I found the recipe for this “extraordinary and irresistible traditional Christmas candy” in a treasured old cookbook “The Auberge of The Flowering Hearth”. Created with only three ingredients, pine honey, toasted almonds and a pinch of thyme, it was caramelized down into a dark, delectable, chewy brittle known as Black Nougat. Well, I was enchanted. Not only did it sound easy to make and absolutely scrumptious, it was positively soaked in old world Christmas and Yule magic.
Black Nougat was one of thirteen traditional desserts served at The Auberge (a small country inn located high in the Alps of France). As per Christmas Eve custom, it was paired with White Nougat, and served alongside dried fruits and nuts, fennel seed cookies, marron de glace (candied chestnut) candied citrus peels, marzipan, fruit galette (tarts) and gaufrettes (light thin waffles) brioche, quince paste, and a Buche De Noel (yule log). Oh my.
The cookbook recounts the words of proprietor Madame Vivette to a group of guests on Christmas Eve. “We have come around the full circle of the year and this Auberge of ours – here among these snow white mountains – sometimes seems a very long way from my sunny childhood in provence. But on the night before Christmas I like to bring Provence into this house with the ceremony of The Thirteen Desserts of Reveillon”.
This provencal tradition was far more than an elaborate banquet of sweets. Each of the desserts was imbued with spiritual meaning, and sampling all thirteen ensured a year of good luck, prosperity and a bountiful harvest. While the dishes have taken on Christian symbolism, many trace back to pagan times. While the number thirteen is commonly said to symbolize Christ and the twelve disciples, it also reflects the much older 13 day celebration of Yuletide, which also included many dishes, such as dried nuts and fruits, fruitcakes and sweetened breads for it’s celebratory feasts.
The Buche De Noel Cake is a more recent addition, but takes it’s origin in the ancient custom of burning a Yule log. Madame Vivette serves the cake in remembrance of her childhood when “the ceremonial relishing of the great log fire in the hearth” took place before supper. The evening began with lighting the partly burned log which had been kept from Christmas Eve the year before. When the fire was burning brightly the family took its place at the table.
After supper, a local sweet wine and the thirteen desserts were enjoyed, and “when it was time to leave for the village church my father put out the fire, and asking a blessing for the house he would set aside the log to be kept for the next year. The Thirteen Desserts would remain on the dining table for thirteen days so that if a hungry beggar came to our door, he could be offered food to eat.”
Today the thirteen desserts are still served in Provence, dishes vary from family to family, region to region – but white and dark nougat are deemed indispensable. In the Christian tradition Black Nougat was said to represent black penitents and the forces of evil, while White Nougat the saved and the good – and both had to be equally represented at the Christmas table. But I lean with those who say the important pairing of dark and white nougat represents the return of the light on the eve of the solstice. The black represents the longest, darkest night of the year, and white, the return of the sun.
Now I love old world food lore and recreating long lost culinary traditions, but I wasn’t ready to prepare all 13 desserts, never mind a Buche De Noel, just yet. But a black nougat I could do, and it would be a lovely new (& old) way to mark the upcoming winter solstice.
Sadly, the recipe called for honey made with pine blossoms (a speciality of the region) – and I had none of that. But undeterred, I decided to try my hand creating my own localized Black Nougat by adding Vancouver Island hazelnuts and Grand-fir infused honey. I went with Grand-fir because it’s citrusy flavour is similar to pine, and makes a good complement to all that caramelized sweetness. (Other Conifers like Douglas Fir, Spruce or Pine, with their deeper resinous notes would also be equally nice.)
The process of making black nougat is similar to how caramel is made – which means it’s a speedy process. It’s important to have all ingredients ready to go, because moving quickly is of the essence. The basic recipe is to combine honey with nuts then cook at low heat until honey becomes an amber brown. Then pour the mixture into a pan lined with buttered parchment or foil. Let cool.
Once done, I topped my Black Nougat off with a dusting of grand fir brown sugar (with a few more minced needles) for additional texture and taste. And it came out truly delicious, not to mention very pretty. And I like to think that because it’s made from honey, nuts and grand fir – it’s also good for you too!
Grand Fir Dark Nougat
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup of minced grand fir needles (keep a tablespoon back for garnish)
- 1 cup honey
- 2 cups roasted hazelnuts (or almonds)
- pinch of thyme (fresh or dried)
PREPARATION
- In a food processor pulse Grand fir needles (or mince finely by hand) and mix into your honey.
- Line a small tin with aluminum foil and butter it well.
- Pour the honey in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook at low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the thyme and nuts and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- When nuts begin to crackle and honey thickens to an amber brown, your nougat is ready. If you have candy thermometer you ideally you want a temperature around 266 °F or 125 °C Be warned, if you overcook the honey at too high a heat your nougat will come out hard as a rock – so keep a close watch.)
- To test, drop a teaspoon of honey into a glass of cold water; it should harden immediately. Remove honey from the heat and stir for 2 more minutes.
- Carefully pour the honey mixture into the buttered tin (it will still be very hot). Smooth the mixture with a metal spoon.When the nougat is completely cool, break it into small pieces with the back of a knife. Store in a cool place.
If you want to make the white nougat too, there is a lovely recipe here, but it can also be purchased at many groceries, bakeries and European food speciality shops.
(Note: All Conifers are edible excepting the Yew whose pointy needles are thought to be toxic, though some herbalists use them medicinally. Cedar can be toxic in high doses but a handful of needles are just fine consumed occasionally in a tea. I make an infused Cedar & Rosehip Honey which I love in teas, sparkling water and cocktails. Ponderosa Pines should be avoided by pregnant or nursing mothers. Also, avoid consuming the needles from the Norfolk Island Pine which is not native to BC and is often sold as mini-Christmas Trees in supermarkets.)
Love the simplicity of this recipe with just a few ingredients! Beautiful share!
Oh my indeed! Lovely post, again 🙂
With your Candied Quince and my Black Nougat we’ve got two of the 13 desserts down!
Hi Danielle, I know this may seem like an odd request but do you have any book recommendations that incorporate any kind of old world lore or herbal magic that is fiction? I crave books like that and have seem to have run my course with ones I can find. Your posts are incredible and I love what you share with us and thank you.
Best and blessings, Christine
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No, I’m sorry to say I don’t, but I’d like to know more. I’d love to know the names of the books you’ve been reading! Thank-you for all your kinds words too.
13 desserts?! Oh my goodness! This recipe looks absolutely divine, though. I bet it tastes amazing, hopefully I get a chance to try it! I love the idea of having each course of dessert tied to meaningful symbols so that it becomes a sort of ceremony. Thanks for the great food for thought.
I am surrounded by redwood trees, wondering if those needles would work.
Where is the recipe for the molded Douglas-fir brown sugar shortbread?
Peace.
Yes, they will…and the recipe is coming – I hope!
Beautiful. …and fun and drenched on tradition. I love it!
We’re the fir needles you used fresh or dried?
Can’t wait to add this to our celebration!
I bought a second hand copy of this book and it’s now one of my favourite cookbooks. It’s really special. Thank you so much.
wonderful!
Just wondering if it is half a cup of needles, minced OR half a cup of minced needles. The later seems like a lot of fir.
Sorry – I replied to this through email and it didn’t go through. Anyway it’s half a cup – then minced! But honestly it depends on how you like it. I like the flavour a little stronger so always end up throwing in a few extra – but for people not used to it might be a bit strong. Plus you don’t want final result to be too “needley”. Good-luck!
So delicious! I made this for our Solstice celebration this year and it was amazing! It will be our new tradition! I added dried blueberries at the end, dried huckleberries would have been even better. I can’t wait to make more and mail it as gifts to my non-NW friends and family. This recipe is such a wonderful celebration of the NW! Note, I chopped my pine needs, (blue spruce), in my coffee grinder to 1/2 cup finely chopped needles. It was DIVINE!
I shall definitely try this, however, I am wondering, it seems a sheer waste to cook HONEY down. Honey looses a lot of its great properties when heated… I am wondering if here using something made in the early summer might be the better option: https://fraubirkenbaum.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/fichtenspitzensirup-und-tannenspitzensirup-selbstgemacht/ a sirup made with young fir tree shoots or Spruce… It would be a way to infuse the night with the depth of Spring & summer too. I will make the sirup this may, and keep it for december so that I can try this lovely thing during the Night of the year.
Love it. Good suggestions…I’m going to try it too!
I had this book on my shelves, lovingly reading and re-reading it. When it left and where it went, I don’t know. But just recently it as been on my mind. All I could remember was that it was The Auberge. The rest of the name escaped me. How glad I am to find you and this post. De Groot was amazing and so were the owners of the Auberge. Perhaps in my next life…..
I love this book – such a slice of history & so beautifully written! There is another classic book I love called “When French Women Cook: A Gastronomic Memoir” by Madeleine Kamman. Have you read it?
This was fabulously delicious and a great addition to our Yule celebration! I did have one issue though. I cooked it beyond the temperature specified and it still turned out more like a soft caramel that was very sticky/amorphous and less like a brittle. Is that correct? Should I be heating it to the soft crack or hard crack stage?
Interesting! Mine always turns out on the harder side, I always seem to overcook it. I want to try a softer nougat but no luck so far. Its really up to you how you like it. Traditionally it’s done both hard and soft.