Mandolato Zakynthou (Μαντολάτο Ζακύνθου)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •20 x 30cm shallow baking pan
• •candy thermometer or digital probe
• •heavy 3 litre saucepan
• •stand mixer with whisk attachment
• •sturdy silicone spatula
• •long serrated knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Line the pan

   Line a 20 x 30cm shallow pan with parchment, leaving a little overhang. Trim one wafer sheet to fit the bottom and keep the second sheet ready for the top. Once the nougat is beaten, it sets its mind quickly, so the pan must be waiting.

2. 2

   Toast the almonds

   Heat the oven to 160°C. Spread the almonds on a tray and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until they smell sweet and nutty but stay pale. Turn the oven off and leave them warm inside. Warm almonds fold into the nougat without shocking it into stiffness.

3. 3

   Whip the whites

   Put the egg whites, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Beat to soft peaks, not dry peaks. The whites should mound and lean over at the tip, ready to take the syrup.

4. 4

   Cook the syrup

   Put the honey, sugar, water, and glucose syrup, if using, in a heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat only until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and let it boil to 143°C, or 145°C in a damp kitchen. Hot sugar burns badly, so keep the handle turned in and work calmly.

   Without a thermometer, drop a little syrup into cold water. It should form a firm ball that holds its shape but still bends. The thermometer is less romantic and more reliable.
5. 5

   Beat until thick

   With the mixer running on medium-low, pour the hot syrup into the egg whites in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Increase to medium-high and beat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the nougat turns ivory, thick, and heavy, and a ribbon sits on the surface before slowly sinking. This is the step that decides the set.

6. 6

   Fold the almonds

   Add the vanilla powder, then fold in the warm almonds with a sturdy oiled spatula, or switch briefly to the paddle attachment on low speed. Work quickly and scrape right to the bottom of the bowl so every almond is coated.

7. 7

   Press between wafers

   Scrape the nougat onto the bottom wafer and spread it into an even slab with an oiled spatula. Lay the second wafer on top and press gently with parchment and a flat board. Do not chase perfect corners. Zakynthos mandolato should look generous, not nervous.

8. 8

   Set and cut

   Let the mandolato set at cool room temperature for at least 3 hours, preferably 4. Lift it from the pan and cut it into small bars with a long serrated knife. Wrap pieces in parchment and store airtight at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Chef Tips

• •Use honey you want to taste because there is nowhere for it to hide. Thyme honey gives a firmer Zakynthian character; mild blossom honey makes a gentler slab. Λίγα και καλά: a few things, and good ones.
• •Make mandolato on a dry day if you can. Sugar pulls moisture from the air, and a damp kitchen makes nougat sag. In wet weather, use the glucose syrup and cook the syrup to 145°C.
• •If you cannot find wafer sheets, set the nougat on oiled parchment and wrap the pieces well. It will still be good nougat for your kitchen, but the Zakynthos confectionery version wears its wafers.
• •Mandolato is not nistisimo because of the egg white. For a fasting tray, make pasteli with sesame and honey instead; the calendar already gives us the right sweet.

Advance Preparation

• •Trim the wafer sheets and line the pan before cooking the syrup; nougat waits for no one once it thickens.
• •The almonds can be toasted up to 1 day ahead and kept airtight, then warmed gently before folding in.
• •Mandolato is best made 1 to 2 days before serving, when it has settled cleanly and still cuts well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 26g)