Ingredients
Nougat
- 500 gshelled walnuts, roughly chopped
- 500 ggranulated sugar
- 250 ghoney
- 150 mlwater
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 1 tbsporange-flower water
- 1 tbsplemon juice
- 50 gunsalted butter
To finish
- walnut halves, for topping
- a little neutral oil, for the tray and the knife
Directions
- Toast the chopped walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes, shaking often, until they smell nutty and the skins loosen, then keep them warm; cold nuts will seize the caramel.
- Oil a 20 by 30 cm tray and set it aside, along with an oiled palette knife or the back of a spoon.
- Put the sugar, honey, water and lemon juice into a heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved before it comes to the boil.
- Stop stirring, clip on a sugar thermometer and boil steadily for about 20 to 25 minutes, brushing the sides of the pan down with a wet brush, until the syrup reaches 138°C (275°F) to 140°C (275°F), the soft-crack stage.
- Test without a thermometer by dropping a little syrup into iced water: it should form a firm thread that bends slightly before snapping.
- Take the pan off the heat, beat in the butter, then the cinnamon and orange-flower water; it will hiss and rise, so stand back.
- Tip in the warm walnuts and fold fast with a wooden spoon for no more than 30 seconds, until every piece is coated, then scrape the mass into the oiled tray.
- Press flat to about 2 cm with the oiled palette knife, working quickly before it sets, and press a walnut half onto each future diamond.
- Score into diamonds while still warm, then leave to set at cool room temperature for 4 hours and cut right through with an oiled knife. Store between sheets of paper in a tin.
Technique
- Sugar at 140°C (275°F) causes serious burns. Work with dry hands, keep a bowl of iced water beside you and let no one crowd the pan.
- Humidity is the enemy: djouzia made on a damp day will stay tacky. Take the syrup one degree higher if the kitchen is humid.
- This is a Constantine and Algiers speciality of the great feast days and weddings, sold in the same shops as baklawa and cut into the same diamonds.
Substitutions
- Walnuts are traditional, but a mix of walnuts and blanched almonds is common and cuts the slight bitterness of the skins.
- If you have no thermometer, use the iced-water test at 2-minute intervals from minute 18; do not guess by colour alone.
Variations
- A darker version replaces 100 g of the sugar with more honey, giving a chewier, more fragrant sweet.
- Some families stir in a tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds with the nuts.
- In Setif the slab is dusted with icing sugar rather than topped with whole nuts.
History
A speciality of Constantine, sold in confectioners’ windows alongside the city’s other almond and honey sweets.
Frequently asked questions
What is Djouzia?
Djouzia is a dessert from Algeria: dense walnut and honey nougat cut into diamonds. A speciality of Constantine, sold in confectioners’ windows alongside the city’s other almond and honey sweets.
How long does Djouzia take to make?
Djouzia takes 25 min of preparation and 40 min plus 4 hr setting of cooking. The recipe makes about 40 diamonds. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Djouzia?
Yes, within limits. Walnuts are traditional, but a mix of walnuts and blanched almonds is common and cuts the slight bitterness of the skins. If you have no thermometer, use the iced-water test at 2-minute intervals from minute 18; do not guess by colour alone.
