Hazelnuts, coffee dress up tart for holidays

Spanishchef.net recommends these products

Hazelnuts, coffee dress up tart for holidays

More tantalizing recipes for the holidays. This one is a hazelnut tart, not too difficult to make and well worth the effort.

Holiday Hazelnut Tart

Makes 8-12 servings

The dough can be made several days ahead, and the tart baked several hours ahead.

Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
Filling:
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder, such as Medaglia D’Oro
1 tablespoon honey
7 to 10 ounces hazelnuts (1 1/2 -2 cups), toasted and as much of the skins rubbed off as possible
Garnish:
1 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 tablespoons hazelnut spread (such as Nutella), depending on your preference

For the dough: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process just to blend ingredients. Add butter pieces, then pulse until mixture has the consistency of cornmeal. Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl. With motor running, pour egg mixture down the feed tube and process just until ingredients form a ball.

Divide the dough in half. For the tart crust, roll one portion between sheets of waxed paper or parchment to form an 11-inch circle; refrigerate about 15 minutes, or until firm.

Use the chilled 11-inch circle to line a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper from the dough (bottom waxed paper is still in place) and center (dough-side down) onto the tart pan. Gently remove waxed paper and press dough along the bottom and up the sides. Place the pastry-lined pan in refrigerator for about 45 minutes, or freeze until firm.

If desired, use the remaining halfof the dough to decorate the tart after it is filled: Roll between sheets of waxed paper to an 11-inch circle; refrigerate to firm dough, 15 to 30 minutes, then cut out small leaf shapes. After the tart is filled, overlap the leaves to form a border along the tart’s outer edge. Or, wrap the remaining dough (either rolled or unrolled) in plastic wrap and chill or freeze to use another time.

For the filling: Heat the water and sugar in a heavy, 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Carefully stir the mixture occasionally with a small silicone spatula (or wooden spoon) until the sugar dissolves (stirring or swirling the pan distributes the heat and blends the ingredients). Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, without stirring, until the melted sugar becomes amber in color, about 7 minutes.

Off heat, add the cream, instant coffee powder and honey. Stir until blended, but be careful because the mixture bubbles up. Stir in the nuts to coat evenly; set aside to cool, 20 to 30 minutes.

To bake: Place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Pour the filling into the tart shell and spread evenly. The nuts should fill the shell; if there are gaps, add more nuts. If desired, place leaf cut-outs in an overlapping pattern near the edge of the tart. Bake about 35 minutes, or until the filling is shiny on top and mahogany in color. Any bubbles that form will be medium in size and their formation will be slow. (Watch carefully to avoid burning the filling at this point.)

Remove the tart to a rack to cool completely. The filling will thicken as it cools to a soft, slightly chewy consistency. When cool, remove the outer rim from the tart.

For the garnish: In a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the Nutella into the heavy cream.

To serve: Serve the tart at room temperature, cut into small wedges. Garnish with a dollop of the Nutella whipped cream.

Per serving: 274 calories, 4 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate, 18 g fat (6 g saturated), 33 mg cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information) hazelnuts