Nougat de Tours
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Nougat de Tours was created in Touraine in the 15th century, at the time of Leonardo da Vinci — a great lover of candied almonds and fruit. At that time, plums, apricots, pistachios, pine nuts and filberts were the fruit and nuts most commonly candied and used in recipes. Since 1998, the Confrérie du Nougat de Tours (Brotherhood of Nougat de Tours) has furthered the reputation of this specialty that has little to do with the famous confection that shares its name…
This Nougat is, in fact, a tart. A pastry base is spread with apricot marmalade, strewn with bits of candied fruit and then topped with an almond macaroon batter (macaronade) before being cooked at a low temperature for half an hour. A final dusting of icing sugar, and voilà!
