Finding the best way to make nougat at home is not difficult but the work involved is hard.
Most of the recipes I read online will describe the syrup meringue method. This means heat the sugar syrup to a certain temperature then add it into beaten egg white. Only a handful will ask you to do the low heat long duration stirring method.
Honestly I prefer the low heat long duration stirring method. That is why my first attempt at nougat I actually used this method. I think drying out the nougat is key to making good nougat. However since my first attempt failed miserably I ended up doing my second attempt using the syrup mixed meringue method.
The syrup mixed meringue confusing method
Most of the recipes asked for different ingredient and method to prepare the nougat.
Corn syrup or glucose
Caster sugar or powdered sugar
Soft ball, hard ball or small crack
Heat honey together or separate
Mix half syrup to meringue or mix full
Use blow torch
Use cornflour
Sugar thermometer or use timer
Since my two attempt in using this method was not up to expectation, I decided to go back tinkering using the low heat long duration stirring method again.
Low heat long duration stirring method
It was through watching You Tube videos that I notice commercial made nougats mainly only use the low heat long duration method to do their nougat. The videos showed them using huge mixing cooking machines that churned the nougat endlessly.
Ingredient
250g palm sugar
2 eggs
200g roasted cashew nuts
Nought is a sticky sweet and without the edible rice wafers you will have a hard time trying to keep them separated.
I have tried baking a nougat before (see below photo) and it worked out well. The only problem was the bottom will always be sticky.
In this video it will show you I baked again the nougat by facing the sticky side upwards therefore it dried up and was no longer sticky.
Long Detailed Method
Timing
If you want to double the any recipe then remember the timing described here may need to be extended too.
Avoiding Burnt Eggs
You want a really REALLY low heat. Use a heat diffuser plate and a thick bottom pan for this purpose. Low heat means the pot is still touchable with a quick touch but not scorching hot.
Then you need patience to stir the syrup until all the sugar crystals are melted. This may take more than 30 minutes or less. You must eye ball the syrup and make your own judgement on this because a lot of factor can influence the timing. Use a wet brush to remove all sugar crystals collected around the pot.
Stiff Egg Whites
Take the pot off the heat when all the sugar crystals have melted. This pausing moment will drop down the temperature of the syrup preparing it for the incorporation of the egg whites. This is crucial to avoid burning the egg whites.
Quickly beat the egg whites to stiff with a pinch of salt. It must be stiff to ensure more moisture are evaporated from the eggs.
Take a whisk beater and start beating a little bit of egg whites into the syrup. Incorporate all the egg whites fully while the pan is off the heat. This should take not more than 5 minutes.
Non stop stirring
Make sure you do have any interruption during this stage because constant stirring is required. You should not leave the mixture without stirring because it can burn easily. Therefore I advice attempt making nougat only when you have an interrupted free time to do it. You may also need some help to stir as it did for me. Another pair of hands to help in stirring will help in avoiding aching wrist.
After mixing in the egg white put the pan back on stove and stir for 30 minutes. You will feel the nougat starting to get thicker. This is the time to test the nougat by dropping a small amount of candy into a glass of cold water. Pick up the candy and roll into a ball. You need the candy ball to hold its shape in your hand but it is still flexible enough that you can squish it easily.
In my experience if you went 45 minutes long, you get to Soft Crack stage. The candy will be hard and almost not pliable unless you put super strength to it.
The Cornflour
At first I hesitated when some recipes call to incorporate cornflour into their nougat.
However after my first try I realized this helps to make the nougat less sticky and it does not make the nougat any less yummy.
Nougat Too Soft
You can save your nougat by putting it into the oven and bake it at low heat for 1 hour. Below is a picture of a batch that didn't come out right. It was too soft even after a 24 rest so I put it to bake for 1.5 hours. It came out firmer but some honey separated from the rest of the nougat. You can see it oozing at the bottom.
