Gaz – Persian Nougat Marshmallow Candy with Pistachios

Sticky, chewy, sweet and crunchy – Gaz is a Persian marshmallow candy that’s a classic at any celebration and sure to delight both young and old.

Gaz – Persian Pistachio Nougat

Ahhh, Norouz. My favorite time of the year. After a long winter, the days are getting longer, the Ahus start coming out, the branches have little buds on them, the chill is gone from the air and has been replaced by a buzz of excitement. Excitement for Norouz – or Persian New Year – which is on Friday this year. Anybody who has ever celebrated Norouz (also spelled Nowruz) knows how fun it is – 2 weeks of celebration beginning with an ancient cleansing tradition of jumping over fire and ending with a glorious spring picnic – and of course filled throughout with delicious food and a beautiful table setting called the Haft-Seen. Speaking of delicious food – because that’s what this season is about – scroll down to check out the mouth-wateringly delicious recipes from the best Persian Food Bloggers around the world in our Norouz 2015 Collaboration! Between all our recipes, you should have a feast at hand. 🙂

Norouz time is full of good memories – parties, new clothes, fresh dollar bills, delicious meals, pinches on the cheek… but my most favorite association with this special time is the intoxicating scent of Hyacinth (known as sonbol in Farsi) – the traditional flower of Norouz. The scent has wound its way through my 500 square foot Manhattan apartment and with it brought a flood of memories of Nowruz past.

So what have I made for you? I’m excited to bring you this recipe for Gaz – a Persian candy that is a cross between nougat and marshmallow – studded with pistachio and often stuffed into the bulging cheeks of children and adults alike during celebrations. This recipe is not for the faint of heart, but it is well-worth it. Just a note, after trying about 5 different variations of the recipe, the best version (pictured) has a caramel-y color because of the rich amber of the sugar as it heats up!

Gaz – Persian Pistachio Nougat

For more of my Persian recipes, see the Recipe Index page. In the meantime, thank you for sharing in this celebration with me, my dear friends. May your year be filled with health, happiness, laughter and sweetness – from my kitchen to yours! Nowruz Mobarak!

Gaz - Persian Nougat Marshmallow Candy with Pistachios

 

Author: Ahu Shahrabani

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Persian

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  1 hour 10 mins

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Sticky, chewy, sweet and crunchy - Gaz is a Persian candy that's a classic at any celebration and sure to delight both young and old.

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup honey
• 2 cups sugar
• ⅓ cup light corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon rosewater (golab)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup pistachios and / or almond slivers

Instructions

1. Prepare all your ingredients as well as butter and flour a small jelly roll pan or pyrex (9x9 should work well) as this recipe is a test of timing and coordination! I like to line my pan with parchment paper that's greased for extra ease and less mess.
2. Put two egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, but don't start it yet.
3. Put the honey in one small saucepan and the sugar, corn syrup and salt into another.
4. Heat the sugar and corn syrup mixture on medium heat and watch closely as the sugar dissolves. You will eventually bring this to about 300 F - keep a close eye the entire time so that it does not burn.
5. Once the sugar has dissolved and is beginning to boil, clip on a thermometer.
6. Start whisking the egg whites on medium-high speed until they form stiff peaks.
7. While your eggs are whisking, bring the honey to a soft boil (remember to keep checking your sugar mixture - it will darken!).
8. Once the honey has boiled you will add it to the egg whites by reducing the whisk speed to medium and very gently pouring it into the bowl careful to avoid splattering. Keep your mixture going, you want it to reform the stiff peaks.
9. Check your sugar mixture - once it's reached about 300 F (it will be an amber color by now), remove it from the heat and add it to the egg mixture the same way as the honey.
10. The mixture while clump together strangely but fret not - just keep mixing away.
11. Once it comes back together into stiff peaks and has a glossy texture, add your rosewater and butter. Keep mixing to get it back to the right texture.
12. Stop your mixer, and stir in most or all of your nuts (you can reserve some to sprinkle on top if you like).
13. Using a spatula and a firm hand, scoop the mixture into your greased pan and let it cool and harden for several hours to overnight.
14. Slice your gaz using a sharp knife of bench cutter and either wrap individual or store in a container with flour to keep them from sticking. Enjoy!

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