Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Nou Swear Word

Well I'll be...
We had planned to make nougat for months, nuts at the ready, dried plums from my next door neighbour, Miellerie Blue Gum honey, local eggs (some from our chooks), excitement building, my beautiful Ferrari-red Kitchen Aid plugged in and looking brilliant, we were set. Two hours later, we had marshmallowy mess bubbling like a volcano out of the Kitchen Aid, our hands were burning with splashes of hot honey, nuts flying everywhere and the language was coming out of us at a rate of knots. Nougat will be no more, get it while you can. We're outsourcing it. I can't believe how little you get from so much effort, a bit like Shirley Valentine's description of sex, "there's a lot of pushing and shoving and you still come out with very little in the end". (sorry mum, if that's a bit rude)

Next stop nougatine, hot sugar syrup (176 degrees) added to roasted nuts and cocoa nibs, poured on to the table and Nikki and I whimpering and squealing with excitement, pain and panic as we ripped and rolled these DELICIOUS blobs of smokey nutty delight. Yummo, salted caramels move over, there's a new Sherriff in town. We'll have these with almond in milk chocolate and hazelnuts in dark. Yum-yum-diddy-yum-yum..........

It's competition season again, Tuesday will be mould spraying day, chocolate moulds sprayed with cocoa butter & food colouring, that is. Nikki, being an asthmatic, isn't allowed in. I, on the other hand, will be dressed up like a ghost buster with goggles, face mask, air compressor in hand and a cloud of cocoa butter filling the air. Plays havoc with my lungs, but my skin and hair will look and feel fantastic.