Hazelnut Meringues With Hazelnut Praline Chocolate Sauce Recipes

HAZELNUT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a food processor, pulse hazelnuts until finely ground. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and pinch of salt. Set bowl over (not in) a pot with 2 inches simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and, using an electric mixer, beat mixture on high until thick and glossy, 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold in hazelnuts.
• Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cracked on top, about 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let meringues cool to room temperature.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the chocolate hazelnut spread, heavy cream, orange zest, vanilla and cayenne, if using, in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk until blended and hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve warm, poured over your favorite ice cream or dessert, topped with roasted hazelnuts, if using.

TRAY-BAKED MERINGUE WITH PEARS, CREAM, TOASTED HAZELNUTS AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a sheet of waxed paper.
• Put your egg whites into a squeaky clean bowl, making sure there are absolutely no little pieces of egg shell or egg yolk in them. Whisk on medium until the whites form firm peaks. With your mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and the pinch of salt. Turn the mixer up to the highest setting and whisk for about 7 or 8 minutes, until the meringue mixture is white and glossy. To test whether it's done you can pinch some between your fingers - if it feels completely smooth it's ready; if it's slightly granular it needs a little more whisking.
• Dot each corner of the waxed paper with a blob of meringue, then turn it over and stick it to the baking sheet. Spoon the meringue out onto the paper. Using the back of a spoon, shape and swirl it into a rectangle. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until crisp on the outside and a little soft and sticky inside. At the same time, bake the hazelnuts on a separate sheet in the oven for 1 hour or until golden brown.
• Drain the cans of pears, reserving the syrup from 1 can. Cut each pear half into 3 slices. Pour the pear syrup into a saucepan with the ginger, if using, and warm gently over a medium heat until it starts to simmer. Take off the heat and snap the chocolate into the saucepan, stirring with a spoon until it's all melted.
• Take the meringue and hazelnuts out of the oven and leave to cool. Place the meringue on a nice rustic board or platter. Whip the cream with the sifted icing sugar and the vanilla seeds until it forms smooth, soft peaks. Smash the toasted hazelnuts (in a kitchen towel) and sprinkle half of them over the top of the meringue. Spoon half the whipped cream over the top and drizzle with some of the chocolate sauce (if the sauce has firmed up, melt it slightly by holding the saucepan over a large pan of boiling water). Divide most of the pear pieces evenly over the top. Pile over the rest of the whipped cream and pears. Drizzle with some more chocolate sauce, then sprinkle over the remaining toasted hazelnuts with some grated orange zest. Serve straightaway. If you're making this in advance, get everything ready and assemble at the last minute.

ULTIMATE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 110C/ 100C fan/gas ¼.
• Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
• Tip 4 large egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (not plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.
• Now turn the speed up and start to add 115g caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It's important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don't over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.
• Sift one third of the 115g icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the remaining icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don't over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy.
• Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape. Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer.
• Bake for 1 ½-1 ¾ hours in a fan oven, 1 ¼ hours in a conventional or gas oven, until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour.
• Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.) Serve two meringues sandwiched together with a generous dollop of softly whipped double cream.

HAZELNUT MERINGUE SURPRISE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter and line the bases and sides of 2 x 20cm springform tins with baking parchment. Grind the hazelnuts and icing sugar in a food processor until fine. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, add half the caster sugar and whisk again until stiff, then repeat with the rest of the caster sugar. Fold in the vanilla, vinegar and ground nut mixture until well combined. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25-30 mins until the tops are firm to the touch. Remove and cool in the tins on a wire rack. The meringues are very fragile and may crack a little, but don't worry.
• While the meringues cool, make the chocolate cream. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool slightly, then stir in the cream and leave to set in a cool place.
• Carefully remove the cooled meringues from the tins and put one layer onto a serving plate. Lightly crush half of the berries with a fork. Using a palette knife, spread half the chocolate cream over the meringue and spoon over the berries. Top with the remaining layer, then ice with chocolate cream and decorate with remaining berries. Chill until serving.