Nougatine slivers- Éclats Nougatine
Some of the least complicated chocolates are indeed the best. Nougatine slivers dipped in premium chocolate fall in this category. They are a perfect accompaniment to espresso and are equally fantastic when chopped in pieces and added to gelato. It is always hard for me to decide, if I prefer the slivers or éclat dipped in milk or semi sweet tempered chocolate. Dipped in milk chocolate you will taste the essence of the almonds better, in dark chocolate the caramel notes will shine. When I temper milk chocolate for nougatine slivers, I will add 15% dark chocolate to enhance the cocoa flavor in milk chocolate.
Nougatine contains similar ingredients and is made in a comparable fashion as brittle but the major difference is that it does not contain baking soda. In brittle, a small amount of baking soda is used to aerate the candy and make it stand up to humidity better. The downfall of baking soda is that it steals away delicate caramel and vanilla flavor notes.
This particular recipe for nougatine is made with pure sugar and without the standard addition of corn syrup or glucose. Either dairy or cocoa butter can be used, but dairy butter gives an unsurpassed flavor to nougatine especially when paired with vanilla or orange. Using a small amount of fleur de sel is essential to balance flavor and to make it impossible to have just one piece.
Perfect nougatine starts with toasting the almonds in a low temperature oven until golden and their aroma is at their very peak. Pseudo toasting in a frying pan is torture to the fine essence which almonds contain. Cooking the sugar to an accurate golden caramel gives the best flavor and texture as well. Undercooked, the nougatine will be too sweet, overcooked the caramel will be too dark and the almond flavor will be difficult to detect. Overcooked nougatine will very quickly attract moisture and become sticky before you have time to temper chocolate and then dip the nougatine slivers. Nougatine is best when rolled to the thickness of about 2-3 stacked credit cards.
Getting it all together!
The nougatine slivers will last so there is no need to make these the day of serving. However, it is important to temper chocolate and to dip the nougatine slivers completely to protect them from humidity. Store the nougatine slivers in a sealed container in a cool and dark place. An easy method of tempering chocolate can be found on this site.
Nougatine Recipe
| 1 Cup + 2 Tbsp | (9 oz) | Extra fine granulated sugar | 270 g |
| 6 Tablespoons | (3 oz) | Water | 90 g |
| ¾ Cup | (4 oz) | Toasted almonds | 120 g |
| ½ | (1/2) | Seeds of half vanilla bean | ½ |
| 1 Tbsp + 1 teaspoon | (3/4 oz) | Unsalted butter | 20 g |
| pinch | (pinch) | Fleur de sel | pinch |
- Set aside a silpat and a rolling pin. If using a wooden rolling pin, butter it lightly. Not necessary if using a silicone rolling pin. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C)
- In a saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil. Wash away any sugar crystals adhering to the side of the pan using a brush dipped in water. Additional water obtained in the pan from this process will not alter the final product.
- Cook to a golden caramel without stirring! (Stirring the mixture will make the mixture crystallize before it caramelizes!) Remove from heat, immediately add the toasted almonds, vanilla bean seeds, butter and fleur de sel. Stir to combine with a heat resistant or wooden spatula.
- Scrape the nougatine onto the silpat. Let sit for a few moments and then start gently rolling the nougatine into a thin sheet.
- If the nougatine hardens before it is sufficiently thin, keep it on the silpat and place it in the oven to slowly soften. Press with a finger to check if it is soft enough and then roll once more.
- When cold break into slivers. Temper chocolate of choice. Tempering chocolate can be found on this site.
- Dip the nougatine slivers into tempered chocolate using a chocolate fork. Store airtight.
Eddy,
I can’t wait to make this! I know it is going to be wonderful! You simply amaze me!
Each week you add something that I just can’t wait to try! And I find myself looking forward to the end of the week to see what you’ll post next!
These look SO good, Chef Eddy!
We made these over the weekend. At first we had a hard time rolling the nougatine but then I got the hang of it. I must say, it was totally worth making these nougatine pieces. They are delicious! We only have a few left and we may be making nougatine this weekend again!
Thank you!
Patricia.
These are very DELICIOUS!!!!!! and addicting!!!! Love them.
Kenn.
Chef Eddy, Thank you for this recipe, these are the best!
Manuel
Hi Chef Eddy!
If I have a smaller silpat than the one you used today, should I halve the recipe before I make it or does it not matter?
Thank you for making these delicious chocolates for everyone today!
Hi Jena,
You should be able to make the entire recipe fit on your silpat, but you can also half the recipe as well.
All the best, Eddy.
Nougatine slivers- Éclats Nougatine…. These chocolate filled with almonds are amazing. Flatting and spreading the Nougatine is way to fill it with dark chocolate. You can still use white chocolate when you make the Nougatine again. You could use others varieties of nuts for this product. I want some of these chef eddy… They are crunchy with alot of flavor… Later…
Hi Eddy
nice recipe! Easy to follow! I have blended the cold nougatine to create more shapes and moulds for different desserts. What is your experience with it and how does it hold?
Many thanks
Chef Tino
Hi Tino,
It will hold very well in low humidity. Not in humid places. In “On Baking” we have a recipe using glucose and fondant (NOT rolled type) , which works great in humid areas. (Sorry Tino, I cannot post the recipe here). A tip: roll the fondant on a warm flat top or a thick metal plate preheated in an oven. This way rolling will be easier and you will have time to shape the nougatine.
Thank you for your question!
Eddy
Hello Eddy,
First of all I’d like to thank you for all your wonderful recipes, but… I have a problem with this one – I tried it for 6 times now with no luck. My “nougatine” immediately falling apart just after I add butter and scrap it to the silpat. I tried on different temperatures of caramel (from 250 to 330F) and with usual or cocoa butter with same result. May be you can give some advice on this? What temperature should my caramel be before adding other ingredient? And may be I have to use melted butter? Thank you!
Hi Anton,
Sorry that this recipe is giving you not only trouble but also for the wasted ingredients. Make certain that the caramel is a golden-honey colored caramel (see the picture) before you remove it from the heat and add the almonds and butter. You can use melted butter if you like. What you can do Anton is add some glucose (Liquid form) or corn syrup in the recipe. Replace about 20% of sugar with glucose and this will prevent your nougatine from breaking. Add the glucose along with the sugar and water.
The reason why I prefer to make nougatine without corn syrup is that corn syrup may not be good for the human body. However, in many parts of the world glucose is made from potatoes.
All the best and let me know if you have any problems.
Eddy
Chef Eddy – we have made nougatine as a garnish to your plated dessert creations. Forget peanut brittle! I now have a new addiction! Thanks (I think)!
Ooh… I am a huge fan of almonds and this is simply outstanding!!!
ONE OF MY FAVORITES!
Hi Chef,
Great website! I was wondering if there is a way to cut the nougatine into regular parts. I´m trying to make bombons using a slabbed ganache technique and intend to use nougatine as a layer instead of pieces in the ganache. Any pointers?
Thank you so much
Jaime
Hi Jaime,
You sure can cut the nougatine in perfect shapes. One of the best things to work on is a very low heated flat top (What culinary chefs use to cook meats etc). If you do not have one of these, a thick piece of metal slab placed in the oven is great to roll on the nougatine. (Lightly oiled or place a silpat on the metal). Working on a silpat which is placed on a wooden table is another alternative. With nougatine temperatures is always the issue. Once it gets cold it is impossible to cut in perfect shapes. Thus working on something heated proves to make things easier.
Nougatine is one of the most luxurious items we have in the patisserie/chocolatier world, Bravo for incorporating it!
Eddy.
Hey Chef how are you???
I wonder if I can use this recipe in order to make a base for a Croquembouche?
Thank you for eveything!!!
Danielle
You sure can Danielle.
Hi Chefeddy
I have a question wrt tempering:
“When I temper milk chocolate for nougatine slivers, I will add 15% dark chocolate to enhance the cocoa flavor in milk chocolate.”
So there is no problem mixing these 2 types of chocolate when tempering? Can i go to about 50:50 ratio of milk and dark?
indeed, you can mix couverture chocolates at any ratios. If you primarily use white or milk chocolate, follow those temperatures. My best, Eddy.
I’m so excited that we get to make this today. I’ve been looking forward to trying this since that first day in class when you did that demo where you dipped the nougatine in chocolate. I like peanut brittle, but have a feeling that this is 100 times more delicious.