Torrone Sardo (Sardinian Honey Nougat)

Line a 20cm square cake tin with edible rice paper, ensuring the bottom is fully covered.

Pour honey into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the base touch the water). Add the thyme and heat slowly, stirring occasionally, until the honey has thinned and melted. Discard the thyme sprig.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. Add egg whites to the melted honey and gently stir to combine. Continue to slowly stir egg whites and honey for 50–60 minutes. At this point, you should be able to drop some of the mixture into a glass of cold water and have it become a soft, pliable ball without dissolving. If the mixture dissolves, it requires further cooking.

Once the mixture is at soft-ball stage, add the nuts and sea salt and continue to stir over the heated water for a further 30–40 minutes. Test for the soft ball stage again and if successful, remove mixture from heat and pour into the prepared tin.

Gently press the rice paper on to the top of the nougat mixture. Leave to set in the fridge for 2 hours. Once set, cut into chunks (rubbing the knife with oil before each slice will help prevent it from sticking). Store the cut nougat in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes 15–20 squares of nougat.

Cook's note: You can purchase edible rice paper from all good food stores. Note that it is not the same as the rice paper used to make fresh spring rolls.