Frangelico Hazelnut Filbert Truffles Food

HAZELNUT TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Chop the hazelnuts and place them on a sheet pan. Roast them in the oven for 10 minutes. (If the hazelnuts have skin on them, roast them for 25 minutes.) Set aside to cool.
• Chop the chocolates finely and place in a bowl.
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it boils. Immediately pour the hot cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with the chocolates. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. (If the chocolate doesn't melt completely, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir for a few minutes just until it melts.) Whisk in the hazelnut liqueur, coffee, and vanilla. Cover and chill for 45 minutes to 1 hour until pliable but firm enough to scoop.
• With 2 teaspoons or a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into rough spheres. Roll the chocolate in the chopped hazelnuts and chill again. Truffles are best when they're allowed to set overnight in the refrigerator.

FRANGELICO HAZELNUT (FILBERT) TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Gently heat cream to the boiling point; add white chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
• Cool 15 minutes and stir in Frangelico, transfer to a shallow dish and place in freezer for at least an hour, or until filling is firm; alternately, you may chill mixture for 2hrs in the refrigerator but I find the freezer works better.
• Line large baking sheet with parchment paper; when filling is firm, remove by teaspoonfuls and roll into balls (rinse hands with cold water to keep them cool if need be); let sit for 30 minutes.
• Melt semi-sweet chocolate over hot water until half-melted; remove from heat and stir with wooden spoon until completely smooth; cool to 89°F.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper; place ground nuts in a pie pan or flat dish; dip white chocolate centers in semi-sweet chocolate, then roll in hazelnuts; Transfer to baking sheet.
• Cover candies with plastic wrap and dry at room temperature overnight, before storing in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar and cocoa; set aside. , In a small saucepan, melt candy bars and butter. Add cream and reserved cocoa mixture. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened and smooth. Pour into an 8-in. square dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. , Using a melon baller or spoon, shape candy into 1-in. balls; press a hazelnut into each. Reshape balls and roll in ground hazelnuts. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

FRANGELICO (HAZELNUT) CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place oven rack in the middle of the oven.
• Toast the hazelnuts: Lay hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and skins are beginning to crack. Wrap in a towl and let steam for 1 minute. Rub hazelnuts in the towel to remove some of the skins. Grind coarsely and let cool. Keep the oven at 350.
• Make the crust: Combine all crust ingredients except the butter in a food processor until well mixed. Cut the butter into cubes and incorporate into other ingredients for about 1 minute. Press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan (I use bottom of flat glass). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
• Make the cheesecake: Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and place a pan half-filled with water in the bottom rack. Melt the chocolate and set aside. (Tip: if melting in the microwave, heat in intervals of 30 seconds and stir. Should take no more than 1 minute on high). On low speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly mix in the sugar, flour and frangelico. Keep scraping down the sides of the bowl. One at a time, beat in the eggs on low speed.
• Take 1/2 cup of the cheesecake batter and mix it with the chocolate.
• Pour cheesecake batter into pan. The chocolate mixture can either be placed in a bag for piping or dropped by spoonfuls into the batter and swirled for a marbled effect.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Decrease oven temperature and bake at 225 degrees for about 1 hour. Towards the end of the baking time, check for doneness. Move the cheesecake pan slightly -- if the edges are set and the center is still wobbly the cheesecake is done. Turn the oven off and prop the door open with an oven mitt. Let cool inside the oven for at least an hour. Let cool on a counter until the pan is cool. Place in the refrigerator uncovered to chill and set. The cheesecake must be chilled for at least 24 hours.

HAZELNUT LIQUEUR - FRANGELICO

Steps:

• In a glass bottle or jar, steep the chopped hazelnuts in the vodka for about 2 weeks in a cool, dark place, gently shaking the bottle every day.
• Gently pour the jar's contents through a regular strainer or sieve, pressing hard on the nuts to release all of their flavor.
• Follow this by two strainings through slightly dampened cheesecloth.
• For true clarity and professional looking results, pour the strained mixture through a large clean coffee filter placed inside a funnel or clean coffee cone; loosely cover with plastic wrap since the process may take several hours.
• In a very small saucepan, combine the sugar and water.
• Bring to a boil over moderately high heat.
• Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
• Let cool to room temperature.
• Stir in the vanilla.
• Funnel the strained hazelnut mixture into a clean, sterilized, glass bottle and then funnel in the sugar syrup.
• Cover tightly; shake to blend.
• Let mature, at room temperature or slightly cooler, for at least three weeks.