Comments on: Nougat Science http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html In LA, but Still Exploring Desserts Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:49:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Kerri http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-27824 Kerri Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:44:55 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-27824 First I'll say that this post is brilliant. I love how much you've gotten into the chemistry of the sugar. I too am pretty fascinated by the progression of the wet sugar stages. Second, I want fluffy nougat! To be specific, I want divinity. I tried to make a divinity recipe and it ended up not only darker than one would have liked (making me think that I had cooked off too much of the water) but also too dense and oozy (making me think I had not cooked off enough of the water after all). I ended up salvaging it by forming it into bars, coating it in chocolate and quickly sticking it in the fridge to keep it's shape. Once the chocolate had set the candies could be kept at room temperature and were pretty tasty, but not at all what I had aimed for. Any ideas on what went wrong? First I’ll say that this post is brilliant. I love how much you’ve gotten into the chemistry of the sugar. I too am pretty fascinated by the progression of the wet sugar stages.

Second, I want fluffy nougat! To be specific, I want divinity. I tried to make a divinity recipe and it ended up not only darker than one would have liked (making me think that I had cooked off too much of the water) but also too dense and oozy (making me think I had not cooked off enough of the water after all). I ended up salvaging it by forming it into bars, coating it in chocolate and quickly sticking it in the fridge to keep it’s shape. Once the chocolate had set the candies could be kept at room temperature and were pretty tasty, but not at all what I had aimed for. Any ideas on what went wrong?

]]> By: Nina http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-26845 Nina Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:45:30 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-26845 Hello, It sounds like there is too much moisture if it's oozing. I'd boil it to a higher temp. And if you're in a humid environment, it's best to wrap immediately once cool. Good luck! Hello, It sounds like there is too much moisture if it’s oozing. I’d boil it to a higher temp. And if you’re in a humid environment, it’s best to wrap immediately once cool. Good luck!

]]> By: Allan Georgee http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-26843 Allan Georgee Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:13:59 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-26843 Hi everyone. I have really enjoyed reading this article and posts. I have been making nougat (more like the torrone Nina speaks of with Bill). I have been getting good results but find it a problem with the finished product wanting to ooze once cut. The only way to hold it together is to wrap it. Can anyone shed any light with their experiences? I live in a humid place in Australia and agree with the humidity issues. Looking forward to a response. Hi everyone. I have really enjoyed reading this article and posts. I have been making nougat (more like the torrone Nina speaks of with Bill). I have been getting good results but find it a problem with the finished product wanting to ooze once cut. The only way to hold it together is to wrap it. Can anyone shed any light with their experiences? I live in a humid place in Australia and agree with the humidity issues.

Looking forward to a response.

]]> By: Jay http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-20771 Jay Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:22:19 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-20771 So tell me, did you ever achieve the light and fluffy? I have been trying and failing to get fluffiness for a while. I even blew up a mixer trying to whip the mixture as it cooled (apparently cheap mixers shouldn't be run for a long time with high temperature mixtures, who knew?) If leaving the product for a while makes it more fluffy, do we know why? My thoughts are on a change in moisture level, or time for incorporated air to expand. So tell me, did you ever achieve the light and fluffy?
I have been trying and failing to get fluffiness for a while. I even blew up a mixer trying to whip the mixture as it cooled (apparently cheap mixers shouldn’t be run for a long time with high temperature mixtures, who knew?)
If leaving the product for a while makes it more fluffy, do we know why? My thoughts are on a change in moisture level, or time for incorporated air to expand.

]]> By: Nina http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-20588 Nina Sat, 08 Dec 2007 03:17:47 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-20588 Hi Bill, I've never attempted torrone (or used honey in my nougat), so I"m not sure. I have seen recipes that call for boiling the sugar/honey to a relatively low temp (maybe 250F) and mixing half of that with the egg white, and then returning it to a boil to cook the rmg higher. That may lighten the color and hopefully there will be enough sugar boiled high enough for it to be hard. Good luck! Hi Bill,
I’ve never attempted torrone (or used honey in my nougat), so I”m not sure. I have seen recipes that call for boiling the sugar/honey to a relatively low temp (maybe 250F) and mixing half of that with the egg white, and then returning it to a boil to cook the rmg higher. That may lighten the color and hopefully there will be enough sugar boiled high enough for it to be hard.
Good luck!

]]> By: bill http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-20527 bill Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:51:27 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-20527 i have been attempting to make torrone for about a week.. 2 questions i have are, mine always come out beige, not white....the sugar/honey mix tends to darken before hard crack stage..is this normal or should i stop heating before i get to 300 as my recipe states, and texture..im looking for a rock hard texture as my italian girlfirend desires, somebody suggestes mixing longer. Does oxygen and aeration play a role? Any advice on how to get whiter/harder candy would be appreciated Thanks Bill i have been attempting to make torrone for about a week..

2 questions i have are, mine always come out beige, not white….the sugar/honey mix tends to darken before hard crack stage..is this normal or should i stop heating before i get to 300 as my recipe states, and texture..im looking for a rock hard texture as my italian girlfirend desires, somebody suggestes mixing longer. Does oxygen and aeration play a role?
Any advice on how to get whiter/harder candy would be appreciated

Thanks
Bill

]]> By: Nina http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-17334 Nina Thu, 06 Sep 2007 04:29:06 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-17334 Oh, you know what, I used dehydrated fruit that I'd bought -- I think the "simply" brand... and I tried blackberry and raspberry, both of which are probably most susceptible to a woodsy flavor from the seeds. I think that to get it right I would have to dehydrate them myself. I recently saw a Good Eats episode where he made made beef jerky on furnace filters blown by a fan.... Maybe I can rig up something like that. :) Or wait until his dehydrated fruit episode to run... :) And I'll have to remember the sugar water trick, too... Amazing how sugar can bring out so much flavor. :) Oh, you know what, I used dehydrated fruit that I’d bought — I think the “simply” brand… and I tried blackberry and raspberry, both of which are probably most susceptible to a woodsy flavor from the seeds.

I think that to get it right I would have to dehydrate them myself. I recently saw a Good Eats episode where he made made beef jerky on furnace filters blown by a fan…. Maybe I can rig up something like that. :) Or wait until his dehydrated fruit episode to run… :)

And I’ll have to remember the sugar water trick, too… Amazing how sugar can bring out so much flavor. :)

]]> By: dee_lusions http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-15459 dee_lusions Sat, 18 Aug 2007 10:30:48 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-15459 Woodsy? I've had that happen a couple of times when I've dehydrated my fruit too long. You might want to try playing with shorter drying times and lower settings. It affects the flavors of the fruits. Also, using things like lemon juice, sugar, salt, and other preservatives to keep colors and flavors can help or hinder the process. As for the tart flavor, it's come down to me being a picky shopper. It's taken years to learn how to identify those really yummy sweet strawberries that are going to go bad tomorrow as opposed to the ones that are truly going bad today ;p lol Of course, I still have to get out of season stuff, so I cheat and soak my cut berries in sugar water before dehydrating them. There are some books on dehydration for cooking, not just for food preservation that you might want to look up. I can't think of the names of them right now... I'll try to find them and post them here. I got them a long time ago, which started me on playing with fruit powders and many other ideas like veggie powders in soup stocks. Thanks for the compliment on the pie technique! I saw someone using it for a sauce recipe and I said, pie filling! Lol, I was making thanksgiving pies at the time. Woodsy? I’ve had that happen a couple of times when I’ve dehydrated my fruit too long. You might want to try playing with shorter drying times and lower settings. It affects the flavors of the fruits. Also, using things like lemon juice, sugar, salt, and other preservatives to keep colors and flavors can help or hinder the process.

As for the tart flavor, it’s come down to me being a picky shopper. It’s taken years to learn how to identify those really yummy sweet strawberries that are going to go bad tomorrow as opposed to the ones that are truly going bad today ;p lol Of course, I still have to get out of season stuff, so I cheat and soak my cut berries in sugar water before dehydrating them.

There are some books on dehydration for cooking, not just for food preservation that you might want to look up. I can’t think of the names of them right now… I’ll try to find them and post them here. I got them a long time ago, which started me on playing with fruit powders and many other ideas like veggie powders in soup stocks.

Thanks for the compliment on the pie technique! I saw someone using it for a sauce recipe and I said, pie filling! Lol, I was making thanksgiving pies at the time.

]]> By: Nina http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-14115 Nina Sat, 28 Jul 2007 17:58:30 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-14115 Thank you so much -- for the praise and suggestions! :) I've played around a little bit with fruit powders in nougat, and they worked to an extent. To me, though, the flavor was a little off -- it was more tart and woodsier than I like, and the (relatively bland) sweeteners used in nougat were never quite able to take the edge off; I even tried not to grind the seeds too much before straining them. The powder doesn't dissolve completely, but it wasn't not gritty at all so at least the texture was nice. Incidentally, in Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard uses raspberry powder in quite a few things.... and a lot of it! I made his meringue recipe, which has 1/2 cup egg whites to 3/4 cup raspberry powder, and wow, that was intense. It was also wild to see the powder almost instantly eat up all the moisture in the egg whites when they were folded in. I did try a mint nougat by slowly drying out fresh mint leaves in the microwave, grinding them up, and mixing them in. It actually worked nicely. The flavor remained bright, with a smooth texture, and it kept well. I haven't been tried it, but I've been wondering if it would work to "infuse" sugar by putting dried mint or tea leaves into a canister of sugar for a long time, like for vanilla sugar. And I love your pie filling technique! I bet the flavors of the fresh and dehydrated fruit work together really well. I have to try that! Thank you so much — for the praise and suggestions! :)

I’ve played around a little bit with fruit powders in nougat, and they worked to an extent. To me, though, the flavor was a little off — it was more tart and woodsier than I like, and the (relatively bland) sweeteners used in nougat were never quite able to take the edge off; I even tried not to grind the seeds too much before straining them. The powder doesn’t dissolve completely, but it wasn’t not gritty at all so at least the texture was nice.

Incidentally, in Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard uses raspberry powder in quite a few things…. and a lot of it! I made his meringue recipe, which has 1/2 cup egg whites to 3/4 cup raspberry powder, and wow, that was intense. It was also wild to see the powder almost instantly eat up all the moisture in the egg whites when they were folded in.

I did try a mint nougat by slowly drying out fresh mint leaves in the microwave, grinding them up, and mixing them in. It actually worked nicely. The flavor remained bright, with a smooth texture, and it kept well.

I haven’t been tried it, but I’ve been wondering if it would work to “infuse” sugar by putting dried mint or tea leaves into a canister of sugar for a long time, like for vanilla sugar.

And I love your pie filling technique! I bet the flavors of the fresh and dehydrated fruit work together really well. I have to try that!

]]> By: dee_lusions http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-14006 dee_lusions Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:11:19 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2007/02/28/nougat-science.html#comment-14006 This is a wonderful post. I enjoyed reading it very much. Thank you for sharing. A thought came to mind when you were discussing flavoring the nougat. A way to get intense flavoring without compromising the freshness of flavor, especially with fruit, is to use dehydrated fruit that has been ground into a fine powder that will basically melt into the liquid of your recipe. I'm not sure how you'd need to adjust the dry ingredients, but I do know that you'd get a wonderful burst of fresh flavor. I've done this with my pie fillings. Since I hate to cook away all the flavor of my filling, I use fresh fruit that I simmer gently until just barely softened in their juices with some sugar. Then I add agar agar and fruit powder. I get demands for my "secret" recipe. :) Mint or any kind of green flavoring would be more challenging since they don't become instant even after dehydrating and grinding. I haven't figured out a way other than making an infusion to incorporate things like mint and green tea. Have you found any other ways of incorporating these kinds of flavors? This is a wonderful post. I enjoyed reading it very much. Thank you for sharing. A thought came to mind when you were discussing flavoring the nougat. A way to get intense flavoring without compromising the freshness of flavor, especially with fruit, is to use dehydrated fruit that has been ground into a fine powder that will basically melt into the liquid of your recipe. I’m not sure how you’d need to adjust the dry ingredients, but I do know that you’d get a wonderful burst of fresh flavor.

I’ve done this with my pie fillings. Since I hate to cook away all the flavor of my filling, I use fresh fruit that I simmer gently until just barely softened in their juices with some sugar. Then I add agar agar and fruit powder. I get demands for my “secret” recipe. :)

Mint or any kind of green flavoring would be more challenging since they don’t become instant even after dehydrating and grinding. I haven’t figured out a way other than making an infusion to incorporate things like mint and green tea. Have you found any other ways of incorporating these kinds of flavors?

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