Hazelnut Chocolate Tuiles Recipes

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.

HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE TUILES

Steps:

• Halve 4 parchment paper sheets lengthwise and set aside. Prepare a stencil using a piece of cardboard 6 inches long by 4 inches wide. Draw a circle 2 1/2 inches in diameter in the upper half of the cardboard then cut out the circle. The stencil is the cardboard with the circle removed.
• Melt and temper the chocolate (see pages 25-30), then stir in the ground hazelnuts thoroughly. Set the stencil over a strip of parchment paper and spread about a tablespoon of the mixture over the opening, using an offset spatula with a 4-inch blade. The tuiles should be no more than 1/8 inch thick. Lift the stencil off the parchment paper and scrape the excess chocolate mixture from the stencil back into the bowl. You should be able to place 4 tuiles on each strip of parchment paper.
• Let the tuiles set for 3 to 4 minutes, then carefully drape the parchment paper with the tuiles over a rolling pin that is set on a jelly roll pan. Chill the tuiles in the refrigerator until firm (10 to 15 minutes). Gently peel the parchment paper off of the curved tuiles. In a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the tuiles will keep for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the refrigerator. The tuiles are best served at room temperature.
• White Chocolate Tuiles: Substitute 10 ounces white chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate.
• Coconut Chocolate Tuiles: Substitute 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut, lightly toasted, for the hazelnuts.
• Nibby Tuiles: Substitute 1 cup roughly chopped cacao nibs for the hazelnuts.

HAZELNUT CREAM TUILES

Steps:

• Make the tuiles: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg whites, extract, and vanilla seeds; reserve vanilla bean for another use. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt; mix until just combined.
• Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; using an offset spatula, spread into a 4-inch round. Repeat, forming 3 more rounds and spacing 2 inches apart.
• Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack. Working quickly, remove 1 cookie with an offset spatula, and roll around the handle of a wooden spoon to form a 1/4-inch tube. Hold until tuile begins to harden, about 10 seconds; transfer tuile to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookies. If cookies become too cool to shape, return to oven for 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Make the cream: Process nuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse meal. Reserve 3 tablespoons; transfer remainder to a medium bowl. Add butter, sugar, cream, and salt; stir until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #10). Gently pipe filling into 1 end of a tuile, forcing it halfway in with a skewer; pipe into opposite end until filled. Dip each end in reserved nuts. Repeat with remaining tuiles. Serve immediately.