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oday I’m making irresistible gourmet chocolate and hazelnut tarts! This time, my tarts are not just super yummy, heck – that goes without saying, no, they are also glamorous and blingy, because I decorated them with some real edible 24K gold!
How to make oval shaped tarts?
First thing first, you will need to get oval shaped tart ring. I am using stainless steel perforated oval shaped rings like these in the picture.
These molds are different from the traditional tart molds that I’m usually using for making chocolate ganache tart or apple tart. What is the difference? Well, lining perforated tart rings calls for a special technique (if you have already seen my video titled “Valentine’s Chocolate and Coconut Heart Shaped Tart” you know this). Of course, if you don’t have oval molds, you can make any shape and size of tart you like, like for example my almond and double chocolate tarts, blackberry and lemon mini tarts, strawberry and white chocolate tarts, black currant and white chocolate tarts, and so on!
Anyway, let me explain in a few words; first you will need to roll out your pastry to about 2mm (about 1/12″) thickness. Then, cut oval shape for the bottom of the tart, and strips for the sides. First line the sides of the tart ring with pastry strip, and then insert the oval shape to make the bottom. Chill and bake – no baking weights needed (this is my favorite detail)! And that’s it – your chocolate and hazelnut tarts are ready to be filled! Of course, if you don’t have oval molds, you can make any shape and size of tart you like!
What is Tuile Cookie?
I have a whole post and a video dedicated to tuile cookies, so if you haven’t seen it, you can find all the details, and a recipe over there. For now, I’ll just say that tuile is a very light and crispy cookie, French in origin and curved in shape. It is believed that the curved shape of this cookie is an homage to the roof tiles of homes in French Provence, so it always has to be made on a curved surface, like the rolling pin or a bottle. Now, in my today’s recipe, I’ll use tuile cookies to make my crunchy layer simply because I love tuiles, and also – because nothing can beat the divine crunchiness of a freshly made tuile cookie, but, feel free to use crushed cookies or a crumbled ice cone instead. Trust me – crunchy layer will make all the difference in your chocolate and hazelnut tarts!
Gianduja Chocolate – A.K.A. – Pure Heaven!
Gianduja or gianduia chocolate is a special sort of chocolate that besides cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar, also contains about 30% of hazelnut paste. Yummy! Gianduja was invented in Turin, Italian region of Piemonte at the beginning of the 19th century, when prices of cocoa jumped as a resulted of shortage of this important raw material. In order to extend the supply of the chocolate, the confectioners decided to mix cocoa powder with the paste obtained by grinding locally grown hazelnuts that they had in abundance. The result was delicious, smooth and velvety paste that we all know and adore! So, to make my chocolate and hazelnut tarts irresistible, besides crunchy layer I’ll fill them with ginaduja chocolate ganache. Ah, gianduia! :))
How to Make Whipped Ganache?
Whipped ganache is a delicious mixture of chocolate, cream and gelatin, that has to be well chilled in the fridge, and then lightly whipped. The texture of this filling is superb; whipped ganache is much lighter than the regular ganache, but at the same time it is exceptionally creamy, smooth and perfect for piping! I added some pure hazelnut paste to improve the taste even more. Yum!
Dessert With a Bling
I’ve decided to make a tart that is not only delicious, but also with a touch of class, so besides making tempered chocolate decorations I’ve wrapped my chocolate dipped hazelnut into a 24K edible gold leaf. Yummy and blingy! Now, why do we love gold in the first place? Well, for one, it’s shiny! Also, it is precious and rare, hence the glamour that surrounds it. Finally, it is a highly versatile material, in fact, the world as we know it would literally grind to a halt without gold!
The gold leaf I’m using today was made by pounding and rolling, over and over again, a slab of gold, until it became about one eight thousand of a millimeter thick! Now, is gold really edible? The answer is – yes, gold is actually edible, but don’t expect much! It is tasteless, biologically inert, and of no nutritional value, so, don’t go too crazy with your gold diet! Well, why would you use it at all, you ask? Simply – to add glamour to your dessert, to make it blingy, that’s all! OK, let’s make some irresistible, gourmet, and classy chocolate and hazelnut tarts!
Irresistible Gourmet Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart Recipe
by:Tereza Alabanda,The Pastry Maestra
PRINT PDF (EN) ISPIŠI PDF (HR)Prep. time : 40 minutes
Cook time : 10 minutes
Ready in 50 minutes plus cooling
Level : Advanced
Ingredients: Shortcrust Pastry:- All purpose flour 200g (7oz)
- Almond flour 20g (0.7oz)
- Powdered sugar 50g (1.8oz)
- Butter 125g (4.4oz)
- Vanilla powder to taste
- Egg yolks 30g (1oz or 2 small egg yolks)
- Crushed tuile cookies 30g (1oz)
- Hazelnut paste 30g (1oz)
- White chocolate 50g (1.8oz)
- Chocolate gianduia 150g (5.3oz)
- Cream 35% 75g (2.6oz)
- Butter 30g (1oz)
- White chocolate 70g (2.5oz)
- Cream (35%) 250g (8.8oz)
- Glucose syrup 10g (2Tsp)
- Gelatin 3g (1Tsp)
- Hazelnut paste 50g (3.5oz)
- Dark Chocolate 300g (10.6oz)
- Roasted hazelnuts 6 pieces
- Gold leaves 6 pieces (or more, depending on the size)
- To make shortcrust pastry place sifted flour into a large bowl. Add sifted almond flour, powdered sugar and vanilla powder, and stir with a whisk. Then, add cold butter cut in cubes, and rub the dry ingredients into the butter with your fingertips until you get crumbly mixture. Add egg yolks, and make the dough. Wrap it in plastic foil and leave it in the fridge for about one hour.
- Place a piece of parchment paper onto your counter and put half of the dough onto it. Roll out the dough to 2mm (1/12″) thickness using an adjustable rolling pin. Roll from the center towards one end, at the same time holding the opposite side of the paper with your hand, so the paper doesn’t slide. Sprinkle some flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Put everything in the freezer for about 20 minutes to chill.
- Circumference of oval perforated tart molds is 30cm (12″). Using your tart mold as template, first cut out three oval shaped pieces of the dough and each piece will be the bottom of your tart. Then cut three, approximately 2.5cm (1″) wide strips that will be the sides of your tarts. Measure your strips with measuring tape and trim them to 30cm (12″) length. Repeat rolling and cutting procedure with remaining pastry to make six tarts in total.
- Place your tart mold onto a perforated silicone mat. First carefully line the sides of the mold with pastry strip. Cut the excess pastry and smooth it with your fingers. Then put the mold in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes.
- Prepare a paper template which is about 4mm ( 5/32″) smaller than the tart mold. Put it onto the elongated piece of pastry that will be the bottom of your tart, and then trim the pastry using a small knife. Then, insert the pastry into the mold and smooth the bottom with your fingers. Finally trim the excess pastry using your small knife. Put lined molds in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes.
- When the pastry is chilled, dock the bottom with a fork, and bake your tarts at 180°C (350°F) for about 8-10 minutes. Then, brush their interior with egg wash and put them back in the oven for another 2 minutes. Leave them to cool down completely.
- To make crunchy layer, mix melted white chocolate, hazelnut paste and crushed tuile cookies. Mix with a silicone spatula until well combined. Transfer a couple of teaspoons of the mixture into your tarts, and smooth it using a mini spatula. Then, put the tarts in the freezer until the crunchy layer is completely set.
- To make ganache melt gianduja chocolate in the microwave on low heat. Add cream that you’ve previously heated up in the microwave. Stir with a whisk until the ganache becomes smooth. Then add softened butter and stir until it melts. Transfer the ganache into a piping bag without tip, and fill your tarts all the way to the top with it. Then, put it in the fridge until ganache sets.
- To make hazelnut whipped ganache, soak gelatin in cold water. As soon as the gelatin softens take it out and squeeze to get rid of the excess water. Place cream into a bowl and add glucose syrup and vanilla powder. Heat up the mixture in the microwave. Then, add soaked gelatin and stir until it melts. Put white chocolate into a bowl, and strain hot cream into the chocolate. Blend this mixture with immersion blender until it becomes uniform. Then add hazelnut paste and blend the mixture once more. Cover the mixture with cling film, and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
- While the ganache is chilling make chocolate decorations. Crumple a piece of aluminum foil, and then smooth it partially with your hands. Pour some tempered dark chocolate onto the foil and spread it using an offset spatula. Leave it until it becomes partially set. At that point cut rectangles 12cm x 3cm (4.7″ x 1.2″) in size using a rectangular cutter. Put everything in the fridge for about 15 minutes until the chocolate sets completely.
- To make chocolate “curls” line a cardboard tube with acetate sheet. Put tempered dark chocolate into a paper cone, and pipe random lines across the tube. Put the tube in the fridge until the chocolate sets.
- Carefully insert a toothpick into one hazelnut. Then dip it in chocolate and shake until the excess chocolate drips down. While the chocolate is still sticky wrap the hazelnut into gold leaves until it is completely covered. Then put it in the fridge until needed.
- When hazelnut ganache sets, transfer it into a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until ganache becomes nicely whipped. Put whipped ganache into a piping bag fitted with 12mm (1/2″) tip, and pipe 5 blobs onto each tart.
- To assemble the decoration pipe a blob of chocolate onto the chocolate rectangle. Then, place a couple of chocolate curls onto it. Pipe another blob of chocolate between the curls. Finally, carefully place one golden hazelnut onto it using your tweezers. Place the whole assembly onto whipped ganache blobs.
- There, your irresistible gourmet chocolate and hazelnut tarts are done! Enjoy!
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