Holiday Pie Spiced Hazelnuts Food

SWEET AND SAVORY HOLIDAY PIE SPICED NUTS WITH BACON

Steps:

• For the iced tea: Pour 8 cups boiling water over teabags in a heatproof pitcher and allow to brew, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove teabags and add sweetener to taste if using. Stir in 12 cups ice cubes until melted. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• For the holiday pie spice blend: Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, allspice, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.
• For the nuts: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.
• Put the egg white in a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts and pecans and toss to coat in the egg white. Add the spice blend and toss to coat.
• Spread the nut mixture evenly out on the prepared baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet, then stir in the bacon and transfer to a large bowl. Serve with iced tea.

BLACK-BOTTOM HAZELNUT PIE

Steps:

• For the Crust
• Pulse granulated sugar, salt, and 1 1/4 cups flour in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until coarse, pea-size crumbs form, about 10 seconds. With the motor running, add 2 Tbsp. ice water and process until dough just holds together, about 30 seconds. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers: If it's very crumbly, pulse in more ice water 1 Tbsp. at a time (2 Tbsp. maximum). Do not overprocess.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and push together into a ball. Knead a few times to combine, then flatten into a disk with smooth edges (no cracks). Cover tightly and chill at least 1 hour.
• Roll out dough to a 13" round on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and transfer to a standard 9"-diameter pie dish. Lightly press dough into pan, leaving a 1" overhang; trim excess. Fold overhang under and crimp as desired. Chill until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Do Ahead: Dough can be made and shaped into disk 3 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw before rolling.
• For the Filling and Assembly
• Place racks in bottom third and center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Place a rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack to preheat.
• Spread hazelnuts on another rimmed baking sheet and bake on center rack until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup whole hazelnuts to decorate pie; finely chop remaining hazelnuts.
• Melt chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let water touch bowl); stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth. (You can also do this in a microwave.) Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Spread chocolate in bottom of pie shell with the back of a spoon and chill until set, about 15 minutes.
• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat or in a microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour butter into a large bowl. Whisk in brown sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, 1 cup corn syrup, and 3/4 tsp. salt until well incorporated. Whisk in eggs, then fold in chopped hazelnuts.
• Pour filling into pie crust (do not overfill). Toss whole hazelnuts with remaining 2 Tbsp. corn syrup and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl and arrange on top of pie. Place pie dish on preheated baking sheet on bottom rack and bake 20 minutes. Rotate baking sheet, move to center rack, and continue to bake, covering edges with foil or a pie shield if crust starts to brown too much, until crust is golden brown and filling is almost set with a slight jiggle in center of pie, 20-25 minutes more. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool before slicing, about 3 hours.
• Do Ahead: Filling (before decorating) can be made 1 day ahead. Bring to room temperature before baking. Pie can be made 2 days ahead. Cover loosely with foil and store at room temperature.

HOLIDAY PIE-SPICED WALNUTS WITH CHERRIES

Steps:

• Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet with the oil.
• Put the egg white in a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the walnuts and toss to coat in the egg white. Add the spice blend and toss to coat.
• Spread the nut mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet, then stir in the dried cherries and transfer to a large bowl.

SPICED PUMPKIN PIE WITH HAZELNUT PRALINE

Steps:

• For praline:
• Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Mix 1/3 cup water and cream of tartar in small saucepan. Add sugar; stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until golden, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 11 minutes. Add nuts; swirl to combine. Pour praline onto baking sheet, spreading with metal spatula. Cool.
• Break praline into chunks; grind half finely in processor. Reserve powder for filling and remaining chunks for garnish. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)
• For crust:
• Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add shortening and butter; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to medium bowl. Mix 2 tablespoons ice water and vinegar in small bowl and add to flour mixture. Stir until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 45 minutes.
• Roll out dough on floured surface to 14-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 3/4 inch. Turn edges under; crimp. Freeze 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake crust until edges begin to brown, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 12 minutes. Remove crust from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, prepare filling:
• Whisk praline powder, pumpkin, and next 10 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.
• Pour filling into warm crust. Bake until filling is puffed around edges and just set in center, about 45 minutes. Transfer pie to rack; cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely and chill.)
• For topping:
• Beat cream and sugar in bowl until peaks form. Transfer cream to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes around top edge of pie. Garnish with praline chunks.

HAZELNUT LAYER CAKE WITH ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM, CHOCOLATE FRANGELICO GANACHE AND TOASTED AND GILDED HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F on convection or 350 degrees F in a regular oven.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the hazelnut and all purpose flour, breaking up any lumps. Set aside.
• In the mixing bowl of a 20-quart standing mixer set on high speed, whip together the whole eggs and 2 pounds of sugar until tripled in volume, pale yellow and forming thick ribbons, warming the bowl of the mixer with a propane torch to increase the volume of the eggs. Set aside.
• In another mixing bowl of a 20-quart standing mixer set on high speed, whip the egg whites and remaining 1 3/4 pounds sugar until thick, glossy, and firm peaks form. Fold the flour mixture into the whole egg and sugar mixture, and then fold in the egg whites.
• Divide the batter equally onto 6 (18-by-26-inch) parchment lined baking sheets. Bake until the corners brown and the batter doesn't adhere to your fingers when you touch the cake, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
• To assemble the cake: Place a layer of the hazelnut cake on a prepared cake board or inverted sheet pan. Brush with about one-sixth of the simple syrup and spread a generous layer of the buttercream over top. Place another layer of the cake on top and soak with the simple syrup. Spread a layer of buttercream and then a layer of ganache. Place the next layer of cake and repeat the previous steps until you have used all 6 layers of hazelnut sponge cake, ending with a layer of buttercream on the top. Chill the cake completely to set. When chilled, trim the sides, and frost with a final layer of buttercream, reserving some buttercream for garnish. Return to the refrigerator again to set the top. Spread the remaining ganache over the top to make a smooth finished coat. Trim any excess ganache from the sides of the cake. Press the toasted and chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake. Decorate the cake with buttercream piped from a star tip filled pastry bag, and decorate with the gilded hazelnuts.
• Combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the alcohol has evaporated. Cool completely.
• Pour sugar and just enough water to moisten it in a large heavy bottomed pot. Bring sugar to a boil, stirring constantly. Brush down any sugar crystals that form on the side of the pot with pastry brush dipped in water. Once the sugar has come to a boil, stop stirring and cook the sugar to the soft ball stage or 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. When the sugar reaches 240 degrees F, reduce the heat to low and whip the egg whites on high speed in a 20-quart standing mixer to firm peaks. While the mixer is on high, carefully pour the melted sugar into the whipped egg whites, being careful not to burn yourself on the molten sugar. Once the sugar is combined with the egg whites, reduce the mixer speed to medium, and continue to whip the egg whites and sugar until completely cool, approximately 30 minutes. When the egg white meringue is cool, turn the mixer back up to high, and gradually add the cubed butter. The butter may separate and become watery, but continue to whip on high until the water is re-incorporated. It is very important that the egg white meringue is completely cool so as not to melt the butter. When all the butter has been added, continue to beat until the buttercream is smooth and creamy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the coffee and vanilla extracts.
• Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Bring the heavy cream and Frangelico to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes and then whisk together until smooth and all of the chocolate is melted. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature so it reaches a spreadable consistency.
• Lightly spray the hazelnuts with nonstick cooking spray and wipe off any excess. Place a single nut on the gold leaf and gently brush the gold onto the nut. Set aside to garnish the finished cake.

HERBED HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Spread 3 cups hazelnuts on a baking sheet; roast at 400 degrees F until toasted, 10 minutes. Cool slightly, then wrap in a towel and rub to remove the skins. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add the nuts, 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme, 1/2 teaspoon each lemon zest and chopped rosemary, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

HAZELNUT PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Unroll crust into a 9-in. pie plate; flute edge. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, syrups, flour, butter and vanilla. Stir in the pecans, hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Transfer to crust., Bake for 50-55 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.