Gianduja Marjolaine Recipes

GIANDUJA

Steps:

• Line an 8-in. square dish with foil. Place hazelnuts and oil in a food processor; cover and process until mixture forms a paste. , In a large saucepan, melt bittersweet chocolate. Stir in 2-1/4 cups hazelnut mixture. Pour half of mixture into prepared dish. Refrigerate until firm., Melt candy bars; stir in remaining hazelnut mixture. Pour over bittersweet layer. Refrigerate until firm., Reheat remaining bittersweet mixture if necessary; pour over candy bar layer. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

MARJOLAINE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two 11-by-17-inch (28-by-43-cm) rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• To make the cake base, spread the hazelnut powder on another rimmed baking sheet, place in the oven, and bake for about 5 minutes, or until it smells like roasting nuts. Remove from the oven and pour into a bowl to cool.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or by hand with determination), whip together the eggs and 1⅔ cups (180 g) of the powdered sugar until white and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the hazelnut powder and flour just until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and rinse the whip attachment and the mixer bowl. Dry thoroughly.
• Refit the whip attachment to the mixer, and put the egg whites, the remaining 5 tablespoons (40 g) powdered sugar, and the salt in the bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the egg-hazelnut mixture just until no streaks are visible.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking sheets, and spread to level with a spatula, preferably an offset spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 11 minutes, or until lightly browned and set. Let cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes, then remove the parchment paper by lifting and peeling it slowly off the cakes. Let cool completely.
• To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let the ganache sit for 20 minutes at room temperature to firm up a bit.
• To make the buttercreams, rinse the whip attachment and bowl again, then put the egg yolks in the bowl. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat and heat until the sugar melts. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. When the sugar mixture reaches 226°F (108°C), start whisking the egg yolks. When it reaches 239°F (115°C), remove from the heat while slowly pouring in the yolks and whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the mixture is at room temperature.
• Add the butter a few pieces at a time to the cooled egg mixture and whisk until well incorporated. Scoop out half of the mixture into another bowl. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and, using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the pod halves into one of the bowls and mix well. Add the Nutella to the second bowl and mix well. If you notice a shiny film forming as you are stirring the buttercreams, quickly add a few drops of cold water and continue stirring. The buttercreams are easiest to work with if used right away.
• If you're unable to get your hands on (that is, build) a metal mold in the dimensions described in the headnote, you can use 2 half-gallon (2-liter) milk cartons with the top and one long side cut out of each one. Adjust to any desired length by sliding the sides of the two cartons onto one another. Tape the bottom of the mold so that it maintains a perfect rectangle, and line the inside of the mold with parchment paper. With your "mold" built, you are ready to build your cake.
• Measure the width of the mold, then cut the cakes into slabs of the same width, minus 1/4 inch (6 mm). Cut the slabs into even lengths to fit the mold. Place a cake layer, shiny brown side up, in the mold and brush a little of the rum over it. Top the cake layer with a layer of the Nutella buttercream, making it slightly thicker than the cake layer. Top the buttercream with a second cake layer, shiny brown side up, and brush with more rum. Top the cake layer with a layer of ganache, making it slightly thicker than the cake layer. Place a third cake layer, shiny brown side up, on the ganache layer and brush with more rum. Add a layer of the vanilla buttercream, making it slightly thicker than the cake layer. Repeat the layers, finishing with a cake layer topped with a layer of ganache. Then add the nuts.
• Let the cake rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, cut the tape holding the mold together to release the cake. You may discover that the whole thing has sunk a bit, or that the cake has soaked the ganache excessively. No matter. You will have a delicious, silky brick of joy. To serve, cut into slices with a hot, wet knife.

FRENCH GATEAU MARJOLAINE (MARJOLAINE CAKE)

Steps:

• FOR THE MERINGUE NUT CAKE: Preheat oven to very hot 450°F.
• In separate pans or pie plates put 1 1/2 cups blanched almonds and 1 full cup skinned hazelnuts. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, or until brown, shaking pans occasionally. Remove from oven and cool. Grind 1 cup at a time in an electric blender on high speed for about 5 seconds, and empty into a bowl. Mix ground nuts with 1 1/2 cups sugar.
• Reduce oven to very slow 250°F.
• Beat until stiff: 8 egg whites (reserve yolks for butter cream), a pinch of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.
• Gradually fold in the sugar nut mixture.
• Line baking sheets with waxed paper or parchment paper and butter paper lightly.
• On it mark 4 bands about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Spread these bands thickly with the meringue nut mixture, and bake in the slow oven for about 30 minutes, or until crusty on top, but still pliable. Invert on waxed paper, and carefully remove waxed paper from bottom of bands. Cool.
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE WAFERS: Melt: 6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces over hot water.
• Cut circles 2 1/2 inches in diameter from waxed paper or parchment paper and spread these rounds with a thin coating of the melted chocolate. Place rounds on a cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator.
• FOR THE BUTTER CREAM: In saucepan combine: 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, and 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly to 240°F on a candy thermometer, or until syrup spins a long thread. Gradually in a thin stream pour the hot syrup into 8 egg yolks beating all the time, and continue to beat until the mixture is COOL and thick.
• When cool beat in bit by bit 1 1/2 cups sweet butter. This makes 1 quart butter cream.
• Measure 1 cup of the butter cream and flavor it with 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Measure a second cup and flavor it with 1/4 cup praline powder.
• Melt: 3 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces with 1 tablespoon water and stir into remaining butter cream. Chill all 3 flavored creams until firm enough to spread.
• PRALINE POWDER: In a saucepan combine: 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1/2 cup blanched almonds. Cook without stirring until mixture is color of dark molasses. Pour onto oiled cookie sheet and let cool.
• Detach the praline from sheet with pancake turner and break into pieces. Blend half at a time in container of an electric blender for about 20 seconds, or until ground to a fine powder.
• Store in refrigerator in a tightly closed container. Makes a bout 3/4 cup.
• PRESENTATION: Place a meringue band on a serving plate and spread with the vanilla cream. Top with second meringue band and spread with half the chocolate cream. Top with the third meringue band and spread with praline cream. Top with fourth meringue band. Frost sides with remaining chocolate cream and sprinkle top heavily with confectioners' sugar.
• Carefully peel waxed paper from bottom of the chocolate wafers and decorate the sides of the cake by overlapping the wafers all the way around. Serves 10.
• A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price.