and a pretty bottle of olive oil - winning! You can also win at the fabulous competition that Olive Pride is running; simply SMS 'Olive Pride' and the last 4 digits of the barcode to 46797. Not only do all the SMS proceeds go to BrightStars, a safe home for children but you can also win a R2000 shopping voucher plus a R500 hamper of yummy olive products.

Now while you go win stuff, I'm going to find out how to get nougat off a Macbook keyboard...

Homemade Vanilla Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts

Vanilla Bean and Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts

Makes 12 bars

 

2 x A4 rice paper sheets (available from baking shops/in the baking aisle)

350g liquid glucose (available from baking and health shops)

115g honey

550g (2 ½ cups) caster sugar

1 vanilla bean, split (shop my vanilla beans here)

2 large egg whites

50g salted butter

50ml Olive Pride Extra Virgin Olive Oil

400g macadamia nuts, roasted

Line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. Cut the rice paper to fit the tin – place one in the bottom and keep the other aside for the top. Place the glucose, honey and vanilla in a saucepan over a low heat until melted, then add the caster sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is translucent. Bring the syrup to the boil and simmer until it reaches 130 degrees celcius on a thermometer.

Start beating the egg whites in an electric mixer to form stiff peaks so that by the time the syrup reaches 140 degrees celcius you’re ready.Gently pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the stiffly-beaten egg whites in a steady stream. Beat for 1 minute or until thick and glossy then gradually add the butter and olive oil. Working quickly, stir in the nuts and spoon the mixture into the lined baking tray. Top with the remaining piece of rice paper and press down to form an even slab of nougat. Allow to cool and set completely for 2-3 hours.Slice into bars or pieces using a sharp serrated knife and a sawing action. Wrap the nougat immediately in baking paper, wax paper or cellophane and store in a cool dry place in an airtight container.

 

VARIATIONS Experiment using different nuts – such as pistachios, almonds and pecan nuts - dried fruit like cranberries, and even coffee beans are delicious in this recipe!

 

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Olive Pride who produce a delicious range of olive products, including the Extra Virgin Olive oil used in this post. www.olivepride.co.za

 

Homemade Crunchies (Chocolate Honeycomb)

Homemade Crunchies (Chocolate Honeycomb)

by | Oct 20, 2015 | 0 comments

Honeycomb was one of the first things I created that made me fall completely in love with baking. It's got that magic - like meringue - where you can make something glorious out of a handful of very basic ingredients. It really comes down to science, but it's still damn cool when you sprinkle bicarbonate of soda into a molten pot of caramel and it fizzes up like a heavenly volcano. (If there are volcanoes in heaven, I'm pretty sure they will ooze bubbly honeycomb...#justsaying)
 
 
There is not a South African alive that doesn't have an affinity for, what we call, crunchies. As a kid, my memory of them is of Friday after-school drives home, eating crunchies while letting the chocolate melt on my fingers so I could lick it off. When I say 'letting the chocolate melt' I mean it was done purposely, because chocolate bars never have time to melt in my hands! We'd buy the crunchies from this glorious little factory shop in George that sold all Cadbury's rejected chocolate bars. Rejected by them and welcomed by me!

I've covered my homemade version in dark chocolate because I love how the bitterness balances the sweetness of the honeycomb, but feel free to coat yours in milk or even white chocolate. A sprinkling of sea salt also gives these a deliciously grown-up twist!  My memory of them is not quite the perfectly formed crunchies most would be used to, but I urge you to embrace this because cutting honeycomb into perfect bars? Ain't nobody got time for that!  What you will have time for though, is slowly letting the chocolate melt so you can lick it off your fingers!

Homemade Crunchie Bars

Makes 8

 

50ml water

190g Natura Golden Caster Sugar

50g Natura Light Demerara Sugar

140g glucose (available from pharmacies or baking shops)

60g honey

10g bicarbonate of soda

500g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, melted (for coating)

 

Grease and line a 20cm-square baking tin with non-stick baking paper.

In a medium pot, over low heat, combine the water, sugars, glucose and honey until completely dissolved. Turn the heat up and simmer until the syrup reaches 144°C - if you don’t have a sugar thermometer, simply drop the syrup into a small cup of tap water. It is ready when it forms a hard ball almost immediately.

Remove from the heat and, working quickly, add the bicarbonate of soda all at once. Whisk until the honeycomb foams up then immediately pour it into the prepared baking tin.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Once completely cold, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the honeycomb into bars.

Dip the bars in the chocolate (you can also use a pastry brush to paint the chocolate on) and allow to set on a sheet of baking paper.

It is very important to store honeycomb in an air-tight container to avoid it becoming sticky. If you have silica gel sachets saved from shoes or handbags, place one of them in the bottom of the container to help absorb humidity.

TIP It is very important to store honeycomb in an air-tight container to avoid it becoming sticky. If you have silica gel sachets saved from shoes or handbags, place one of them in the bottom of the container to help absorb humidity

Chocolate Red Wine Marshmallows

Chocolate Red Wine Marshmallows

by | Oct 15, 2013 | 0 comments

A girl only needs two things in life; chocolate and red wine.... But a little toffee and marshmallow can't hurt either so I've thrown those in here for good measure. I've been wanting to create some 'gourmet' (I really despise that word but there really aren't enough food adjectives in the English language) marshmallows for a while now since they're so trendy and all but I didn't want to make just any marshmallows. These needed to be very special marshmallows. For grown-ups!

Then a box full of beautifully-wrapped red wine toffees from Sweet Temptations landed on my desk. It was a sign. Obviously this toffee HAD to go into my marshmallows. The recipe I've used is based on Eric Lanlard's cocoa marshmallows and it is so incredibly simple and easy you'll wonder why you've been eating those horridly squishy store-bought pink ones all along. How amazed would your guests be if you whipped these out for after-dinner sweets?!! I know, you're welcome.

Chocolate Red Wine Toffee Marshmallows

Recipe adapted from Eric Lanlard's 'Chocolat'

Makes 24 squares

 

2 Sweet Temptations red wine toffees, thinly sliced lengthwise (optional)

150ml water

2 tsp sweet red wine

200g sugar

2 tbsp gelatine powder

1/4 cup glucose

1/4 cup honey

125g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, chopped and melted

The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder, for dusting

 

Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. Place the thinly sliced toffee pieces on a piece of baking paper and roll out using a rolling pin to the size of the cake tin. Cut to fit the base and place in the bottom. Place the water, red wine, sugar and gelatine in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the gelatine and sugar is dissolved. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the glucose and honey. Place in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and holds it's shape. Fold in the cooled melted chocolate and pour into the lined baking tin. Smooth the surface using a hot knife, cover and allow to set in the refrigerator for an hour. Once set, unmould and using a hot or oiled knife to cut into squares. Dust with cocoa powder and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

TIP *You could use any very soft toffees here (make sure they're pliable) otherwise, leave out the toffee and sprinkle the base with a dusting of cocoa.

Microwave Condensed Milk Fudge

Microwave Condensed Milk Fudge

by | Sep 7, 2010 | 8 comments

Last week I found myself in a rather problematic situation - standing in front of my grocery cupboard with the incredibly difficult decision of what snack will best suit my rainy-day snuggling and Grey's Anatomy marathon... Just when I was about to give up and accept that my fluffy pink slippers would have to be swopped for boots (as a chocolate mission to the shop around the corner was obviously in order), I spotted a tin of condensed milk!  In our family, condensed milk is the god of all things sweet, sticky and yummy. If the pantry was stocked with any kind of chocolate, sweet or biscuit you could imagine, the condensed milk would be the first to go. Always. Whether enjoyed straight out the can, with a teaspoon, or boiled in the tin to a thick gooey caramel.  Oh, but of course I'm forgetting fudge! One of the biggest debates in our family occurs when my mom whips out a tin of condensed milk after dinner and asks the same question which immediately jumped to mind while I was standing and eyeing that tin...
Condensed milk or fudge? After some deliberation, I settled on BOTH - I'd make the fudge and strategically leave enough condensed milk behind in the tin... which I can guarantee (unless it's like half the tin) will not flop the fudge. Best of both world!

Microwave Condensed Milk Fudge

(makes 36 pieces)

 

125g butter, melted

2 cups caster sugar

1 tin (385g) condensed milk

1tsp vanilla extract

 

Combine butter and sugar in a large microwave safe bowl.  Add condensed milk – do not stir. Microwave on high for about 10 minutes (stirring after 1 minute each time) or until it reaches a deep caramel golden brown. To test the fudge, smear a little of the mixture onto a cold plate or cold surface. If it sets, it's done.  Allow to cool slightly, then add the vanilla and beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge just starts to set then quickly pour into a 20cm square tin lined with baking paper and allow to set before cutting into squares.