Vanilla Scented Pear Strudel With Hazelnuts And Chocolate Sauce Food

SPICED HAZELNUT-PEAR CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Poach the pears:
• Peel pears. Using a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon or small melon baller, scoop upward from bottom of pears 1 1/2-2" to remove core and seeds; discard. Combine pears, wine, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and 3 cups water in a large, heavy pot. Cut a round of parchment to fit just inside pot and cover pears.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, turning pears occasionally to coat with liquid, until pears are very tender but not falling apart, 20-25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a large bowl and cover with parchment round.
• Bring poaching liquid to a boil, then cook over medium heat until reduced to the consistency of thick syrup, 12-15 minutes (you should have 1/2 cup). Transfer 5 pears to a medium bowl, reserving remaining pears for cake, and pour syrup over. Cover with parchment and let cool, or chill overnight.
• Bake the cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease cake pan with butter and line bottom with parchment paper.
• Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Pulse 1/2 cup dry ingredients and 3/4 cup hazelnuts in a food processor until hazelnuts are chopped into a fine flour; reserve remaining hazelnuts. Transfer chopped hazelnuts to bowl with dry ingredients.
• Wipe out food processor bowl and add 5 poached pears. Pulse until smooth. Transfer 2 cups to a small bowl; discard leftover purée.
• Beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and 3/4 cup butter on medium-high speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape down bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add half of pear purée and beat on low speed. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low to incorporate. Beat in remaining pear purée and flour mixture until combined. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top. Set pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake cake, rotating sheet halfway through, until center is set and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool.
• Assemble the cake:
• Turn chilled pears in liquid to coat, then transfer liquid (about 1/2 cup) to a small saucepan. Add chocolate and 3/4 cup cream and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, just until chocolate is melted. Whisk to combine, then transfer to a medium bowl. Chill, stirring occasionally so chocolate doesn't set, until room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Remove cake from pan, trim top with a serrated knife if domed, and invert onto a 12" platter. Remove parchment. Using a toothpick, poke holes all over top of cake. Using a pastry brush, brush top with 1/4 cup chocolate sauce.
• Meanwhile, coarsely chop remaining 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts. Whip remaining 3/4 cup cream to medium-soft peaks in stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Top cake with whipped cream, pears, and hazelnuts. Drizzle chocolate sauce over pears. Serve remaining chocolate sauce alongside.
• Do Ahead
• Cake and pears can be made 2 days ahead; cover in separate containers and chill.

PEAR, CHOCOLATE & MARZIPAN STRUDEL

Steps:

• Melt a knob of butter in a large frying pan, add the pears and 1 tbsp sugar, and cook for 5 mins. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool. Then add the Disaronno (if using), biscuits, cinnamon, chocolate, marzipan, and 2 tbsp sugar and mix well.
• Line a tray with baking parchment. Lay a sheet of filo on it, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. Top with a second sheet of filo and keep going until you've used all the pastry. Pile the filling down one of the long sides of the pastry, then roll it up to form a sausage. Make sure it is seam-side down, then tuck the ends under tightly. Roll up in the parchment, wrap tightly in foil and freeze.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put a tray in the oven to heat. Unwrap the strudel and place, seam-side down and still on its parchment, onto the tray. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle over 1 tbsp sugar. Bake for 35-40 mins, or until golden and crisp. Leave to cool for 10 mins, then dust with icing sugar.

VANILLA-SCENTED PEAR STRUDEL WITH HAZELNUTS AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make vanilla sugar:
• Combine sugar and vanilla in processor. Blend until beans are very finely chopped, about 1 minute. Sift vanilla sugar into bowl; discard contents of sieve. Transfer vanilla sugar into jar; cover. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store at room temperature.)
• Make sauce:
• Combine cream, 1/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons vanilla sugar in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Whisk in brandy. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm before serving.)
• Make filling:
• Mix 1/4 cup vanilla sugar and cornstarch in bowl. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pears; sauté until tender and golden, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over pears; stir to blend.
• Simmer until juices are very thick, stirring often, about 6 minutes (longer if pears are very juicy). Remove from heat. Mix in lemon juice. Cool.
• Make strudel and phyllo triangles:
• Finely grind nuts, cookies and 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar in processor. Transfer nut mixture to small bowl.
• Butter 1 baking sheet. Place kitchen towel on work surface. Place 1 phyllo sheet on towel (keep remaining phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap and damp towel). Brush phyllo with butter. Top with second phyllo sheet; brush with butter.
• Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons nut mixture. Repeat layering with 6 more phyllo sheets, buttering and sprinkling each with 3 tablespoons nut mixture. Top with another phyllo sheet (for a total of 10 sheets); brush with butter.
• Starting 2 inches in from 1 long side and 2 1/2 inches in from 1 short side, spoon filling in 3-inch-wide by 12-inch-long log parallel to 1 long side.
• Fold short sides over filling; butter folded edges.
• Using towel as aid and starting at 1 long side, roll up strudel, enclosing filling.
• Using large spatula, transfer strudel to prepared baking sheet. Brush strudel all over with butter. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Meanwhile, prepare triangles. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 1 baking sheet. Cut remaining 2 phyllo sheets in half crosswise, making 4 pieces, each about 12 by 8 inches. Place 1 phyllo piece on work surface. Brush phyllo with butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon nut mixture and 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar. Repeat layering with 2 more phyllo pieces, buttering and sprinkling each with 1 tablespoon nut mixture and 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar. Top with remaining phyllo piece; brush with butter. Using large knife, trim stack to 12 by 8 inches. Cut stack into six 4-inch squares. Cut squares diagonally in half.
• Transfer triangles to prepared baking sheet. Brush parchment with butter; place buttered side down on triangles. Press 1 baking sheet atop parchment, anchoring triangles.
• Bake triangles until golden, about 10 minutes. Lift off top baking sheet. Carefully remove parchment. Transfer triangles to rack; cool. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Stack baking sheet with strudel atop another baking sheet. Bake strudel until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let stand at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Stack baking sheet with strudel atop another baking sheet. Bake strudel until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let stand at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Cut strudel crosswise into 6 to 8 sections. Spoon warm chocolate sauce onto each plate. Place strudel atop sauce. Place scoop of ice cream alongside. Stand triangle between strudel and ice cream. Garnish with mint, if desired, and serve.

PEAR STRUDEL WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and vanilla in a food processor and blend until the beans are very finely chopped.
• Sift the vanilla sugar into a bowl and discard the contents of the sieve; cover and set aside.
• Combine the cream, water, and 3 tablespoons of the vanilla sugar in a saucepan.
• Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.
• Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until smooth.
• Whisk in the brandy.
• Mix ½ cup of the vanilla sugar and cornstarch in a bowl.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, then add the pears and sauté until tender and golden.
• Sprinkle the cornstarch mixture over the pears and stir to blend.
• Simmer until the juices are very thick, stirring often.
• Remove from the heat, mix in the lemon juice, and let cool.
• Finely grind the nuts, cookies, and 2 tablespoons of the vanilla sugar in the food processor; transfer to a small bowl.
• Butter a baking sheet and place a phyllo sheet on a work surface.
• Brush the phyllo with butter, top with a second phyllo sheet, and brush again with butter.
• Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture.
• Repeat layering with 6 more phyllo sheets, buttering and sprinkling each with 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture.
• Top with another phyllo sheet and brush with butter.
• Top with another phyllo sheet (for a total of 10 sheets) and brush with butter.
• Starting 2 inches from the long side and 2½ inches from the short side, spoon the filling in a 3-inch-wide and 12-inch-long log parallel to one of the long sides.
• Fold the short sides over the filling and unsalted butter the folded edges.
• Roll up the strudel lengthwise, enclosing the filling, and transfer to the greased baking sheet.
• Brush the strudel thoroughly with butter.
• Preheat your oven to 375°F and bake the strudel until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting with a serrated knife into crosswise sections.
• Spoon warm chocolate sauce onto each serving plate and place the strudel atop the sauce.
• Place a scoop of ice cream alongside, garnish with mint, and serve.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT-BANANA STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Toss hazelnuts, confection-ers' sugar, and salt with a splash of water in a bowl.
• Transfer nut mix to a baking sheet, and toast for 8 minutes, until the nuts take a bit of color; Chop the nuts coarsely.
• Melt chocolate with vanilla, 1/4 cup water, and a pinch of salt in a double-boiler over medium-low, and set aside.
• In a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, mix the eggs and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot.
• Remove the bowl and whip until the mixture triples in volume, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, followed by the whipped cream; Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Spread one sheet of filo on a clean, dry work surface, and brush with melted butter to cover.
• Sprinkle with some of the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and place another sheet of filo on top of the first, and press to adhere.
• Repeat with the butter and sugar, but toss on a few hazelnuts as well.
• Top with another sheet of filo, and repeat with the butter and sugar.
• Add the fourth sheet of filo, and cover the remaining sheets with a damp towel.
• Working with the long side of the filo facing you, spoon half the chocolate mixture over its length, about 1/2 inch from the bottom, leaving a 11/2-inch border at either end.
• Sprinkle half the hazelnuts on top of the chocolate, then half the banana slices over the nuts.
• Fold the bottom edge of the filo over on itself.
• Fold in on the sides to form a thicker border all around.
• Gently roll the filo on top of the choco-late, until you reach the end of the sheet.
• Place the roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet and Brush the filo with butter and sprinkle with sugar.
• Repeat for a second streudel.
• Bake the streudels for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until the filo is golden and the filling puffs up.
• Some filling may leak out, but don't worry, the streudels will still be delicious.
• Let the streudels rest for 10 minutes, or until slightly cooled. Slice them on a bias, about 2 to 2 1/2 inches thick, and serve with coffee whipped cream.
• (Streudels can be made ahead of time and frozen, unbaked. Thaw 30 minutes before baking.)
• Coffee Whipped Cream:.
• 1 cup heavy cream.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar.
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso.
• Whisk the cream in a bowl, and as it starts to stiffen, add sugar and espresso.
• Continue whisking until medium peaks form.

HAZELNUT APRICOT STRUDEL

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the apricots, sugar and peel. Stir in orange juice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until juice is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Set aside 1 tablespoon nuts; toast remaining nuts. Stir into apricot mixture., Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of crumbs. Repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo; brushing each layer with butter and sprinkling with crumbs. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) , Carefully spread filling along one long edge to within 2 in. of edges. Fold the two short sides over filling. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. , Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush top with butter and score top lightly every 1-1/2 in. Sprinkle with reserved nuts. , Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Slice at scored marks.