The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
4
Ingredients
- 65 gEgg yolks
- 300 graw grated almond (marcona)
- 90 mlglucose syrup (also called liquid glucose)
- 90 mlwhipping cream (35%)
- 1 teaspoonliquid vanilla - Vahiné
- 1 ground cinnamon
- 1 food coloring egg color
- 270 gsugar
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (Approx.)
Calories
532 kcal
Protein
7 g
Fat
13 g
Carbohydrates
107 g
Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.
Step-by-step Guide
A Metal mold for egg yolk nougat
- At Gatget stores (Aragó street, 249 and in L'Illa Diagonal), you can find icing sugar to dust over the mold. We will also need parchment paper and a weight to press the nougat bar.
- To prepare the pastry cream glaze, we need 45 grams of sugar, 10 ml of water, 1 whole egg, 7 grams of butter, and a pinch of egg-colored food coloring. Optionally, we can also add 2 sheets of gelatin.
- To make the glaze mixture, start by combining the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Next, add the beaten egg and stir constantly until the mixture thickens, approximately 5 minutes.
- Once the mixture has thickened, add the butter and food coloring, stirring well until all the ingredients are homogeneously integrated.
- If using gelatin, soak the sheets in cold water for a few minutes until softened, then add them to the hot mixture and stir until they have completely dissolved.
- Subsequently, pour the yolk topping into the mold lined with baking paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar on top. Finally, place a weight on top to press the bar and let it rest in a cool place for at least 2 hours before unmolding.
Day-3 (December 22)
- Carefully separate the egg yolks from the whites and reserve them separately in different containers.
- Place the ingredients in a bowl following the order specified in the recipe. Use a manual whisk to mix everything well for about 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.
Reserve
- Reserve the egg yolks, keeping them in a separate container for later use.
- Add the liquid (or powdered) vanilla to the mixture, ensuring it is well incorporated.
- Incorporate a pinch of ground cinnamon into the mixture and mix well to evenly distribute the flavor.
- Add the glucose syrup to the previous preparation, mix and set aside.
- Ensure to correctly add a pinch of ground cinnamon, making sure it is incorporated evenly.
- Add the food coloring to the mixture, controlling the amount until the desired color is achieved.
- Place the almond flour into the stand mixer's bowl and add the previous mixture around it. Beat with the flat beater for 1 minute and then set aside. If done manually, stir by hand until well integrated.
- In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream and sugar to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking or burning.
- Allow the mixture to reach 119ºC (softball stage), using a cooking thermometer to achieve the exact temperature without exceeding it. If you don't have a thermometer, test the stage by dropping a bit of syrup into a glass of ice water until you can form it into a ball with your fingers.
- When the cream syrup reaches the softball stage, turn on the mixer to low speed with the K paddle and slowly pour the syrup over the almond and yolk mixture gradually.
- Continue mixing until the dough is fully homogeneous and integrated. Caution: the dough is thick and may overheat the mixer's motor. If this happens, stop it to let it cool and then continue. With hot syrup, it's better to use a mixer to avoid burns. If you don’t have one, mix slowly by hand in the yolk bowl.
- Once mixed, pour the dough onto the marble countertop (now tepid) and knead it by hand. The kneading time depends on the desired texture of the nougat: 7 or 8 minutes is sufficient, but if you want it crumblier, knead less, and if you want it smoother, knead longer. The mixer does not work well for this since the K paddle is not suitable, and with a small amount of dough, the spiral hook is also ineffective.
- Line the mold lengthwise with parchment paper so that it overhangs the long sides, preparing it so that later it can cover the bar and be removed easily. Press the corners of the paper against the sides of the mold to eliminate wrinkles.
- Lightly dust confectioner's sugar over the parchment paper to prevent the nougat from sticking during the shaping process.
- When the dough is warm (but not cold), fill the mold and smooth it with a spatula to ensure an even shape.
- Lightly sprinkle confectioner's sugar over the top of the bar (without excess) and cover it with the parchment paper.
- Place a rigid lid over the parchment paper (for example, a glass loaf pan) and press firmly to remove air bubbles. The pressure applied will affect the desired final texture.
- To ensure proper compaction, place a weight on the mold to maintain pressure (it could be two cartons inside the glass mold or a pot). Let it rest for about 4 to 5 hours with the weight on top.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pastry cream for topping. Once it's cool, cover it with cling film in direct contact with the cream and store it in the refrigerator until the next day.
- After 4 or 5 hours, remove the weight from the nougat and place the bar in the refrigerator without unmolding or removing the parchment paper until the following day. The preparation of the pastry cream must be done today, as it needs to rest for about 12 hours in the refrigerator before being placed over the nougat bar.
- Heat the sugar dissolved in the water in a saucepan.
- Boil until it reaches 114ºC (soft ball stage), constantly monitoring the temperature with a thermometer.
- While the sugar is heating, crack the whole eggs into a bowl and add a touch of egg-colored food coloring for color.
- When the syrup reaches 114ºC (it is crucial to adhere to this exact temperature), remove it from the heat and pour it very slowly over the eggs, stirring constantly to prevent them from cooking (pay special attention as the hot must always be poured over the cold, never the opposite, otherwise it will turn into scrambled eggs).
- Strain the eggs through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any impurities and achieve a smooth texture.
Day-2 (next day)
- Carefully unmold the nougat and remove the parchment paper wrapping the block.
- Gently scrape the surface of the nougat with a knife to remove any icing sugar residue that may have formed. This will prevent white spots from showing through the coating we will apply later and allow us to smooth the surface for a more uniform finish.
- Apply a thin layer of pastry cream on the surface of the nougat. The pastry cream should be prepared the day before and left to rest in the refrigerator for about 12 hours to acquire the proper texture before being used.
- Torch the bar using an electric palette. If we don't want the caramelized layer to be too crispy, torch the nougat a day before consuming it, allowing the caramelization to blend with the cream.
- To make the caramelization, sprinkle a dusting of sugar evenly over the entire surface of the bar.
- With the torch well-heated, pass it along the length of the bar without stopping, from one end to the other, to ensure an even caramelization.
- To maintain the shine of the nougat, coat it with a thin layer of gelatin. This will protect the nougat from oxidation.
- Soak two sheets of gelatine in cold water for 8 minutes until completely softened.
- Heat a small saucepan with a couple of fingers of water without bringing it to a boil, and when it is hot, dissolve the hydrated gelatine in it.
- Allow the mixture to cool until lukewarm, then brush the surface of the nougat bar with the liquid gelatine.
- If we want to embellish the short sides of the bar, we can cut a thin strip to keep them well-defined and clean.
- Store the nougat in the refrigerator until the day of consumption to maintain its freshness and flavor intact.
Day-1 (consumption)
- Take the dish out of the refrigerator in the morning, around 9:00, so that it reaches room temperature and is ready by lunchtime, around 14:00.
Recommendations & Tricks
- Use very fresh egg yolks: ensure that the shell has no cracks and that the yolk maintains its shape when you open it.
- For high-quality raw grated almonds, purchase them at Can Gispert, located behind Santa Maria del Mar, where they offer selected products.
- Glucose syrup helps maintain the nougat's texture smooth and without crystals; you can find it as liquid glucose at Gatget stores, both at Aragón, 249 and at Illa Diagonal.
- Ensure that the whipping cream has a fat content of 35% to achieve the proper consistency during whipping and cooking.
- When adding cream to the nougat, do it slowly and stir constantly to prevent it from curdling and to integrate it correctly with the other ingredients.