Authentic Torrone di Cremona Recipe Cremona, Italy

One of the most popular variants of Italian nougat or torrone comes from Cremona, a city in the north-Italian region Lombardy and carries the IGP denomination. Known under the names of torrone di Cremona and torrone classico, this tasty sweet is made of sugar, honey, almonds, and egg whites and can additionally be flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, candied citrus, and lemon zest, or coated with dark chocolate. Its texture can range from soft and chewy (torrone tenero) to hard and brittle (torrone duro), and its preparation is simple but, in most cases, quite time-consuming. The first steps are to toast the almonds, caramelize the sugar, melt the honey in a bain-marie, and beat the egg whites into firm snow. The honey and sugar syrup are then joined and mixed with whipped egg whites in a process called sbianchimento (lit. whitening). The toasted and still warm almonds are gently folded into the mixture then cooked over low heat. The cooking may last for 1 hour ... Read more