1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3cupsdark brown sugar, packed
2largeeggs
1teaspoonvanilla
1tablespooninstant coffee powder
1 1/2cupswhole wheat flour
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/4teaspoonfine salt
Assembly
2 1/2cupschocolate gelato
1/2cuplightly chopped hazelnuts
Directions
Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 12 minutes. Cool, then rub off skins with a tea towel and roughly chop.
Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring every 10 seconds and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs. Stir vanilla and instant coffee together and add to butter mixture. Stir in melted chocolate.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to butter mixture to combine. Stir in chopped hazelnuts.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press dough into a greased 9-inch fluted tart pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until center has a dull finish and edges are lightly browned. While still warm, press gently in the center of the tart to make an indentation to fill with ice cream. Allow shell to cool.
Assembly
Let chocolate gelato sit for 10 minutes at room temperature, then beat on medium speed to soften slightly so gelato is spreadable. Spread gelato into cooled tart shell and sprinkle with ½ cup lightly chopped hazelnuts. Freeze until ready to serve.
Devil’s Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Milk Chocolate Ganache, recipe follows
Butter and flour, for springform pan
2cupspastry flour (500 mL)
3/4cupcocoa powder (175 mL)
1 1/2teaspoonsbaking soda (7 mL)
1/2teaspoonsalt (2 mL)
1cupunsalted butter, room temperature (250 mL)
2cupssugar (500 mL)
4eggs
1/2cupplus 2 ounces buttermilk (125 mL plus 60 mL)
1/2cupplus 2 ounces brewed coffee (125 mL plus 60 mL)
1teaspoonvanilla extract (5 mL)
Chocolate Ribbon, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
Butter and flour the springform pan.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt 3 times, and set aside.
Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine the buttermilk, coffee and vanilla extract.
Mix in one third of the dry ingredients, then half the wet ingredients.
Repeat with the remaining dry and wet ingredients, finishing with dry.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 1 hour, until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the pan after 15 minutes. Cool completely.
Cut the cake into two layers.
Sandwich the whipped Ganache between the two layers and spread more Ganache on the top and sides of the cake.
Wrap the chocolate-covered acetate around the cake, chocolate side in, overlapping the ends slightly.
Refrigerate the cake until the chocolate in the ribbon has set.
Carefully remove the acetate before serving
Chocolate Roulade
Ingredients
Cake
3/4cupsugar (175 ml)
4largeeggs, separated
3/4cupcake flour, sifted (175 ml)
1teaspoonbaking powder (5 ml)
1/4teaspoonsalt (1 ml)
1/4cupmilk (60 ml)
2tablespoonsunsalted butter (30 ml)
Chocolate Whipping Cream with Frangelico
5ouncesdark (sweet) chocolate, chopped into small pieces (140 g)
2cupswhipping (35 %) cream (480 ml)
1/3cupmilk (90 ml)
4tablespoonssugar (60 ml)
1tablespoonvanilla (15 ml)
1tablespoonFrangelico liqueur or use your favourite liqueur (15 ml)
Directions
Cake
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a medium size baking sheet with parchment paper (should be medium size because batter should be about 1-inch thick before it bakes.)
In a medium mixing bowl combine sugar and egg yolks and whisk over double boiler until warm. Beat with an electric mixer (preferably fitted with a whip attachment) until pale and doubled in bulk and cooled.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk and butter. Reserve.
Sift together the flour and baking powder and salt onto a piece of parchment paper.
Whip egg whites in another clean bowl (preferably stainless steel or copper) until light peaks hold.
Add egg whites alternately with flour into egg mixture, gently folding until well blended. Fold in warm milk mixture, again, gently until just blended.
Pour and scrape batter to prepared baking sheet. Gently smooth with spatula until batter is evenly spread across baking sheet, especially into the corners.
Bake 6 to 9 minutes until golden and cake has just set. Remove and immediately run a knife around pan to loosen cake. Dust a clean, smooth tea towel generously with icing sugar and flip warm cake immediately onto surface of towel. Roll cake with long side horizontal, into a tight roll, leaving towel in place. Set aside to cool completely until ready to fill.
To finish the cake, unroll cake and spread about ¾ of the whipped chocolate whipping cream evenly over the cake, spreading it 1-inch from the edge. Roll cake, long side horizontal. Dust with cocoa powder. Slice cake and serve with more of the chocolate whipping cream.
Chocolate Whipping Cream with Frangelico
Add cream, milk and sugar to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Stir in the vanilla. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Let cool to room temperature. Chill in refrigerator for 12 hours prior to whipping. The chocolate and cream need to set up in order to whip. Store for up to 5 to 7 days refrigerated.
When needed whip the chilled set chocolate whipping cream, as you would whip whipping cream. Add the chocolate cream mixture, frangelico and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment (or alternatively with electric beaters). Beat on high speed until whipped, about 1 to 3 minutes.
Praline Peach Pie
Ingredients
Crust
1cupwhole almonds (with skins)
1 1/4cupsall purpose flour
1/2cupsugar
1/4teaspoonsalt
1/2cupunsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
5tablespoonsice cold water
Filling
1/2cupsugar
3tablespoonswhipping cream
3poundsfresh peaches, peeled and halved (10-12 peaches)
2cupsfresh raspberries
Praline Crumble
2/3cupsugar
2tablespoonswater
1cupsliced almonds, lightly toasted
2/3cuprolled oats
1/3cupall purpose flour
1/3cupunsalted butter, melted
Directions
To Assemble
For crust, pulse almonds, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until almonds are finely ground. Add butter and pulse until a rough, crumbly texture. Add water and pulse just until dough comes together. Divide dough in 2 and press into 2 7-inch tart shells. Dock pastry with a fork and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Bake shells for 20 minutes, until edges are golden brown and center is dry. Allow to cool while preparing filling.
For filling, heat sugar and whipping cream in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until bubbling. Add peach halves and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid that cooks out of peaches thickens and glazes peaches, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Toss with raspberries and chill until praline crumble is prepared.
For praline crumble, cook sugar and water in a small saucepot over high heat until it caramelizes, brushing the sides of the pot often with a damp brush. Stir in toasted almonds and pour immediately onto a greased baking sheet. Allow to cool.
Break pralined almonds into chunks and place in a food processor. Pulse almonds to grind into a rough texture. Add 1/3 cup oats, flour and melted butter and pulse until a crumbly texture. Add remaining 1/3 cup of oats and pulse briefly to incorporate (but not blend in completely). Spread crumble onto fruit filling and place pie on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until crumble has browned and fruit filling is bubbling.
