Recipe: Nougat Torrone

Nougat TORRONE

1 cup, 3 oz. honey
1 cup, 3 oz. sugar
3 egg whites
1 lb. shelled almonds
1 cup shelled hazelnuts (lightly toasted)
3 oz. candied orange and citron, or 1 1/2 oz. pistachios
2 lemons
large wafer sheets
6 Tbsp. water

Cook the honey in a double boiler for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring constantly. Cook the sugar and water until it reaches the hard-ball stage. Whip the egg whites till stiffened and fold them into the honey. When the mixture becomes a foamy mass, add the cooked sugar and continue mixing until the mixture begins to harden. Add the almonds and the hazelnuts, candied fruit and grated peel of two lemons, mixing thoroughly. Line a mold or a rectangular baking pan with the thin sheets of unlevened wafer. Pour in the mixture making an even layer, top with another wafer, cover with a wooden board and weight the board down. Let stand for half an hour, turn the baking pan over onto a cutting board, and divide the torrone in pieces as large as desired and keep at room temperature. Torrone may keep for a long time if it is wrapped in oiled paper or tin foil.