On the Sixth Day of Christmas, my True Love baked for me…
Actually, I don’t think I can live this lie anymore. In case anyone thought there was some Significant Other who makes all these wonderful things, (and are therefore looking to their own Significant Others to follow such exemplary behaviour) there is no such person. Baking is my True Love.
This is what my (baking) true love made today. And it isn’t even baked!
It’s called Chocolate Torrone. It isn’t actually Toblerone, and it isn’t actually nougat, its like a cross between the two.
I make Chocolate Torrone and *force* it on my relatives for Christmas nearly every year. The real reason I make it is so that I get to nom all the *non perfect* slices. Best game ever.
Think of a slightly fluffy truffley dark chocolate centre dotted with almonds and candied citrus peel, ginger, or whatever candied fruit you love the most (this year I have gone for ginger and candied pears, with toasted pecans inside (the nut choice was caused by a failure to have any whole almonds in the house), rolled in a buttery white chocolate coating and perfectly toasted sliced almonds. See why I like to (accidentally) slice it wonky?
Chocolate Torrone looks so good, and it tastes even better. The cute triangular shape always makes me think of the European alps, and I just love the snowy coating of white chocolate and almonds over the dark centre. This is a Christmas Must Make!
Chocolate Torrone
makes about 20 pieces
ingredients
115g dark chocolate, chopped
50g unsalted butter
1 egg white
115g caster sugar
75g toasted almonds (or other nuts of your choice) chopped roughly
50g ground almonds
5 tbsp chopped candied fruit (peel, ginger, pears, apricots, Armenian cherries, whatever you like most)
75g white chocolate, chopped
25g unsalted butter
115g toasted flaked almonds
mixing
Melt the dark chocolate together with the first quantity of butter, stirring until smooth. In a small bowl, whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form and the sugar is completely dissolved (pinch the meringue between your fingers- it should not feel grainy). Add the melted chocolate mixture and fold in until completely combined.
Stir in the chopped almonds, the ground almonds, and the candied fruit.
Tip the mixture onto a large sheet of baking paper. Form into a log about 6cm in diameter and a bit more than 20cm long, and fold the long edges of the paper together to form a roll. The log will be quite soft at this stage.
Refrigerate the mixture for about 20 minutes. Remove the log from the fridge, pinch the ends of the paper closed so that the mixture has nowehere to go and gently shape the log into a triangular cross-section. 
This is best done by flipping the log from one side to the next and moulding the top sides with your hands. Gently unwrap and re-wrap the log, You can refrigerate the log a bit and repeat the process if desired. When you think the log is pretty evenly triangular, return to the refrigerator until it is completely hard.
Melt the white chocolate and second quantity of butter together, stirring until smooth. The mixture may thicken a little as the butter is mixed in – that’s fine as it makes the mixture easy to spread! You need to wait for the mixture to be about the same consistency as peanut butter before you coat the log. Scatter the toasted almonds in a rectangular pile on your work surface. Remove the log from the refrigerator and unwrap it.
Using a palette knife, spread the white chocolate mixture on one side of the log, then place this face down in the almonds.
Repeat for the other two sides. Fill any gaps with leftover chocolate and almonds. Wrap the log up in a clean sheet of baking paper, and then a layer of tin foil, and return to the refrigerator to set.
When the Chocolate Torrone is completely firm, use a sharp knife to trim the ends and to cut the log into 1cm slices. Eat the trimmings and any bung slices yourself. For the sake of your thighs, give the good slices away.
Enjoy!xxx
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