Ingredients
Sweet
- 500 gwalnut halves
- 500 ghoney
Optional
- 1 tbspsugar, for a firmer set
Directions
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan or a low oven until they smell nutty, then rub them in a cloth to shed as much of the papery skin as will come away.
- Rub the skins off. Walnut skin is where the bitterness sits, and in a sweet made of two ingredients there is nothing to hide behind.
- Chop them coarsely, to about the size of a pea, and do not grind them.
- Bring the honey to the boil in a heavy pan and cook it, stirring, for about 10 minutes.
- Watch it constantly and keep the heat moderate. Honey scorches far more readily than sugar syrup, and burnt honey is bitter and unusable.
- It is ready when it has darkened a shade and a drop into cold water forms a soft ball that holds its shape.
- Add the walnuts and stir for 5 to 8 minutes, until the mixture pulls together and the honey clings to every piece instead of pooling.
- Turn it out onto a wet board or a sheet of baking paper.
- Flatten it to about 1.5 cm thick with a wet rolling pin or the back of a wet spoon, working fast.
- Work fast and keep everything wet. It sets hard within a few minutes and cannot be reshaped once it has.
- While it is still warm, cut it into diamonds with a wet knife.
- Diamonds rather than squares. That is the traditional shape and it is how the sweet is recognised on a Georgian New Year table.
- Leave it to cool completely before lifting the pieces off.
- It is essential at New Year across Georgia and goes out alongside churchkhela and pomegranate.
Technique
- Honey alone in the traditional version, with no sugar syrup, which is why the flavour is so direct.
- It stays chewy rather than turning glassy, and that is correct rather than a failure to set.
- It keeps a fortnight in a tin with paper between the layers.
Substitutions
- Hazelnuts, or a mix of walnut and hazelnut.
- A spoonful of sugar boiled with the honey if you want a firmer, more brittle set.
Variations
- With a little cinnamon stirred in at the end.
- Made with sunflower seeds, which is the cheaper everyday version.
- Cooked a few minutes longer for a harder, drier brittle.
History
Walnuts set in caramelised honey and cut into diamonds, eaten at New Year across Georgia.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gozinaki?
Gozinaki is a dessert from Georgia: honey-caramelized walnut brittle, essential at New Year. Walnuts set in caramelised honey and cut into diamonds, eaten at New Year across Georgia.
How long does Gozinaki take to make?
Gozinaki takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 diamonds. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Gozinaki?
Yes, within limits. Hazelnuts, or a mix of walnut and hazelnut. A spoonful of sugar boiled with the honey if you want a firmer, more brittle set.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gozinaki?
Chop them coarsely, to about the size of a pea, and do not grind them.
