One Nougat, no nuts please

 This week is turning out to be quite hectic, work just keeps piling on, unlike food on my plate. Don't get me wrong we're still eating (don't call an ambulance or anything ;) ), but there's been no time for exciting cooking.
 So I thought I would look back on some of my holiday dishes, starting with nougat.
I absolutely love nougat, the chewy kind. That sweet honey taste with the texture resembling melted marshmallows...and then suddenly you get the hit of an acidic dried fruit...YUM !
 However I'm allergic to nuts (I know, how do I even keep on living?) which forces me to put most nougat out there back on its shelf. In order to satisfy my craving for this delicious treat, I decided to make it myself.
It's actually quite simple :
 - You make a syrup out of water, sugar  and honey (I used orange blossom honey because I love the unique taste).
 - In a different bowl you beat the egg whites until they are very thick.
 - Then you slowly stir the syrup into the whites with a wooden spoon over a bain marie (this may take a long time and I'll warn you, it's quite the upper body work out).
 - You then add your choice off nuts (that's where I put dried cranberries and chopped apricots).
 - Once that is done, you keep stirring them over the bain marie until you get the right consistency, and then you put into containers to cool.
Here's the result:

 Nougat was created in the 10th century in Bagdad under the name natif, but now many countries have their own, wether it is the Nougat de Montélimar in France, the Turron in Spain, or the mandorlato in Italy. All of these recipes are based around honey and nuts, so I guess my interpretation was quite the rule breaker, but never mind, it was DELICIOUS !