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

Homemade Crunchies (Chocolate Honeycomb)

Honeycomb was one of the first things I created that made me fall completely in love with baking. It's got that magic - like meringue - where you can make something glorious out of a handful of very basic ingredients. It really comes down to science, but it's still damn cool when you sprinkle bicarbonate of soda into a molten pot of caramel and it fizzes up like a heavenly volcano. (If there are volcanoes in heaven, I'm pretty sure they will ooze bubbly honeycomb...#justsaying)

There is not a South African alive that doesn't have an affinity for, what we call, crunchies. As a kid, my memory of them is of Friday after-school drives home, eating crunchies while letting the chocolate melt on my fingers so I could lick it off. When I say 'letting the chocolate melt' I mean it was done purposely, because chocolate bars never have time to melt in my hands! We'd buy the crunchies from this glorious little factory shop in George that sold all Cadbury's rejected chocolate bars. Rejected by them and welcomed by me! 

I've covered my homemade version in dark chocolate because I love how the bitterness balances the sweetness of the honeycomb, but feel free to coat yours in milk or even white chocolate. A sprinkling of sea salt also gives these a deliciously grown-up twist!  My memory of them is not quite the perfectly formed crunchies most would be used to, but I urge you to embrace this because cutting honeycomb into perfect bars? Ain't nobody got time for that!  What you will have time for though, is slowly letting the chocolate melt so you can lick it off your fingers! 

As seen on Food24.com 

Homemade Crunchie Bars

Makes 8

50ml water

190g Natura Golden Caster Sugar

50g Natura Light Demerara Sugar

140g glucose (available from pharmacies or baking shops)

60g honey

10g bicarbonate of soda

500g dark chocolate, melted (for coating)

Grease and line a 20cm-square baking tin with non-stick baking paper.

In a medium pot, over low heat, combine the water, sugars, glucose and honey until completely dissolved. Turn the heat up and simmer until the syrup reaches 144°C*

Remove from the heat and, working quickly, add the bicarbonate of soda all at once. Whisk until the honeycomb foams up then immediately pour it into the prepared baking tin.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Once completely cold, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the honeycomb into bars.

Dip the bars in the chocolate (you can also use a pastry brush to paint the chocolate on) and allow to set on a sheet of baking paper.

It is very important to store honeycomb in an air-tight container to avoid it becoming sticky. If you have silica gel sachets saved from shoes or handbags, place one of them in the bottom of the container to help absorb humidity.

*if you don’t have a sugar thermometer, simply drop the syrup into a small cup of tap water. It is ready when it forms a hard ball almost immediately.

Chocolate rum 'n raisin fudge

If I told you I've always loved the combo of rum 'n raisin, I'd be lying. It reminds me of the days my grandparents would come home from shopping and announce there was ice cream for dessert, only for me to later find out that it was rum 'n raisin flavour. The disappointment that tub of ice cream brought me was something I could only describe in a couple of days worth of therapy. It was a grown-up flavour that ruined a perfectly good scoop of ice cream, if you'd asked me!

But I was a pretty bright kid and with my insatiable sweet tooth, it didn't take me long to persuade my tastebuds to like it so I wouldn't have to skip dessert (I think the deadly sin 'glutton' is appropriate here!). Rum 'n raisin was reserved for the adults, it was sophisticated and I would feel rather classy (and clever) 'enjoying' it. So now, when I think of rum 'n raisin, I feel exactly that; classy. 

So here's a classy chocolate fudge recipe which feels like it should be stored in an antique tin. I'm pretty sure it would taste even better that way. 

Chocolate rum and raisin fudge

Makes 24

½ cup raisins

¼ cup rum (or 1 tsp rum essence in ¼ cup water)

400g dark chocolate, chopped

395g tin condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g butter or margarine

Line a 20cm square cake tin with non-stick baking paper.

Combine the raisins and rum and allow to stand for at least 1 hour.

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

Increase the heat and stir for a few minutes until the fudge is smooth and thick. Stir in the raisin mixture.

Pour into the lined cake tin and refrigerate until set.

Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.

Remember to hop on over to Facebook and like my page for recipes and sweet stuff. I also tweet about some cool things every now and then and Instagram my bakes (if I remember to snap them before I devour them!) 

Red Velvet Raspberry Sweetie Pies

South African's have a serious soft spot for sweetie pies (around the world they're known as cutie pies, wagon wheels, moon pies or mallow puffs). But whatever you choose to call them, their squishy marshmallowy centres covered in a thin layer of chocolate will turn anyone to mush. I don't know about you, but I love them for the fact that sharing is not an option, the treat is designed for a solo indulgence(best done in the car on the way home so you can hide the wrapper and no one will know!). I'll also add that everyone has their own technique for eating a sweetie pie - mine being to bite off a piece then use my finger to dig out all the marshmallow inside before devouring the remnants.

But now that the original has been discontinued here in South Africa (my sincerest condolences if this is news to you...) you'll now have to get your fix by making your own. I thought outside the cake box and added a red velvet spin to mine, with some bright raspberries swirled in for good measure. The red hue transforms this childhood favourite into a sexy little red number, perfect to make for your sweetie.

In the spirit of a different kind of luuuurve, my super-talented sister and I teamed up to do this very special post. Sarah-Jane from Art Strings has transformed my boring recipe text into the most beautiful illustration so feast your eyes before you feast on the sweetie pies!  

And just incase, here is the boring recipe text...

Red velvet raspberry sweetie pies

Makes 20

2 egg whites

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 tsp liquid glucose

1 tsp vanilla extract

few drops red gel food colouring

¼ cup raspberry puree

20 fresh raspberries

20 round biscuits or wafers

250g dark chocolate, melted

Whisk the egg whites in a heatproof glass or metal bowl until soft peak stage. Add the castor sugar gradually until the meringue turns glossy. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and beat the meringue on high until the mixture feels hot to the touch (or 60C on a thermometer). Then add the liquid glucose. Remove the bowl from the heat transfer to a new bowl and beat on high until cool. Fold in the vanilla, red colouring and raspberry puree then place in a piping bag. Pipe a swirl onto each biscuit, insert a raspberry into the middle then finish piping more marshmallow on top. Dip the sweetie pies in chocolate and allow to set on a wire cake rack.

TIP The marshmallow fluff can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Remember to hop on over to Facebook and like my page for recipes and sweet stuff. I also tweet about some cool things every now and then and Instagram my bakes (if I remember to snap them before I devour them!) 

If you LOVE the illustrations as much as I do and require custom creations, you can contact Sarah by emailing artstrings.creations@gmail.com