Candied Hazelnuts And Chocolate Curls Food

CANDIED HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer, and cook, swirling occasionally, until medium amber, about 4 minutes. Add hazelnuts and salt, and stir for 1 minute to coat.
• Pour mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a nonstick baking mat, and immediately separate nuts using 2 forks so that each stands alone on sheet. (You can also hold the pan at an angle and push each hazelnut onto sheet individually. If caramel thickens as you work, return to heat briefly.) Let cool. Break apart.

CANDIED HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and water. Stir until combined and melted.
• Add hazelnuts and stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until mixture reduces slightly and hazelnuts look sticky.
• Pour nuts onto a sheet of parchment and spread into a single layer. Allow to cool. Store in a sealed container until ready to use.

NO-BAKE HAZELNUT AND CHOCOLATE CANDIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper; set aside.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar, rice cereal and salt in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the chocolate-hazelnut spread and butter. Pulse until the mixture begins to form clumps and holds together when squeezed.
• Roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls, pressing a hazelnut into the center of each so the top of the nut is still visible; place on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Put the chocolate and shortening in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Gently stick a toothpick into the upper half of a candy, avoiding the hazelnut, and dip the bottom half into the melted chocolate. Allow the excess chocolate to drip into the bowl and return the dipped candy to the baking sheet. Remove the toothpick and smooth the hole with your fingertip. Repeat with the remaining candies. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Make hazelnut crème:
• Melt chocolate with Nutella and keep warm.
• Beat cream with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks, then chill.
• Beat egg and yolks in cleaned mixer bowl with cleaned beaters at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring sugar, water, and corn syrup to a boil in a 1-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Continue to boil, undisturbed, until candy thermometer registers 238°F (soft-ball stage; you will need to tilt pan to get temperature), about 4 minutes.
• Reduce mixer speed to medium and add hot sugar mixture to eggs in a slow steam (try to avoid beaters and side of bowl), then beat until mixture is pale, thick, tripled in volume, and completely cool, about 5 minutes.
• Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Fold in one third of whipped cream to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly. Chill at least 4 hours.
• Candy hazelnuts:
• Line a baking pan with foil (shiny side up).
• Heat sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber. Add hazelnuts, stirring until coated. Transfer to foil and cool completely, then coarsely chop.
• Bake pastry:
• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Line a large heavy baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 17- by 10-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Transfer to baking sheet, then cover with a sheet of parchment and top with a heavy baking sheet or sheet pan to weight down. Bake until pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir together corn syrup and water.
• Remove top baking sheet and parchment. Generously brush pastry with corn syrup mixture and cover with parchment, then invert pastry and brush other side with corn syrup mixture. Replace parchment and baking sheet and bake until deep golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool completely.
• Using a serrated knife, trim edges of pastry, then halve lengthwise and cut each half into 8 equal rectangles for a total of 16 rectangles.
• Assemble dessert:
• Arrange 8 rectangles on a baking sheet and dust with confectioners' sugar to cover. (To mark pastry decoratively, see cooks' note, below.)
• Dab a small amount of hazelnut crème in center of 8 plates, then put an undecorated pastry rectangle on top. Divide remaining hazelnut crème among pastry rectangles. Sprinkle with some of the candied hazelnuts and top with decorated pastry rectangles. Sprinkle with more candied hazelnuts.
• Do Ahead
• Hazelnut crème can be chilled up to 2 days. Candied hazelnuts keep in an airtight container 3 weeks. Pastry can be baked 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

CANDIED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Cook sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until melted and medium amber. Add walnuts, and stir to coat. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat, and toast for 10 minutes. Use 2 forks to separate nuts. Sprinkle with salt. Let cool completely.

CANDIED CARROT CURLS

Steps:

• Peel carrots into thin strips. In a saucepan, bring sugar and 3/4 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in carrots; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until very soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool in syrup 10 minutes. Drain.
• Preheat oven to 225°F. Arrange strips in a single layer on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until tacky but no longer wet, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Working quickly, spiral carrots around the handle of a wooden spoon (or your finger), and sprinkle with sugar to coat. (If strips harden before you curl them, bake for a few minutes to re-soften.) Let stand on a wire rack until crisp and dry, about 1 hour.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE - (3.5/5)

Steps:

• Cake: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen skins. Butter a 9 by 3 inch springform pan; dust with cocoa, and tap out any excess. 2. In the bowl of a food processor, grind nuts with granulated sugar until fine but not pasty. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. 3. IN a medium heat-proof bowl. Whisk together cocoa and boiling water until smooth. (Mixture will thicken as it cools) 4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. 5. Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. Mixing on low, add half the flour mixture to butter mixture until well blended; pour in cocoa mixture, and add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven; let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely. Place cooled cake on a 9-inch cardboard round. 6. Place half the ganache in a bowl set in an ice bath; whip with a balloon whisk until pale and spreadable; removing bowl from ice bath and returning it as needed. 7. Spread the whipped ganache smoothly on top and sides of cake; chill the cake in the refrigerator. Gently stir remaining ganache every 5 minutes until thickened and cool but still pourable. 8. Place cake (still on cardboard round) on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper. Using a small ladle, pour ganache over top of cake, moving the ladle in a circular fashion and letting the ganache run down the sides. Scrape up excess, if desired, and reserve for another use. Let cake stand at room temperature until set. Garnish with candied nuts and chocolate curls. Ganache Glaze: Place chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl Bring cream in a small saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat; pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand 10 minute. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir chocolate and cream until well combined. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until cooled and just thickened, 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the temperature of the room. Candied Hazelnuts and Chocolate Curls: 1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spread nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen the skins. Bring sugar and the water to a boil in a medium-sized skillet. Stir with a fork over medium-high heat until dissolved; let boil 3 minutes more without stirring. Add nuts. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let cool. 2. Once nuts are cool, place half the bittersweet chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl. Set over a pan of simmering water, stir until chocolate is melted and hot. Add remaining chocolate to bowl; remove bowl from pan of water and let stand about 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. 3. Pour half the chocolate onto an inverted baking sheet; spread with bench scraper until 1/8 inch thick or slightly thinner (chocolate should be opaque on surface). Let stand until just tacky. Holding scraper at a 45-degree angle, scrape chocolate off surface, forming curls. 4. While curls set, add candied nuts to remaining chocolate in bowl, and stir until coated. Spread nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let stand until set. Sift cocoa powder on top of dried nuts, and toss to coat.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen skins. Butter a 9-by-3-inch springform pan well; coat with cocoa, tapping out any excess.
• In a food processor, grind nuts with granulated sugar until fine but not pasty; transfer to a large bowl; stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In a heat-proof bowl, whisk together cocoa and boiling water until smooth. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.)
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar on high until lightened and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended.
• Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. Mixing on low, add half of dry ingredients to creamed mixture; when blended, pour in the cocoa mixture, and add remaining dry mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely. Place cooled cake on a 9-inch cardboard round.
• Place half the ganache in a bowl; place in a larger bowl of ice water; whip with a balloon whisk until lighter in color and spreadable, removing bowl from ice bath and returning it as necessary.
• Spread the whipped ganache smoothly on top and sides of cooled cake, and chill the cake. Gently stir remaining ganache every 5 minutes until thickened and cool.
• Place cake (still on cardboard round) on a wire rack over a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Working with a small ladle, pour ganache over top of cake, moving the ladle in a circular fashion while in contact with the cake, letting the ganache run down sides. Scrape up excess and reserve for another use. Let cake stand at room temperature until set. Garnish with nuts and chocolate curls.

CANDIED HAZELNUTS AND CHOCOLATE CURLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen the skins.
• Place the sugar and water in a medium heavy skillet. Stir with a fork over medium-high heat until dissolved; let boil undisturbed for 3 minutes. Add the nuts to the pan; stir with a wooden spoon until the caramel seizes around the nuts. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; let cool completely.
• Once the nuts are cool, place half the chopped chocolate in a deep, medium-size stainless-steel bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water; stir until the chocolate is melted and hot. Add the remaining chocolate to the bowl; remove the bowl from the pan of water; let stand about 5 minutes, and then stir until smooth.
• Pour half the chocolate onto an inverted baking sheet; spread with a bench scraper until 1/8 inch thick or slightly thinner (chocolate should be opaque on the surface). Let stand until just tacky. Hold the scraper at a 45-degree angle; scrape the chocolate off the surface. The curls can be stored in an airtight container layered with parchment at room temperature.
• While the chocolate sets, add the candied nuts to the remaining chocolate in the bowl, and stir until coated. Spread the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let stand until set.
• Sift the cocoa powder on top of the dried nuts and toss to coat. Store in a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 week, until ready to use.