Pistachio and Cranberry Nougat

I first tried this pistachio and cranberry nougat at a food photography workshop where it was served at the end of lunch. It was really delicious.

This recipe for pistachio and cranberry nougat is by Annie Rigg from her book Sweet Things.

1 sheet confectionary rice paper
150g raw almonds
100g pistachio kernels
300g sugar
50g liquid glucose
75ml water
250g local fragrant honey
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla paste
50g cranberries
1 tsp rosewater
100g white chocolate
Herbies dried rose petals; slivered pistachios to garnish

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170C. Scatter the almonds and pistachios on a tray and roast in the oven for 6-8 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
2. Grease the base and sides of a 20cm square pan and line it with baking paper, then line the base with rice paper.
   Place the egg whites, 1 tbsp of the sugar, the vanilla and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attached. Leave it to one side for now.
3. Warm the honey in a small saucepan over low heat until just boiling. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
   Put the remaining sugar, glucose and water in another pan and place over low-medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Brush down any sugar on the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Once all of the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat and bring it to a boil and cook until it reaches 150C on a candy thermometer. Take the pan off the heat and carefully add the honey, stir well, return to heat and cook until the syrup returns to 150C.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks, then gently pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg whites whilst the machine is running. Increase speed to med-high and continue whisking for a further 3 minutes until the mixture is very thick. Next using the beater attachment or a rubber spatula, fold in the nuts, cranberries and rosewater.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tray and spread it to the corners (the mixture will be quite stiff at this stage). Place a sheet of baking paper over the mixture then roll over the top with a rolling pin until smooth. Place a tray on top and weigh it down with a heavy object, such as a bag of sugar. Leave overnight to set.
6. The next day, melt the chocolate, remove the sheet of baking paper and spread the chocolate over the top of the nougat, then sprinkle with rose petals and slivered pistachios. Pop in the fridge to set the chocolate. Remove the nougat from the tin and cut it into bars. Wrap in cello, tie with a ribbon and finish with a gift tag.
   Keeps well in the fridge, especially in humid weather.