Vanilla and Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts

For as long as I can remember, every gift I've ever given my father, has involved nougat. He can't get enough of the stuff and can devour an entire stash in one sitting. No surprises as to who I get my sweet tooth from (she says as she licks her sticky nougat fingers in order to type this post)! 

This Christmas I've decided that I'm making all my own gifts, mainly because: 

1) It's cheaper.

2) I get to eat the 'off-cuts'.

3) Nougat tastes better than socks.

4) Nougat is more thoughtful (than socks).

5) Boney M doesn't play on repeat in my kitchen. 

So I'm making a gigantic batch of nougat - for not just my dad but the whole family. 

You get nougat! You get nougat! Everybody gets nougaaaaat!

Like all my favourite things, this one is versatile - you can pretty much design your own according to your - I mean your friends' - taste. I went for a fancy-sounding but uber delicious combination of vanilla, honey, macadamia nuts and proper extra virgin olive oil. I know we think of olive oil as great for salads and drizzling over literally everything savoury (a la Jamie Oliver) but I'm telling you that good olive oil adds something really special to desserts, not only adding complexity but balancing the sweetness too. I used Olive Pride's Extra Virgin Olive Oil in my nougat since it has a lovely peppery flavour that is just heavenly with the vanilla and honey. 

Nougat has always intimidated me a bit, I'm not going to lie. In fact, the last time I made it was probably in cooking school (eek!). But this recipe right here is gold! If you don't already have a sugar thermometer, then get yourself one as a Christmas gift because it is totally worth not running around the kitchen going 'Is it ready? Maybe I should wait... No, it's ready. Or not." The only chicken that should be headless in your kitchen at this time of year, is the one in your oven for lunch. And speaking of gifts to yourself, would you not be the happiest sugar addict on this earth if you received this:

A folded tea towel, a vintage baking tray (or box), some wrapped up sticks of your homemade nougat and a pretty bottle of olive oil - winning! You can also win at the fabulous competition that Olive Pride is running; simply SMS 'Olive Pride' and the last 4 digits of the barcode to 46797. Not only do all the SMS proceeds go to BrightStars, a safe home for children but you can also win a R2000 shopping voucher plus a R500 hamper of yummy olive products. 

Now while you go win stuff, I'm going to find out how to get nougat off a Macbook keyboard...

Vanilla and Olive Oil Nougat with Macadamia Nuts

Makes 12 bars 

2 x A4 rice paper sheets

350g liquid glucose (available from baking and health shops)

115g honey

550g (2 ½ cups) caster sugar

1 vanilla bean, split

2 egg whites

50g unsalted butter

50ml Olive Pride Extra Virgin Olive Oil

400g macadamia nuts, roasted

Line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. Cut the rice paper to fit the tin – place one in the bottom and keep the other aside for the top. Place the glucose, honey and vanilla in a saucepan over a low heat until melted, then add the caster sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is translucent.

Bring the syrup to the boil and simmer until it reaches 130 degrees celcius on a thermometer.

Start beating the egg whites in an electric mixer to form stiff peaks so that by the time the syrup reaches 140 degrees celcius you’re ready.

Gently pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the stiffly-beaten egg whites in a steady stream.

Beat for 1 minute or until thick and glossy then gradually add the butter and olive oil.

Working quickly, stir in the nuts and spoon the mixture into the lined baking tray. Top with the remaining piece of rice paper and press down to form an even slab of nougat. Allow to cool and set completely for 2-3 hours.

Slice into bars or pieces using a sharp serrated knife and a sawing action.

Wrap the nougat immediately in baking paper, wax paper or cellophane and store in a cool dry place in an airtight container.

VARIATIONS: Experiment using different nuts – pistachios, almonds and pecan nuts would be equally delicious in this recipe!

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Olive Pride who produce a delicious range of olive products, including the Extra Virgin Olive oil used in this post. www.olivepride.co.za

No-Bake Chocolate Christmas Pudding

Does anyone actually LIKE Christmas pudding? Sure, it wouldn't be Christmas without it, but in our hot South African climate, who wants to eat a heavy, steamy, piping hot custard-coated winter pudding? Bleh. Yes, our Christmas is peppered with all kinds of snow-covered European traditions but that doesn't mean we can't put our own twist on them. Forget reindeer - we should have springbok instead! But let me not get ahead of myself here, let's start with the important stuff; dessert. 

Looks like a figgy pudding - yes! Tastes like a figgy pudding? Well, erm no. It's a gajillion times better! 

Firstly-  it has chocolate in it. 
2) Condensed milk 
3) It's no-bake / no-steam / no-effort
4) It's still got all the Christmassy stuff in, but it's cold
5) You can put whatever the heck you want in it!
6) It's low-fat - JOKES! Oh heck no. Hear that? It's the sound of diets crashing everywhere! But hey, that's what January is for, right?!

Now, you might be thinking, this looks familiar. Remember my Peppermint Crisp Fridge Cake recipe? In celebration of it being shared over 21 500 times on Facebook (see there are LOTS of sugar addicts out there like us) I gave it a festive makeover with an unhealthy amount of Christmas cheer (and treats)! 

I've added ginger biscuits, cherries, pistachios, toasted hazelnuts, candied peel, dried figs, booze-soaked raisins, heck I even threw in some spices and drenched it 

in white chocolate. 

It's like a Christmas party - in your mouth! 

But also, it's muesli. 

No-Bake Chocolate Christmas Pudding

Serves 6-8

100g butter

300g milk or dark chocolate, chopped

½ tin (190g) sweetened condensed milk (eat the rest with a spoon)

1 tsp mixed spice

200g biscuits, crumbled (I used spiced ginger)

240g toasted nuts/soaked dried fruit/cherries/candied peel/caramel popcorn/marshmallows etc

100g white chocolate, melted

Start by lining the inside of a medium-sized 1.5L mixing bowl with 2-3 layers of clingwrap. 

In a saucepan, combine the butter, milk chocolate and condensed milk over low heat and stir until melted.

In a separate bowl, mix together the spice, biscuits, nuts and fruit. Stir into the chocolate mixture and mix well. 

Pour into the lined mixing bowl then place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until set. 

Remove from the mould and turn onto a serving plate. 

Spoon the melted chocolate onto the top and coax it down the sides. 

Decorate with sprinkles or Christmas decorations.

Serve thin slices with strong coffee or a glass of brandy. 

MORE CHRISTMAS RECIPES WITH A TWIST:

Gingerbread Train

Christmas Malva Pudding

Spiced Chocolate Cheesecake

Gingerbread Macarons

Gingerbread Train

Gingerbread houses are SO last year. They're out, and gingerbread trains are IN! 

Okay, so I made that up but that should totally be the case. Just look at all that spicy cuteness ready to go 'choo choo' straight into your mouth! 

And honestly, having made two gingerbread houses before (you can see them over HERE), this train is a breeze to make. Far easier than trying to get four walls and a roof to stand up straight!

How fabulous would this look as a centrepiece on your Christmas table?! 

And the best part is that guests can tuck into the train with their coffee afterwards. 

I mean!

Gingerbread train

Makes 1

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay’s Gingerbread Garland

125g butter, softened

90g Muscovado or brown sugar

230g golden syrup

375g cake flour

2 tsp (10ml) ground ginger

1 tsp (5ml) mixed spice

1 tsp (5ml) bicarbonate of soda

Royal icing

1 large egg white, beaten

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180C. 

Cream the butter and sugar well until very pale and fluffy. 

Add the syrup, flour, spices and bicarb and mix until a smooth dough forms. 

Roll the dough out on a floured surface or between two sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes if too soft. 

Using train cookie cutters, cut out the shapes and place on a lined baking sheet. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely.

To make the royal icing, whisk the egg white gently then add the icing sugar until a stiff paste forms. Add the lemon juice and stir before placing in a piping bag. 

Sandwich the various components together with the royal icing and allow to dry. Then decorate the carriages using the rest of the icing and sweets, if desired. Allow to dry thoroughly before stringing the train carriages together with ribbon.

Store in an airtight container.

TIPS

• I used the Tescoma train cookie cutter set (visit their Facebook page here) but you could also use this print out HERE, cut out the shapes then trace around them on the dough using a knife. 
• You don't even have to use all the train cutters provided - simply cut out 4 of the main silhouette shapes and stack those together. You'll lose the 3D effect but it will look just as good!
• In order to get perfect shapes, refrigerate the dough once you've rolled it out so the shapes don't shift when you lift them onto a baking tray.