Nougatkonfekt (Austrian Hazelnut Nougat)

Gretel always said the Konditorei was the soul of Austrian life. Not the opera, not the palaces. The pastry shop. And at Christmastime, every Konditorei window in Vienna and Salzburg fills with trays of Konfekt: tiny, jewel-like confections lined up in rows, each one a different combination of chocolate, marzipan, or nougat. Nougatkonfekt was the one I reached for first, every single year.

In my grandmother Eva's kitchen in Kent, we made our own version each December. Gretel would roast the hazelnuts until the whole house smelled like a Viennese Christmas market, then grind them in a machine that sounded like it was about to give up on life. When the nuts finally broke down into that glossy, oily paste, she'd fold in melted chocolate and pour the whole thing into a lined tin. The next morning we'd cut it into neat squares and arrange them in a biscuit tin between layers of wax paper. Half of them never made it to Christmas Day.

Austrian Nuss-Nougat is nothing like the chewy, sticky nougat you might be picturing. Forget that entirely. This is Gianduja's Austrian cousin: a dense, smooth confection of roasted hazelnut paste and dark chocolate that snaps cleanly when cool and melts into something almost creamy on your tongue. The technique is simple. Roast, grind, melt, combine, pour, chill, cut. Seven steps. The only thing you need is patience during the grinding and a thermometer if you're cautious with your chocolate. Good hazelnuts and good chocolate do all the heavy lifting. You just bring them together.