Torrone di Cremona — Honey and Almond Nougat
A white, firm nougat made from long-cooked honey, beaten egg white, and toasted almonds, poured between two sheets of edible wafer (*ostia*). The confection for great occasions, hard under the tooth and perfumed with citrus.
A white, firm nougat made from long-cooked honey, beaten egg white, and toasted almonds, poured between two sheets of edible wafer (*ostia*). The confection for great occasions, hard under the tooth and perfumed with citrus.
I am a son of Cremona, and at home, at weddings and great feasts, they offered this nougat hard and white as ivory keys. The honey cooks long, long, until a thread forms — it takes the patience of a copyist. One beats in an egg white to make it clear, then well-toasted almonds, and one seals it between two wafers like a letter. It is sweet, it is tenacious, and it lasts as long as a beautiful melody stays in memory.
- •Honey — a large bowl (sweet base)
- •Egg white — one or two (whiteness and structure)
- •Almonds — in abundance (star ingredient)
- •Sugar — a little (firmness)
- •Citrus zest — a touch (perfume)
- •Wafer sheets (ostia) — two sheets (support)
Torrone di Cremona — Honey and Almond Nougat
A white, firm nougat made from long-cooked honey, beaten egg white, and toasted almonds, poured between two sheets of edible wafer (*ostia*). The confection for great occasions, hard under the tooth and perfumed with citrus.
Why this dish? Monteverdi was born in Cremona, whose emblematic confection is *torrone*, this honey and almond nougat that tradition traces back to a grand local wedding banquet in the 15th century. A festive sweet directly linked to the composer's birthplace.
I am a son of Cremona, and at home, at weddings and great feasts, they offered this nougat hard and white as ivory keys. The honey cooks long, long, until a thread forms — it takes the patience of a copyist. One beats in an egg white to make it clear, then well-toasted almonds, and one seals it between two wafers like a letter. It is sweet, it is tenacious, and it lasts as long as a beautiful melody stays in memory.
Ingredients (period version)
- Honey — a large bowl (sweet base)
- Egg white — one or two (whiteness and structure)
- Almonds — in abundance (star ingredient)
- Sugar — a little (firmness)
- Citrus zest — a touch (perfume)
- Wafer sheets (ostia) — two sheets (support)
Ingredients
- Honey — 300 g (base)
- Sugar — 150 g (firmness)
- Egg whites — 2 (whiteness/structure)
- Whole almonds — 300 g (star)
- Lemon zest — 1 (perfume)
- Edible wafer sheets (ostia) — 2 (support)
Method
- Toast the almonds in the oven for 10 min at 160 °C, keep warm.
- Heat the honey in a double boiler, stirring long, about 30-40 min, until a drop hardens in cold water.
- Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into the hot honey without stopping stirring.
- Cook the sugar with a spoonful of water to 145 °C, pour in a stream into the honey-egg mixture.
- Add the zest and warm almonds, mix vigorously.
- Pour between two wafer sheets in a frame, press under a weight and let harden for several hours before cutting into bars.
How it was made : Torrone di Cremona, based on honey, egg white, and almonds, is traditionally associated with a princely wedding banquet in 1441; its shape supposedly evoked the Torrazzo, the city's bell tower. The slow cooking of honey in a double boiler, without a thermometer, required the skill of a master confectioner.
The contemporary twist : A hint of orange blossom water and a dash of long pepper for a "baroque" version that surprises, presented in a case folded like a musical score.
Sources : Confectionery tradition of Cremona (torrone, 15th century) · Bartolomeo Scappi, Opera dell'arte del cucinare, 1570
Claudio Monteverdi · Charactorium