Exotic Christmas | Pasquale Vari’s nougat

For chef Pasquale Vari, nougat is a tradition. A Christmas tradition passed down by his grandfather who was a confectioner, later taken up by his father, and it is now his turn to pass on his love for nougat.

Pasquale Vari invited us to his home to reveal the secrets of making his traditional 100% honey nougat which he gives to his friends at Christmas. In the Calabria region, where it comes from, in southern Italy, nougat is made.

“In this part of Italy, from Naples to Sicily, nougat is made, because there has been a great Spanish influence. We call it torrone. Traditional nougat is made of honey and almonds, it can be flavored with lemon, orange or bergamot, it can also be coated with chocolate… But we don’t add sugar! », explains the chef, who is also a professor at the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality of Quebec.

A family story

For the one who made himself known as a judge on the show The Chiefs !, nougat has a very particular symbolism. “My grandfather was a confectioner in the south of Calabria, and during the months of October and November he prepared his nougat and set off in December on the route to the Christmas markets. As a teenager, my father helped him clean almonds. Over the years, he too developed a passion for nougat,” he confides.

His father worked as an electrician and it was when he retired that he started making his nougat. “It had become a hobby, he made his own nougat for Christmas and gave it to friends,” he explains.

Every year, he offers his nougat to his neighbors, his friends, his colleagues, business relations and those who ask him for it. He begins the bread making of his nougat at the end of November. Because yes, making nougat requires patience: you have to skin and roast the almonds, which is the longest part of the recipe!

“The tradition in Italy is that from December 18 or 19, we present our wishes to family and friends, we visit them, it is a family obligation. When we entertain, there must always be something on the table, we serve desserts without cream or butter, because they can be preserved. Nougat or biscotti are perfect, we offer them with coffee. »

It only happens once a year!

For Pasquale Vari, it is important to keep family traditions. “It allows us to enjoy nougat, and we only do it during the holidays, we eat it once a year, and that’s it! Then you have to wait until the following year. It’s like the Quebec strawberry, we take pleasure in waiting for it every year from June, and we rejoice! Nougat is the same, it’s a Christmas tradition. »

Do we like nougat here? ” Yes ! We have a sweet tooth here, we love honey and everything sweet! I wanted to adapt the recipe and replace the honey with maple syrup, but it doesn’t work, there is too much humidity, the consistency is not right! »

For Pasquale Vari, this recipe for soft almond nougat is synonymous with a sweet and sweet Christmas. “We appreciate nougat and share it with family and friends… And we don’t want to have any left over in January! »

Soft almond nougat from Pasquale Vari

Yield: 32 pieces

Ingredients

• 500 g of white clover honey
• 400 g almonds
• 60g egg white (about two eggs)
• 1 finely chopped orange zest
• 2 sheets of matzo (measuring 15 cm x 24 cm) *

* Matzo sheets are edible leaves used in baking

If you ever want to vary the recipe, you can add dried blueberries or cranberries or pistachios. In this case, we put 2/3 of almonds and 1/3 of the other fruit, whether dried blueberries or cranberries.

Pasquale Vari

Preparation

• 1. This step and the next two are done a few days in advance. Place the almonds in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, drain the almonds and then peel them (remove their skin).
• 2. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
• 3. Place the blanched almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until completely roasted.
• 4. When you are ready to make your nougat, place the egg whites in a mixer fitted with a whisk. To book.
• 5. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the honey over medium-low heat and let it cook gently.

• 6. When the honey reaches the temperature of 135°C, start the mixer and whisk the egg whites at high speed, while continuing to heat the honey gently.

• 7. When it reaches 137°C, drizzle the honey into the mixer. Be careful to pour the honey onto the edge of the bowl and not directly onto the whisk.
• 8. After pouring in all the honey, reduce the mixer speed to half and whisk for an additional 2 minutes.

• 9. Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the chopped almonds and orange zest, and mix using a spatula.
• 10. Place a sheet of matzo at the bottom of a Pyrex dish (ideally the same dimensions as the matzo).

• 11. Pour the contents onto the matzo sheet, spread the mixture well and cover with the second matzo sheet.
• 12. Leave to cool in the fridge for 2 hours and then cut into pieces measuring 1.5 cm x 7 cm.
• 13. Wrap the pieces of nougat individually and store in the fridge.