The ‘turrón de Alicante’ – also known as ‘turrón duro’ – is a hard nougat made of honey, sugar, egg white and almonds, which is then sandwiched between wafer paper sheets.
We already told you everything about turrón in this post, but just in case you need a little refresh, turrón is a nougat-like confection made of sugar, honey, egg white and nuts. It has existed –in his various forms and shapes– all around the Mediterranean for centuries and it is nowadays the most popular Xmas sweet in Spain.
Of the two main varieties –hard or ‘Alicante’ and soft or ‘Jijona’– today we will be focusing on the former. Made of the exact same ingredients as the turrón de Jijona – recipe here – the turrón the Alicante (can you guess where it comes from?) should be hard and ‘crackable’ as opposed to soft and chewy. To achieve that hardness, the use of the egg white will become fundamental.
Give this ‘turrón de Alicante’ a go. And whilst you do, remember that you are making pretty much the same confectionary recipe that the Romans, Phoenicians and Arabs made for their families many centuries ago all around the Mediterranean.
INGREDIENTS
- 150 g Honey
- 150 g Sugar
- 250 g Almonds – peeled and toasted
- 1 Egg white
- Wafer paper sheets (optional)
METHOD
- Pick a rectangular mold or baking pan with roughly the same size of the turrón tablet you would like to make. Line it with a long sheet of greaseproof baking paper lengthwise, then crosswise with another paper sheet. Cover the bottom with a wafer paper sheet, then reserve aside.
- Heat a saucepan with the honey and the sugar. Stir constantly until well mixed. Bring to boil and cook for some few minutes before taking it off the heat.
- Mount the egg white and add it to the mix, stirring constantly so that it does not set. Bring it back to the heat over a low temperature and keep stirring thoroughly until the mix acquires a caramel-like texture.
- Add the almonds and keep stirring until all the ingredients are well blended. Remove from the heat and let it cool down a bit.
- Pour the mix into the mould until you have a 2cm thick base, then cover with another wafer paper sheet. Add some pressure on top in order to distribute the mix evenly and let it cool down for some few hours before serving.
