The “nougat de Tours”, specialty cake
Contrary to the sweet and soft nougat from Montélimar, the “nougat de Tours” is a cake, which can easily be transported and kept for several days. A good reason to transport this Touraine delicacy back home to family and friends!
The “nougat de Tours”: a local specialty for centuries
This savoury cake is just one in a long list of local delicacies that you can try in the Loire valley and especially in Tours. Do not miss out on the other local produce such as: the goat cheese AOP Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine; the local dried pears we call “poires tapées”(pears that have been flattened and dried for better preservation) ; the “rillettes de Tours” (a savoury pulled pork meat served cold that you will spread on fresh bread) ; the macaroons of Cormery, a ring-shaped biscuit made from almond powder, icing sugar, powdered sugar and egg white, the nut or walnut oil pressed in Amboise; the locally produced truffles and saffron. And to finish with a beverage, you will, without a doubt, appreciate the wide range of local Loire valley wines.
It seems that the “nougat de Tours” already existed when Leonardo da Vinci lived in Amboise. He was very fond of almonds and candied fruit, the main ingredients of this local cake.
Even though the recipe has changed, it is still regulated by a specialised committee (confrérie gourmande du nougat de Tours). But you can always serve it with either ice cream, fruit sauce or even custard!
The “nougat de Tours”, a gourmet delicacy!
Recipe for “nougat de Tours”
Serving for 6 people
- 140g flour
- 80g caster sugar
- 70g butter
- 1 egg
- 150g candied fruits cut into cubes (melon and papaya)
- 50g apricot jam
- 80g almond powder
- 00g egg white
- icing sugar
- salt
For the sugar dough: Mix the butter, 35g of icing sugar, an egg, a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the flour to the mixture, add some water if necessary. Roll the dough into a bowl and put it in the fridge.
For the macaroon pastry: In a bowl, mix the caster sugar with the almond powder. Whisk the egg whites until they form peaks and add them delicately to the macaroon mixture.
Shaping the cake: take an 18cm round mould. Take out the sugar dough from the fridge, roll it so it is 3 mm thick. Spread a thin layer of apricot jam on the sugar dough. After the candied fruits, then the macaroon pastry. Sprinkle with icing sugar twice in 15 minute intervals before putting it in the oven.
Cook at 180 °C in the oven during 30 minutes