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Cupeta (Salento honey and almond brittle)
Honey, sugar and toasted almonds poured onto bay leaves for village feasts
Summer in Salento, the heel of Apulia, means the feste patronali, when village streets are hung with lights and the cupetari set up stalls of cupeta, a honey and almond brittle broken from large slabs. It also shows up on Christmas tables and at the feast of Saint Oronzo in Lecce in August. Honey gives it a darker, more floral caramel than plain croccante, and the almonds stay crunchy within a brittle that slowly turns slightly chewy in the heat. Traditionally it was poured onto wafer sheets or fresh bay or lemon leaves; this version uses bay leaves, which add a faint herbal note and keep it gluten-free. Eat it in pieces with coffee, or as a snack while walking through the fair. It is naturally egg-free: honey and sugar, cooked to the hard-crack stage, set around the nuts with no other binder. Chef's tip: lower the heat once the honey starts to colour; it burns much faster than sugar, and scorching is the common mistake.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz whole almondsskin on
- 5 ½ oz honey
- 5 ½ oz white sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)finely grated
- 20 fresh bay leavesor lemon leaves, washed and dried
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- ½ lemonfor flattening
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Lay 20 fresh bay leaves on a tray, close together, and brush a sheet of baking paper with 1 tsp neutral oil for any extra brittle.
Step 2: Toast 10 ½ oz whole almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes, until fragrant and golden inside. Keep them warm.
8 minStep 3: Warm 5 ½ oz honey and 5 ½ oz white sugar in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
4 minStep 4: Boil, stirring now and then, for 8-10 minutes, until the mixture turns a deep amber and reaches 150-300°F (hard-crack stage). Lower the heat as soon as it starts to colour.
10 minStep 5: Stir in the warm almonds and 1 tsp lemon zest and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until the almonds are coated and shiny.
1 minStep 6: Quickly spoon small mounds onto the bay leaves, and spread any leftover on the oiled paper. Flatten each mound with the cut side of ½ lemon to about 1 cm.
Step 7: Leave to cool for 15 minutes, until hard. Store in an airtight tin, leaves attached, for up to 2 weeks.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cupeta (Salento honey and almond brittle) take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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