The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
4
Ingredients
- 130 g70% chocolate
- Crispy skin ingredients
- 90 gsliced raw Marcona almond
- 120 gregular white sugar
- 1 lemon juice
- praline filling ingredients
- 160 g70% chocolate
- 60 gtoasted hazelnuts
- 63 gpowdered sugar
- 18 mlsunflower oil
- Necessary utensils
- 1 kitchen thermometer
- 1 Mold of 20x10x2.5 cm
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (Approx.)
Calories
714 kcal
Protein
6 g
Fat
36 g
Carbohydrates
95 g
Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.
Step-by-step Guide
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees for 10 minutes to ensure it reaches the correct temperature.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt until everything is well integrated.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to ensure the batter is homogeneous.
- Melt the butter over low heat and let it cool slightly before incorporating it into the mixture.
- Pour the batter into a greased mold and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until it is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Prepare the Torron Wrapping
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, ensuring it does not exceed 40°C. Note: Alternatively, you can melt it in the microwave on high power for 2 minutes, stirring well every 30 seconds to prevent burning.
- Transfer the melted chocolate to a glass bowl and stir constantly until the temperature drops to 31°C. Note: To speed up this process, you can temper the chocolate on a marble surface, but simply stirring it in the glass bowl works well.
- Fill the mold with the melted chocolate and gently tap it on the marble to remove any air bubbles.
- Quickly flip the mold to empty it and pour the excess chocolate into a saucepan, as you will need some later to seal the base.
- Clean the edges of the mold with a spatula and allow the mold to drain upside down on a rack until the chocolate slightly solidifies.
- Once the chocolate has hardened, you will have obtained the shell or casing of the nougat.
- When the chocolate is completely hardened, finish cleaning the edges with a spatula to achieve a clean and polished finish.
Prepare the Brittle
- Cook half of the sugar and the lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely melted.
- Once it has melted, add the remaining sugar in three additions, stirring constantly. Cook the sugar without darkening it too much until it has a light golden color.
- Gently heat the sliced almonds in a pan over low heat for a few minutes until they begin to color. Add them to the sugar saucepan and stir well until the almonds are completely coated with the sugar caramel.
- Turn the dough onto a sheet of baking paper greased with sunflower oil and gently spread it with a spatula to make it even.
- While the brittle is still warm enough, roll it out with a rolling pin until it is thin, working quickly before it cools.
- Once the brittle is cold, crush it with a pestle over the spread-out sheet, using a kitchen mold ring to prevent pieces from flying off the counter.
- Place the almond brittle in the food processor bowl and blitz it at high speed with 3 or 4 pulses to further break down the brittle caramel into small pieces.
Praline Preparation
- Put the hazelnuts, icing sugar, and sunflower oil in the chopper bowl. Grind at maximum speed for about 5-10 minutes, until you achieve an oily, creamy, yet firm paste. During the process, stop the chopper several times to scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl and set aside at room temperature.
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie along with the spice mixture. Ensure the temperature does not exceed 40ºC to prevent the chocolate from losing its proper texture. It's not necessary to temper the chocolate since it is used as a filling.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl with the dough and stir constantly until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, forming the praline.
Fill the Mold
- Fill the mold up to 3/4 full with the praline filling, ensuring it is well distributed for a uniform coating.
- Pour the brittle over the praline, leaving a margin of approximately 0.5 cm from the edge to allow for the addition of the topping later on.
- Let rest at room temperature for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the brittle has completely hardened before sealing.
Finish Buttoning the Shirt
- Prepare some chocolate as we did previously to make the coating. Note: If there is leftover from when we lined the mold, melt it again using a double boiler, utilizing a pot with hot water but without reaching a boil.
- Wait for the chocolate to cool down to 30°C, measuring with a kitchen thermometer to ensure it has the correct temperature to proceed.
- Pour the chocolate over the coating evenly and level with a spatula, ensuring it covers the entire surface uniformly.
- Let rest in a cool and dry place for at least 24 hours before unmolding, to ensure proper solidification.
- Once unmolded, it can be stored wrapped in parchment paper, keeping it in a cool, light-protected place for better preservation.
Recommendations & Tricks
- Melt the chocolate using a bain-marie method without exceeding 40ºC. Stir constantly to ensure an even melt. If using a microwave, set it to maximum power for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent burning.
- Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into a glass bowl and stir with a spatula until the temperature drops to 31ºC. To cool it faster, you can spread it on a marble surface and work it with the spatula until it reaches the desired temperature.
- Fill the nougat mold with the melted chocolate, tapping it lightly on the marble to remove air bubbles. Ensure the chocolate adequately coats the walls of the mold.
- Quickly turn the mold upside down to pour out the excess chocolate, returning it to the pan. Save this chocolate to seal the nougat later.
- Use a spatula to clean the edges of the mold, ensuring the chocolate does not stick to the outer sides. Leave the mold upside down on a rack so that the chocolate drains and hardens evenly.
- When the chocolate is completely dry and hardened, check that the nougat shell is well-made by cleaning any excess with a spatula for a polished and professional finish.