Hazelnut Gâteau Breton Brittany France Recipes

HAZELNUT GâTEAU BRETON

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Combine 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar and hazelnuts in processor; blend until nuts are finely ground but not pasty. Combine 6 egg yolks and remaining 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar in large bowl; whisk until well blended and slightly thicker, about 2 minutes (do not use electric mixer). Whisk in hazelnut mixture. Gradually whisk in melted butter. Sift flour over batter; stir just until blended (batter will be thick; do not overmix or cake may be tough).
• Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with offset spatula (layer will be thin). Brush top generously with egg glaze. Using back of tines of fork, deeply mark crisscross pattern atop cake, marking 3 times across in 1 direction and 3 times in opposite direction. Bake cake until deep golden on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes, then remove pan sides and cool cake completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.
• Cut cake into wedges and serve with whole strawberries or with warm strawberry jam.

HAZELNUT GâTEAU BRETON (BRITTANY FRANCE)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, and butter a 9-inch springform pan.
• Mix the sugar with the vanilla extract to make vanilla sugar. Make sure to break apart any lumps that form.
• Now mix 2 tbsp of the vanilla sugar with the hazelnuts. Add them to a food processor or grinder and blend until the nuts form a fine powder.
• Mix the 6 egg yolks with the rest of the vanilla sugar and whisk for 2 minutes. Then add the hazelnut mixture, then gradually add the melted butter. Keep whisking.
• Now sift the flour over the batter and stir gently until just blended. Don't overmix; this is a thick batter and you don't want it to turn out rock hard.
• Put the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Brush the egg glaze over the top, then draw some cross hatches with a fork.
• Bake at 325 for about an hour, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes, then loosen the springform pan and allow to cool completely. Serve with whole strawberries.

POULET AU CIDRE BRETON (BRITTANY, FRANCE)

Steps:

• Melt half the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions and apple cubes until golden.
• In a second pan, melt the rest of the butter. Add the Cognac and chicken breasts. Cook until brown on both sides. Top with the apples and onions, then add the cider. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Simmer uncovered until the cider has been reduced by about 2/3rds (This may take up to 40 minutes, so if you need to, remove the chicken once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, then keep simmering the sauce until it is the right consistency.).
• Remove the chicken breasts if you haven't already done so, keeping them warm. Add the cream to the cider and onion mixture and stir for a few minutes.
• Serve the chicken topped with the sauce.