Gozinaki

Ingredients

• 15¾ ozwalnutscoarsely chopped into 3–4 pieces
• 10½ ozhoneypreferably aromatic wildflower or mountain honey
• 1 tbspsugarhelps keep the honey from crystallizing
• 1 tspvegetable oilfor greasing the surface and knife (optional)

Method

1. Check the walnut piecesCheck your walnuts before you start: they should be coarsely chopped, into just three or four pieces per kernel. Resist the urge to go finer — small bits make the finished candy chewy rather than crisp.
2. Toast and skin the nutsToast the walnuts dry, either in a skillet or spread on a tray in the oven at about 345 °F for 5–7 minutes, keeping an eye on them. Let them cool, then rub off any loose skins.
3. Melt the honeyMelt the honey in a wide, heavy pan over low to medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
4. Skim and dissolve the sugarSkim off the foam as it rises, then stir in the sugar until it dissolves completely — it keeps the honey from crystallizing later on.
5. Cook to the ball stageKeep cooking the honey until it darkens. To test it, drop a little into cold water: it should stay firm and roll into a ball.
6. Stir in the walnutsAdd the toasted walnuts all at once and keep stirring over the heat for a short while, until every piece is coated and the mixture is thick.
7. Turn out and roll flatTip the hot mixture straight onto a dampened work surface or onto oiled parchment or an oiled baking tray, and roll it out evenly with a wet or oiled rolling pin.
8. Cut into diamonds and storeWhile it is still warm, cut it into diamonds with an oiled knife, then let it cool completely, separate the pieces and store them airtight.

Tips and variations

How far you toast the nuts is up to you: some people warm them only lightly, without letting them take on any colour, while others go all the way to a deep brown — that choice shapes the flavour more than anything else. Another way of working changes the timing of the sugar: instead of adding it right after skimming, it lets the honey cook on its own for a few minutes first and only then stirs the sugar in. The mixture rolls out just as well on a wet wooden or glass surface or on a silicone mat as on the oiled tray. The layer can be as thin as 0.5–1 cm or as thick as about 2.5 cm. Serve the diamonds at New Year, or as a sweet finish to a supra.