Nougat

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of walnuts (or any other nuts)
- 2 cups of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1. If you bought already shelled nuts, you won't have to deal with the shells. Whole nuts need to be carefully cracked open, it's better to use a nutcracker for this, and very carefully separate the kernels from the membranes and shell fragments. You can roast the nuts a little in the oven for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees, it will taste better.
2. You need a sturdy cast-iron skillet with a thick bottom and high sides or a pot for making caramel. The cookware should provide more or less even heating across the entire surface.
3. Place the skillet over medium heat and warm it up a little, pour in half of the sugar, and start stirring constantly with a spatula. As soon as the sugar starts to melt, gradually add the remaining sugar while continuing to stir with the spatula.
4. When all the sugar has melted, add the lemon juice and keep stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Watch the color of the mixture, if you have a dark skillet, place a sheet of white paper nearby - you can monitor the caramelization process by the color of the drops. The melted sugar will first turn light yellow, then gradually darken. The darker the caramel, the more pronounced the burnt sugar flavor. It's enough to bring the caramel to a light brown color before adding the nuts.

5. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting to avoid burning the caramel. Mix well to ensure all the nuts are evenly coated with the caramel layer, and roast them for about 5 minutes.
6. Lay out parchment paper on the table, place the nuts in caramel on it, and spread them evenly with a spatula, leave to cool.
Nougat is a delicious treat on its own. It perfectly complements the taste of hot tea or coffee.

Store the nougat (if you have any left) in a dry, tightly closed container for 5 days.

 Enjoy your meal!