Chocolate Turrón
Chocolate Turrón
Turrón is very famous and very popular. There are so many different varieties too – hard, soft, with egg yolk, with coconut. But you can only really find it at Christmas, which is annoying as I love chocolate turróns so much. Just a little piece after a meal with my espresso makes me happy.Look, I had to do something about that situation, so I’ve created this recipe – no more waiting until Christmas. — José Pizarro, author of Catalonia
Servings
12
Ingredients
- 5 ounce whole blanched almonds
- 2 ounce peeled pistachios
- 2 sheets wafer paper
- 7 ounce honey
- 7 oz / scant 1 cup superfine sugar
- 1 large free-range egg white
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC (325ºF). Line a baking tray and roast the nuts until they are lightly golden brown. Check on them regularly as they catch really easily. Set aside to cool.
- Line an 18 cm (7 in) square tin with a layer of wafer paper.
- Put the honey and sugar in a pan over a low heat. Melt the sugar then bring to a rapid boil and cook until the mixture reaches 120ºC (250ºF) on a sugar thermometer.
- Beat the egg white in a stand mixer until it holds soft peaks then, while whisking, gradually pour in the hot sugar and honey mixture.
- When it is all incorporated, scoop this mixture back into the pan and put over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly. The aim is to reduce the moisture content of the nougat and, when the mixture reaches about 150–155ºC (300–310ºF) on a sugar thermometer, start testing it. Drop a little bit into a bowl of cold water – it should harden into a ball immediately.
- When this happens, add the nuts and cocoa powder to the turrón. Mix well then pour into the lined tin and smooth with a palette knife. Top with a second layer of wafer paper and leave to set completely before slicing.
- Recipes excerpted with permission from Catalonia: Recipes from Barcelona and Beyond by : José Pizarro (Hardie Grant Books, 2017)