Turrón de Doña Pepa (Mrs. Pepa nougat)

Josefa Marmanillo, best known as Doña Peña, was a black slave in Cañete Valley (Ica, south of Lima). She was liberated due to a paralysis in her arms, and as she couldn’t work, she traveled to Lima and went to the Señor de los Milagros procession to ask him a cure. After she had received the miracle, made this nougat to thank him. Since then, each october Lima is filled with this traditional nougat and now you can prepare it in your home.

Ingredients:

Nougat:

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) of flour
• 250 g (1/2 lb) of shortening
• 250 g (1/2 lb) of margarine or butter
• 3 egg yolks
• A pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds
• 1 cup of concentrated anisette
• Essence of annatto or yellow coloring

Honey:

• 550 g (1 lb) of chancaca
• 3 cups of water
• 1/2 pineapple in pieces
• 3 peaches in pieces
• 2 quinces in pieces
• 1 orange, with peel and without seeds
• 1 kg (2.2 lb) of white sugar
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 6 cloves

Decoration:

• Small candies for nougat

Preparation:

To make the sticks: Mix softly the flour, salt, shortening and butter. Add the yolks, annatto and anisette; you’ll get a soft dough. Let it settle 15 minutes, covering it with a tea towel. Take small portions and form sticks. Put them on a greased oven tray. Bake on a medium flame (170º C, 340º F) for 12 – 15 minutes.

To make the honey: Boil all the ingredients (except the chancaca, lime juice and sugar) for 15 minutes. Strain and boil the liquid again. Add the sugar, lime juice and chancaca. It must reach 240º-250º C (465º-480º F).

How to fit: Put together some sticks on a tin with wax paper. If some sticks are broken, you can put the little pieces over them. Cover with the honey. Put another level of sticks crossing the firsts and repeat the process until you have three levels of sticks. Finally, cover with honey and decorate with the candies.

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Technorati tags: Recipes, Peru, Peruvian Recipes, Bakery, Desserts, Turron de Dona Pepa, Mrs Pepa Nougat.
Blogalaxia tags: Recipes, Peru, Peruvian Recipes, Bakery, Desserts, Turron de Dona Pepa, Mrs Pepa Nougat.