Catalan Nougat (Turron de Agramunt) Recipe

1 1/3 c Honey
2 Egg whites; stiffly beaten
1/2 lb Almonds; blanched; peeled
-kept warm
3 1/2 oz Hazelnuts; roasted; peeled
Kept warm (about 3/4 cup)
Edible rice paper

Put the honey in a heavy saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir it with a wooden spoon and when the honey begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat. Continue stirring until the honey thins to the consistency of pancake syrup. Stir in the egg whites and return the mixture to the heat; continue cooking until it reaches a toffee-like consistency (hard-ball stage). Stir in the nuts and mix well.

Spread the mixture in a jelly-roll pan lined with edible rice paper. Cover with a second sheet of rice paper and weight the top. Let it cool, then cut the nougat into 1-inch squares.

When making nougat, the nuts should be warm. Cover freshly peeled nuts with foil to retain the warmth they gained in blanching or roasting; wrap previously peeled nuts in foil and warm them in a 200-degree F. oven for 15 minutes.