Torrone, in italy, can be chewy or crunchy (you have to break it in pieces). The crunchy one holds its shape - as does the chewy one for that matter (they put host on top and bottom of the soft one). In the states you usually only find the soft kind. The more it cooks, the harder it is
I never tried this recipe, just am translating an italian recipe from a random internet site, so you have to take it with a grain of salt.
250 grams honey
300 gms peeled whole almonds
250 gms peeled, toasted hazelnuts
200 gms white sugar
3 egg whites
host (looks like paper, tastes bready, it's what they make hosts out of for churches)
bring honey to a boil in a double boiler (Will honey actually boil in a double boiler, I don't know. Italian recipes are notoriously vague), over low heat, stirring often.
It has to cook about an hour.
Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and add the honey, mixing with a wooden spoon. (here, again, i would do an italian meringue, beating them in, but the recipe is vague, and says to continue mixing with a wooden spoon)
Caramelize the sugar to a light blonde color and when it's colored, add it to the honey/eggwhite mixture, and continue mixing.
At this point, cooking the mixture (it didn;t say anything about cooking it before, so maybe you have to keep cooking it???? maybe you add the eggwhite mix TO the sugar?) it will change consistency from soft and almost foamy it will lose volume and get hard. The m,ore you cook it the harder it gets.
Maybe if you use some of these ideas and incorporate them you can come up with something.
Edited by siduri - 4/3/11 at 7:17am
