Saturn Peach and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream for the Last Days of Summer

Although we still have a few weeks left before we transition into autumn, it seems for us, summer is over as soon as school starts. It will be a new school year, a new school, new friends and all sorts of new adventures and I am ready for it. I am ready for the routine.

This past weekend we celebrated the end of summer with extra hours at the pool and an ice cream party. We still have many days of heat ahead of us, but it was a good way of making the little ones understand the changes that are ahead for them.



It has been the summer of fruit for me. I can't even remember the last time I made a chocolate recipe in this blog. That has not been one of the cravings during this pregnancy, but fruit... yes, plenty of it.

I waited a long time for saturn peaches this time around. They haven't been as abundant in our markets, but I finally found some beautiful ones this week. I'm not sure if technically this is correct, but saturn peaches seem sweeter to me than any other stone fruit. Could this be true? Or maybe it's just my memories of eating them at the beach during my childhood. Nevertheless, I always get extra excited when I find them and this time was no exception.



As I have mentioned many times before, I have a weakness for pistachios. I thought it would be great to create a chunky ice cream with fruit and pistachios. The ice cream recipe is from David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop" and I love the slight tanginess that the sour cream adds to the entire recipe.

The pistachio nougat recipe is a slightly softer version of the traditional nougat and turns a bit into marshmallow once it has been in the ice cream overnight. Loved the texture of it and so did everyone else.



Pistachio Nougat

Makes half a sheet pan

100 grams egg whites
10 grams powdered sugar
275 grams honey
800 grams sugar
170 grams glucose
300 grams water
650 grams pistachios, lightly roasted

In a medium saucepan, cook the sugar, glucose and water to 144C. This will take a few minutes.

In the meantime, roast the pistachios and keep them warm until ready to use.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Start whipping slowly and when they are foamy add the powdered sugar. Continue to whip.

Place the honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When the sugar syrup is at about 130C, add the boiling honey to the whipped egg whites and continue to whip.

When the sugar syrup has reached 144C, remove from heat and start adding it to the egg whites slowly pouring in through the side of the bowl. Keep it close to the edge so the whisk attachment doesn't start spinning the sugar into threads. Add all the syrup and turn it to high speed. Continue whipping until the bowl cools off slightly but it is still warm, about 4 minutes.

At this point, you can do a test of what the consistency of the nougat will be once cooled. Turn machine off and take a small piece of the meringue. Dip it in ice water and see how much it hardens.

When desired consistency has been reached, fold in the warm pistachios and immediately spread on a silpat while it is still warm and pliable. Spread into an even layer. You can dust the top with powdered sugar and use a rolling pin.

Let it cool completely for about 4 hours.

Saturn Peach and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream

peach ice cream adapted from "The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz

600 grams saturn peaches
125 ml water
150 grams sugar
120 grams sour cream
250 ml heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
175 grams pistachio nougat, chopped into small pieces

Peel and dice the peaches. Place them in a medium saucepan with the watr. Cook them for about 10 minutes until soft.

Remove pot from heat and add the sugar. Transfer the peaches to a clean bowl and let them cool completely. Once cooled, puree them in the food processor.

Add the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and chill completely. Churn in ice cream machine and when desired consistency is reached, fold in the chopped pistachio nougat. Transfer to container and freeze.

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Saturn Peach and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream for the Last Days of Summer

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https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2009/08/saturn-peach-and-pistachio-nougat-ice.html

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Turron Macarons and some Christmas Memories

Growing up, one of the first things that really signaled the beginning of Christmas season was the display of all the different varieties of turron on the shelves of grocery stores, pastry shops and pantries. Turron duro is a hard nougat covered in wafer paper and normally comes from Alicante. Turron blando on the other hand, is a soft paste also made with ground almonds, honey and sugar and this usually comes from Jijona.

My fondest memories come from sitting down in my family's pastry shop and watching everyone peel the blanched almonds for the turron by hand. Sacks and sacks of almonds were ordered, blanched, peeled and ground by hand in the pastry kitchen right before Christmas. We all helped as much as we could, even us kids. This was a very busy time and still is, with tons and tons of holiday orders to fill. My family still makes turron every year and how I wish I could be there to help.




So I really wanted to make some macarons with those flavors in mind. Although I have talked about making nougat in this blog several times already, I did not make the turron this time since it is available in our store straight from Spain. I made a paste by grinding it in the food processor and mixed it in with buttercream to create a nutty and creamy filling for the macarons. I hope you try them.



Turron Macarons

180 grams almond flour
245 grams powdered sugar
140 grams egg whites
3 grams egg white powder
2 grams of finely ground sea salt
80 grams granulated sugar
edible gold luster or chopped almonds for the topping

In a large bowl, sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg white and the egg white powder. Whip in medium speed until egg whites start to increase in volume. When the egg whites are almost fully whipped and very fluffy, slowly start adding the sugar. After all the sugar is incorporated, continue to whip the meringue in high speed now until semi stiff peaks have formed. Add the food coloring now and whip.

Add the sifted dry ingredients to the meringue. Fold until we achieve a shiny mass that is a bit runny but still leaves ridges. We are looking for a mass that spreads a little but not too much otherwise our macaroons will be flat. Test a couple to see if you need to mix some more.

Pipe the mass onto half sheet pans lined with silpats. Sprinkle the wet macaroons with chopped almonds or edible gold luster. Let the macarons sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes so they dry. We want the tops to not stick to our finger when we touch them. This will ensure a crack-free macaroon.

Preheat oven to 350F. We will bake one sheetpan at a time. When you are ready to bake the first one, lower the oven temperature to 300F. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate and bake for another 8 minutes or so. Check to see if they are done by lifting one from the silicon mat. It's ok if they stick a bit, but just a bit. As they cool on the hot sheetpan, they continue to dry. It's a matter of trial and error.

Turron Buttercream

50 grams egg whites
100 grams sugar
150 grams butter, room temperature
50 grams of turron paste

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together egg whites and the sugar lightly. Place over a water bath until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Bring bowl to the electric mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time while whipping. It might seem like the buttercream breaks, but continue whipping as it will come together. Add the turron paste and mix until combined.

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Turron Macarons and some Christmas Memories

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Salted Chocolate, Peanut and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream

I don't know about you, but the cooler weather always makes me crave chocolate. I am naturally a person that prefers fruit desserts over chocolate, but as soon as temperatures start to drop, all I can think about is having a piece of dark chocolate. I was writing down dessert menu ideas recently and I realized chocolate and nuts were in almost every single item that was roaming around in my head and this salted chocolate ice cream with chocolate, pistachio and peanut nougat pieces was one of them.

This nougat is a softer version than the turron I grew up eating as a child around Christmas time. It is more like the Toblerone filling, but with chunkier nuts in it. How delicious does that sound? I used acacia honey along with salted pistachios and peanuts. I made a large batch and used part of it as a mix-in for a dark chocolate ice cream. If this doesn't satisfy your chocolate craving, I don't know what will.




A few months ago, I had someone ask me why everything has to have the word "salted" in front to sound trendy. I disagreed. Maybe the word itself was not used as often before, but salt has always been a great compliment for caramel, chocolate and nuts. It has always been there in many recipes and formulations, but perhaps wasn't noted in the name. So I do not think this is a trend, but a way to enhance a flavor and it will continue to be.



Chocolate Nougat

290 grams sugar
90 grams glucose
120 grams water
310 grams good-quality honey (I used acacia)
100 grams egg whites
20 grams sugar
pinch of cream of tartar
260 grams unsweetened chocolate, melted
250 grams salted and roasted pistachios
250 grams salted and roasted peanuts

It's best to work on a marble slab but if you don't have one, a large wood block will do. Set up a sheet of parchment paper in between two candy rulers (if available, if not it's ok). Lightly dust the parchment with cocoa powder.

Spread the peanuts and pistachios on a sheetpan and keep warm in a 250F oven until ready to use.

Place the egg whites and the cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whip attachment. Start whipping the egg whites on low speed while we proceed with the rest of the ingredients.

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar and the water until it resemble wet sand. Brush the sides of the pan with water to dissolve any sugar particles that are left. Turn on the heat and when it starts to lightly boil, add the glucose. Continue cooking the sugar on high until it reaches 155C.

At the same time, pour the honey into a small pan and boil. When it almost reaches a first boil, turn the electric mixer on high and let the egg whites get foamy and fully whipped. Continue boiling the honey until it reaches 120C. The honey will really bubble up and foam up at this point.

When the egg whites are whipped, add the 20 grams of sugar and continue whipping on high for another minute or so until it develops more body. Then, turn the machine to medium speed and slowly pour in the 120C honey from the side of the bowl. Turn the machine back to high speed and continue whipping the egg whites until the sugar syrup reaches 155C. Then turn speed back to low and pour this sugar syrup into the meringue slowly on the side of the bowl. When all the sugar has been incorporated, turn back to high speed and whip for another 5 minutes.

After the 5 minutes, turn the mixer down to low speed and add the melted unsweetened chocolate. Turn speed higher and whip for another minute or so.

Remove bowl from mixer and add the warm peanuts and pistachios. Fold with a spatula. Spread the nougat in between the candy bars on top of the parchment. Spread with an offset spatula to even it out. Let it cool a bit. Cover with another sheet of parchment or silicon mat and let it set for 24 hours.

Chocolate Nougat Ice Cream

500 ml heavy cream
250 ml whole milk
25 grams cocoa powder
150 grams sugar
5 grams sea salt
100 grams egg yolks
125 grams 70% chocolate, chopped
150 grams chocolate nougat, chopped into small pieces

Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cream, salt, half of the sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, place the egg yolks and the other half of the sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. Temper the cream mixture over the egg yolks and whisk. Return this mixture to the saucepan and cook to 82C or until it coats the back of the spoon.

Pour this custard over the chopped chocolate and whisk until it is all incorporated and melted. Strain this ice cream base through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and chill over an ice bath. Refrigerate overnight.

The following day, churn the ice cream base in the ice cream machine and when it is done, fold in the chocolate nougat pieces. Pour into container and freeze.

Note: Something I never mention about ice cream and that is very important, is to have your ice cream container (where you will store your churned ice cream) in the freezer before hand. This way, when your churned ice cream hits the container, it stays frozen. If this container were at room temperature, your ice cream would start to melt, losing the air that was incorporated during the churn.

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Salted Chocolate, Peanut and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream

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"Snickers" Bar... Salted Peanuts, Nougat, Milk Chocolate and Caramel

I have been feeling as if I am in an "inspiration transition" period. I suppose it is very much like how I feel about my wardrobe in between seasons. Eager to wear sweaters and coats at the end of summer, although the weather is not quite cool enough yet. The same happens to me with food. There are still plenty of apricots, plums and currants to bake with, yet I am dreaming of chestnuts, quince, pears, apple cider and figs. In cases like these, I always turn to chocolate and nuts. So versatile and timeless.

This is a rendition to one of C's favorite candy bars, the Snickers bar. Poor thing has been working non-stop for the last two weeks on a project away from home and I really wanted to make something comforting for him. He really deserves a little break and a little treat.

It is a crunchy, chewy and creamy bar with milk chocolate, peanut butter and rice krispies crust, a layer of salted peanut nougat, milk chocolate bavarian and topped with caramel cream. I knew the nougat would start to melt after being in the freezer, but in a way that made this easier to eat since a hard nougat would have made it difficult to bite into.



Milk Chocolate Feuilletine Crust

135 grams feuilletine or corn flakes or rice krispies
300 grams creamy peanut butter
155 grams milk chocolate, melted

Cream together the feuilletine and the peanut butter for about 3 minutes until it starts to turn into a paste. Add the melted milk chocolate and mix until combined. Spread this on the bottom of a half sheetpan lined with parchment and topped with a square frame.

Salted Peanut Nougat

50 grams egg whites
5 grams powdered sugar, sifted
110 grams honey
400 grams sugar
85 grams glucose
150 grams water
200 grams salted and roasted peanuts, chopped

Start by combining the sugar, glucose and water in a medium saucepan. Cook to 144C.

In the meantime, start whipping the egg whites. When they are foaming, add the sifted powdered sugar and continue whipping. Quickly heat the honey to boiling point and pout the boiling honey into the bowl where the egg whites are whipping. Continue to whip on high speed.

When the sugar reaches the desired temperature, turn the mixer speed to low and add the sugar to the egg whites pouring slowly on the side of the bowl. When all the sugar has been added, turn the mixer speed to high and continue to whip until it slightly cools. We don't want it to completely cool because we want to be able to spread it easily.

Turn the mixer off and fold in the chopped peanuts. Spread the nougat evenly into the metal frame over the milk chocolate crust.

Milk Chocolate Bavarian

120 grams half and half
10 grams sugar
2 egg yolk
4 grams gelatin
250 grams milk chocolate, finely chopped
200 grams heavy cream, soft peaks

In a small saucepan, bring the half and half to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Temper the hot half and half into the egg yolks and whisk. Pour this mixture back in the pan and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and add the softened gelatin.

Strain the custard over the milk chocolate that we have finely chopped into a clean bowl. Let the custard melt the chocolate for a minute and then gently whisk until a cream is formed and all the chocolate has melted.

When the chocolate mixture has cooled to the touch, fold in the whipped cream. Immediatly pour the bavarian over the nougat and freeze.

Salted Caramel Cream

360 grams heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split
90 grams sugar
120 grams egg yolks
3 grams gelatin
1 grams fleur de sel

Bring the cream and the vanilla bean to a boil. Reserve.

In the meantime, make a dry caramel with the sugar. Deglaze the cooked sugar with the heated cream. Be careful because it will bubble overif all the cream is added at once. Whisk so all crystalized sugar has dissolved. Pour this caramel over the egg yolks and whisk. Return this to the pan and cook for 1 minute.

Add the softened gelatin and strain through a fine sieve. When it is cool to the touch, pour over the milk chocolate bavarian layer and freeze.

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"Snickers" Bar... Salted Peanuts, Nougat, Milk Chocolate and Caramel

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https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2008/09/bar-salted-peanuts-nougat-milk.html

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