Almond Nougat

The basis of this candy is a mixture of simple syrup and egg whites known as mazetta.

Mazetta:
2 large egg whites, room temperature
¾ cup light corn syrup
½ cup sugar

Nougat:
1½ cups light corn syrup
1½ cups sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp. sea salt
3½ cups whole raw almonds, skin on

For the Mazetta:
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff; set aside. In a 1 qt saucepan, combine corn syrup, ¼ cup water, and sugar. Clip on a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until temperature reaches 242°F (soft-ball stage), 15-20 minutes. Remove sugar syrup from heat. Beating constantly on medium speed, slowly pour hot syrup into egg whites. Continue beating for 3-4 minutes until syrup is incorporated. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to make the nougat.

Spray an 8” square baking pan with vegetable-oil spray; set aside. Place mazetta in a large bowl; set aside. In a 2 qt saucepan, combine corn syrup and sugar. Clip on candy thermometer. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, 5-10 minutes. Wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals.

Over medium-high heat, cook to 280°F (soft-crack stage), 12-15 minutes, without stirring. If heat is too high it can boil over, so watch carefully. Remove from heat; let stand for 2 minutes. Without scraping pan, pour syrup over mazetta. Working quickly, stir with a wooden spoon until almost smooth. Stir in butter, vanilla, and sea salt. Mix until butter is incorporated. Stir in nuts. Scrape into prepared pan, and smooth the top; you may spray your hand with vegetable-oil spray and run it over the warm candy to smooth it. Let stand at room temperature, uncovered, until firm, 4-6 hours.

Spray a large cutting board generously with vegetable-oil spray. Unmold nougat from pan onto sprayed surface. Cut nougat into 3x1x¾” pieces or other desired shapes. Wrap each piece in cellophane or waxed paper.

Makes about 40 pieces.