The origins of turron or Nougat were thought to have come about somewhere in the 10c when the Muslim conquest was in full swing and there was much movement of their armies. A transportable, nutrient rich food source was need that wouldn’t spoil on long, hot journeys and intoxicate the troops. The amount of sugar in turron would have also given the tired soldiers a welcome pep.

This version of turron is associated with Alicante in the Costa Blanca- it’s a hard, brittle type as opposed to the very soft and chewy versions you’ll find further east. There’s many variations on the cooked honey/nut combinations all over Spain and the world.

This goes incredibly well with my pomegranate ripple ice cream- using sticky molasses. The turron is also great on its own with coffee.

Turron

You’ll need a square or rectangular baking tin to set the turron.

Ingredients

• 350g of runny honey

• 200g caster sugar

• 2 egg whites

• 100g shelled green pistachios

• 100g sesame seeds

• 450g toasted almonds

• 3 tablespoons of water

• 4 drops of anise

For the turron- whisk the egg whites to form hard peaks- as a meringue.

Heat the caster sugar with the water until you achieve a syrup- no colour - and then turn off the heat.

In another pan heat the honey until it liquefies and add this to the sugar syrup. Place the syrup and honey mix back on the heat and cook until it turns a dark golden brown colour (known as hard ball stage) and then add the almonds, pistachio and sesame seeds along with the anise and egg whites. Mix well ensuring there are no egg white lumps in the mix, this will take a few minutes.

Line a rectangular tin with parchment paper and then transfer the mix into this, smoothing the top down with a spatula.

Place another piece of parchment on top and then a wooden board or thick card on top of that to weight the mix. If using card then add some weight on to that such as 2 or 3 tins.

Transfer to a fridge for at least 2 days for the mix to set.

When ready and set, remove the board from the top and the parchment.

Invert the tin onto a board and then remove the rest of the parchment. The turron will still be slightly wet which is normal for a fresh, homemade version and is all the more delicious for it. Cut the turron into chunks and serve with scoops of the ice cream or on its own sprinkled with icing sugar.

Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 300ml milk

• 200ml double cream

• 4 egg yolks

• 100g caster sugar

• Thick pomegranate molasses

Heat the milk and double cream to a simmer. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until pale and light and then add a few splashes of the hot cream mix to the eggs and mix well. Now add the yolks mix into the pan of hot cream and mix well. Cook this very slowly over a low heat- stirring as you go until it starts to thicken and will coat the back of a spoon. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer the mix to a container and cool before putting in the fridge to chill.

Churn the custard in an ice cream machine until nearly set and then transfer to a freezer proof container. Stir in the molasses to form ripples and then place in the freezer.

Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.