Chilled White Nougat with Candied Fruit and Guava Coulis

To make the nougatine: Lightly oil a piece of marble or a baking sheet. In a blender or food processor, grind the almonds to a fine powder. Sift the powder, regrinding the large pieces. In a heavy, medium saucepan over low heat, warm the corn syrup and add the sugar, stirring slightly to dissolve. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for about 10 minutes, or until it turns a light caramel color. Do not stir. Use a pastry brush to brush the sugar crystals down the sides of the pan as the sugar cooks, and lift the pan occasionally to swirl the contents. Remove from heat, stir in the ground almonds, and pour onto the prepared surface. Let cool slightly, then roll the mixture out with an oiled rolling pin to approximately 14-by-14 inches. Cut eight 1/2-by-7-inch strips. While they are still warm and pliable, twist each strip around a pen, spoon handle, or other small cylinder to form a spiral. Set the spirals aside to cool. Let the remainder of the nougatine sheet cool completely, then crush with a rolling pin and sift the pieces, recrushing as necessary until the texture is uniform.

To make the nougat: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Set eight 3-inch ring molds or pieces of PVC pipe on the sheet. In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue boiling until it reaches 240 F, about 5 minutes, or until a small amount dropped in a glass of water forms a small pliable ball. While the sugar is boiling, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until soft peaks form. When the sugar reaches temperature, with the machine running, slowly pour it into the meringue in a thin stream, beating until the sugar is absorbed and the meringue is cold and thick, about 4 minutes. Fold in the candied fruit, almonds, and crushed nougatine.

In a deep bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the cream into the meringue mixture. Place the mixture in a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe into the molds, filling tightly. Smooth the tops with the back of a knife. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours.

To make the coulis: In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine the puree and sugar, stir to blend, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate.

To serve: With a broad spatula, loosen the molds from the baking sheet and place one mold off-center on each plate. Run the tip of a thin knife around the inside of each mold to loosen the nougat and lift off the molds. Pour 3 tablespoons of guava coulis on each plate around the nougat on each plate. Garnish with mint sprigs and a nougatine curl or wafer cookie.