For chef Pasquale Vari, nougat is a tradition. A Christmas tradition passed down by his grandfather who was a confectioner, later taken up by his father, and it is now his turn to pass on his love for nougat.
Pasquale Vari invited us to his home to reveal the secrets of making his traditional 100% honey nougat that he gives to his friends at Christmas. In the Calabria region, where it comes from, in southern Italy, nougat is made.
“In this part of Italy, from Naples to Sicily, nougat is made, because there was a big Spanish influence. It is called torrone. Traditional nougat is made from honey and almonds, it can be flavored with lemon, orange or bergamot, it can also be coated with chocolate… But we don’t add sugar! », explains the chef, who is also a professor at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec.
For the man who made himself known as a judge on the show Les Chefs!, nougat has a very special symbolism. “My grandfather was a confectioner in the south of Calabria, and during the months of October and November he prepared his nougat and left in December on the road to the Christmas markets. As a teenager, my father helped him clean almonds. Over the years, he too developed a passion for nougat,” he confides.
His father worked as an electrician and it was when he retired that he started making his nougat. “It had become a hobby, he made his own nougat for Christmas and gave it to friends,” he explains.
Every year, he offers his nougat to his neighbors, his friends, his colleagues, business relations and those who ask him for it. He begins the bread making of his nougat at the end of November. Because yes, making nougat requires patience: you have to skin and roast the almonds, which is the longest part of the recipe!
“The tradition in Italy is that from December 18 or 19, we present our greetings to family and friends, we visit them, it’s a family obligation. When we entertain, there must always be something on the table, we serve desserts without cream or butter, because they can be preserved. Nougat or biscotti are perfect, we offer them with coffee. »
For Pasquale Vari, it’s important to keep family traditions. “It allows us to enjoy nougat, and we only do it during the holidays, we eat it once a year, and that’s it! Then you have to wait until the following year. It’s like the Quebec strawberry, we take pleasure in waiting for it every year from June, and we rejoice! Nougat is the same, it’s a Christmas tradition. »
Do we like nougat here? ” Yes ! We have a sweet tooth here, we love honey and anything sweet! I wanted to adapt the recipe and replace the honey with maple syrup, but it doesn’t work, there’s too much humidity, the consistency isn’t right! »
For Pasquale Vari, this recipe for soft almond nougat is synonymous with a sweet and sweet Christmas. “We appreciate nougat and share it with family and friends… And we don’t want to have any left over in January! »
