Hazelnut symphony entremet
I made my first entremet a few days ago, and it turned out so delicious that I couldn't wait to make another. The only ingredient I had in my mind were hazelnuts, because hazelnuts go so well with chocolate, I incorporated white and dark chocolate in the dessert.
I made this dessert in two days, first I made a hazelnut meringue that formed the bottom of the entremet. This meringue was so good that I'm definitely going to use it again in my future dessert adventures. It had a great hazelnut flavor and was soft and crunchy.
For the second layer I made a white chocolate mousse which gave a rich and creamy feel to the whole dessert and the flavor of white chocolate really stood out.
After the mousse came the hazelnut praline and cacao panna cotta. The panna cotta had good texture but the flavor of hazelnuts got lost, so in the future I will add more hazelnuts to the panna cotta mixture to bring out as much of the hazelnut flavor as possible.
When the panna cotta was set I made a dark chocolate and hazelnut praline ganache which I piped on the panna cotta layer.
The finishing touch was a tempered white chocolate panel that sat on top of the piped ganache. For the panel I used a transfer sheet with blue and pink butterflies. I was so happy when I finally found these transfer sheets. I have been searching for them in different stores and had no success until recently.They worked great and are easy to use, the tempered chocolate is just smeared on top of the transfer sheet and left to cool.
The most important thing, when making this dessert, is that you leave yourself enough time to make sure the layers are set and cooled before continuing, otherwise you could end up with a disappointing result. Making each layer is quite simple and I made sure that no egg whites or egg yolks are left behind. If making the whole entremet is too much hassle you can always make one layered dessert, it will still taste great.
For the hazelnut panna cotta:
I made this dessert in two days, first I made a hazelnut meringue that formed the bottom of the entremet. This meringue was so good that I'm definitely going to use it again in my future dessert adventures. It had a great hazelnut flavor and was soft and crunchy.
For the second layer I made a white chocolate mousse which gave a rich and creamy feel to the whole dessert and the flavor of white chocolate really stood out.
After the mousse came the hazelnut praline and cacao panna cotta. The panna cotta had good texture but the flavor of hazelnuts got lost, so in the future I will add more hazelnuts to the panna cotta mixture to bring out as much of the hazelnut flavor as possible.
When the panna cotta was set I made a dark chocolate and hazelnut praline ganache which I piped on the panna cotta layer.
The finishing touch was a tempered white chocolate panel that sat on top of the piped ganache. For the panel I used a transfer sheet with blue and pink butterflies. I was so happy when I finally found these transfer sheets. I have been searching for them in different stores and had no success until recently.They worked great and are easy to use, the tempered chocolate is just smeared on top of the transfer sheet and left to cool.
The most important thing, when making this dessert, is that you leave yourself enough time to make sure the layers are set and cooled before continuing, otherwise you could end up with a disappointing result. Making each layer is quite simple and I made sure that no egg whites or egg yolks are left behind. If making the whole entremet is too much hassle you can always make one layered dessert, it will still taste great.
Hazelnut symphony entremet
(Makes 20x20cm cake)
Time:
Preparation: 1 hour
Baking: 35-40min
Cooking: 30min
For the hazelnut meringue:
- 70g ground hazelnuts
- 100g icing sugar
- 3 room temperature egg whites
- 35g white granulated sugar
- 120g whipping cream
- 120g milk (I used skimmed)
- 1/2 vanilla bean (seeds scraped out)
- 3 egg yolks
- 15g white granulated sugar
- 1 gelatin leaf (1,6g)
- 135g white chocolate
- 1 teaspoon Kirsch liqueur (optional)
- 130g hazelnuts
- 100g white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 gelatin leafs
- 125ml milk (I used skimmed)
- 325ml double cream
- 50g white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons hazelnut praline paste
- 100g dark chocolate
- 100g whipping cream
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons hazelnut praline
- 150g white chocolate
- transfer sheets (optional)
Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease and line an 20cm square cake tin.
Sift ground hazelnuts and caster sugar together in bowl. Whisk the egg whites until foamy then start adding the sugar in small additions. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold the dry ingredients gently into the meringue until combined. Pour the mixture in a baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Making the white chocolate mousse:
Place the gelatin in a bowl of cold water and set aside.
Bring the cream, milk and vanilla bean seeds to a boil in a small saucepan.
Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth and add the sugar, whisk until combined, make sure there are no lumps.
Pour a quarter of the boiling cream mixture in the egg yolks and whisk quickly. Pour the egg yolk mixture back in the pot with the hot cream mixture and place on low heat, stir the mixture until it reaches 80°C (183°F). Remove from heat and pour through a sieve into another bowl. Squeeze any excess water from the gelatin, add to the hot mixture and stir until it melts.
Add the white chocolate and using an immersion blender or a whisk blend until the mixture is smooth. Add the liquor (if using) and pour in a bowl. Place in the fridge until it firms up and gets thick enough to pour onto the hazelnut meringue. Place the hazelnut meringue and chocolate mousse in a freezer to set (couple hours or overnight).
Making the hazelnut paste/praline:
Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast at 180°C (356°F) until brown, 5-10 minutes. Place the hot hazelnuts on a dish towel and rub until the skins are removed.
Prepare a baking sheet with a parchment paper or silpat.
Heat the sugar in a small sauce pan until it gets dark amber then add the roasted hazelnuts. Stir the hazelnuts until completely covered in caramel. Pour the extremely hot hazelnuts and caramel on the prepared baking dish and set aside to cool completely.
Break the hazelnut praline in small chunks and place in a food processor. Blitz until you get small crumbs. Take out 2 tablespoons of praline and set aside (to use in a dark chocolate ganache).
Process the remaining praline until it starts to get wet, the oils from the hazelnuts will start to leak and the praline will became a paste. Add a tablespoon of oil and keep blitzing until you have a paste.
Making the hazelnut panna cotta:
Soak the gelatin in a bowl of cold water and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan whisk together milk, cream, sugar and cocoa powder, bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Squeeze any excess water from the gelatin and add them to the hot cream mixture, stir to combine. Whisk in the hazelnut paste and pour through a sieve in a pouring mug.
Leave the mixture aside to cool completely.
Take the hazelnut meringue and white chocolate mousse out of the freezer and pour on the panna cotta mixture. Place back in the freezer to set (couple hours).
Making the dark chocolate hazelnut ganache:
Chop the dark chocolate in small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl.
Bring the cream to the boil, pour it over the chocolate and wait 2 minutes.
Stir the ganache and add a pinch of salt. Add the hazelnut praline and mix. Pour in a piping bag and place in a fridge to set.
Making the white chocolate panels:
Prepare the parchment paper with transfer sheets or clear acetate foil strips.
Tempering white chocolate:
Chop 75 grams of milk chocolate in medium sized pieces, put in the heat-proof bowl and set aside. Chop the remaining 25 grams of the chocolate in tiny pieces and set aside. Put some water in a pot and heat gently to a simmer. Place the bowl with 75 grams chocolate on top of the pot, the water should not touch the bowl. When the chocolate starts to melt, stir and check the temperature. Keep checking the temperature until it reaches 40-45°C (104-113°F). When the chocolate reaches the right temperature take the bowl of the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. The temperature should drop. Stir the chocolate gently to cool until it reaches 27°C (81°F). This may take a while, depending on the room temperature. When the chocolate is cool enough place the bowl back on the pot of simmering water and heat back to 28-29°C (82-84°F).
Pour a small amount on tempered chocolate on top of the acetate foil/transfer sheet and smooth until you get an even surface and thickness. Leave to set for couple minutes, then mark the panels with a knife (cutting the chocolate when completely set is difficult, it may crumble). Set aside in a cool place to set completely.
Assembly:
After the panna cotta layer is completely set, take the cake out of the freezer and slice with a sharp knife into small rectangular pieces.
Pipe small dollops of ganache on top of the panna cotta. Place in the fridge for an hour to defrost.
Place the white chocolate panel over the ganache. Decorate with sour cherries or any other fruit, spun sugar and other decorations of your choice.
Making the hazelnut panna cotta:
Soak the gelatin in a bowl of cold water and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan whisk together milk, cream, sugar and cocoa powder, bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Squeeze any excess water from the gelatin and add them to the hot cream mixture, stir to combine. Whisk in the hazelnut paste and pour through a sieve in a pouring mug.
Leave the mixture aside to cool completely.
Take the hazelnut meringue and white chocolate mousse out of the freezer and pour on the panna cotta mixture. Place back in the freezer to set (couple hours).
Making the dark chocolate hazelnut ganache:
Chop the dark chocolate in small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl.
Bring the cream to the boil, pour it over the chocolate and wait 2 minutes.
Stir the ganache and add a pinch of salt. Add the hazelnut praline and mix. Pour in a piping bag and place in a fridge to set.
Making the white chocolate panels:
Prepare the parchment paper with transfer sheets or clear acetate foil strips.
Tempering white chocolate:
Chop 75 grams of milk chocolate in medium sized pieces, put in the heat-proof bowl and set aside. Chop the remaining 25 grams of the chocolate in tiny pieces and set aside. Put some water in a pot and heat gently to a simmer. Place the bowl with 75 grams chocolate on top of the pot, the water should not touch the bowl. When the chocolate starts to melt, stir and check the temperature. Keep checking the temperature until it reaches 40-45°C (104-113°F). When the chocolate reaches the right temperature take the bowl of the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. The temperature should drop. Stir the chocolate gently to cool until it reaches 27°C (81°F). This may take a while, depending on the room temperature. When the chocolate is cool enough place the bowl back on the pot of simmering water and heat back to 28-29°C (82-84°F).
Pour a small amount on tempered chocolate on top of the acetate foil/transfer sheet and smooth until you get an even surface and thickness. Leave to set for couple minutes, then mark the panels with a knife (cutting the chocolate when completely set is difficult, it may crumble). Set aside in a cool place to set completely.
Assembly:
After the panna cotta layer is completely set, take the cake out of the freezer and slice with a sharp knife into small rectangular pieces.
Pipe small dollops of ganache on top of the panna cotta. Place in the fridge for an hour to defrost.
Place the white chocolate panel over the ganache. Decorate with sour cherries or any other fruit, spun sugar and other decorations of your choice.
Comments
Post a Comment