Date Night Dinners (dessert) - Redemption!

4/25/2014 tringel 0 Comments

Before all great achievements, there comes a little bit of failure. Or in my case, a lot. With Passover, comes family, friends, celebrations, and a lot of eating restrictions. But why should I let those eating restrictions stop my creativity or our ability to enjoy a delicious meal AND dessert. Last year I found an interesting recipe for a passover safe cheesecake that supposedly won an award for taste. It was a chocolate cheesecake with a pine nut, matzo, and sugar crust (because you cannot eat bread during this holiday), delicious right?! But I forgot to tell you, because you are not supposed to mix poultry and dairy in the Jewish religion, the "cheesecake" was made out of tofu. A little weird but still had potnential. Oh yea, the ingredients also called for wasabi. Okay, I know what you are saying to yourselves, "what were you thinking?!!" But it seemed like a good idea at the time. The spicy/sweet thing was in, haven't your heard of chili pepper infused chocolate bars? And, it won an award, how could I go wrong?

Well you are all right; I was wrong. The desert was terrible. Everyone took one bite and pushed it away, and there we 10 people, that means something. Did I mention, two of my cousins are chefs; yea, it was worse then when Rachel made her first Thanksgiving desert. "It's a trifle. It's got all these layers. First there's a layer of ladyfingers, then a layer of jam, then custard, which I made from scratch, then raspberries, more ladyfingers, then beef sauteed with peas and onions, then a little more custard..." (on F.R.I.E.N.D.S. if you aren't following me). "It tastes like feet," said Ross. But, even my Joey, who eats anything pushed it away. Yep, that was my dessert -- epic fail. Although without the wasabi I think it really would have potential! I promise... Don't worry though, this years dessert had nothing to do with lasts!


Luckily my family didn't ban me from the kitchen, and I was even allowed to make dessert again, to try to redeem myself. So, I searched high and low for the perfect recipe. I actually found it months ago (the search pretty much started as soon as no one ate my dessert last year). And I nailed it this week (we aren't traditional, so we celebrated a little later so that everyone could join the festivities). I even have a video of the compliments as everyone took there first bite. If you don't believe me, I'll send it right to you. It was complete and total redemption!

But enough about me, and more about the dessert. Like I said, I found a recipe for a Passover safe dessert a few months ago. It was for a macaroon torte. I was pretty much sold based on the name and then the photo. There was also the added factor that it combines hazelnuts and chocolate. Umm, hello! Homemade, deconstructed nutella. *Mouth waters; stomach grumbles.* I got the recipe "approved" during our Thanksgiving gathering, and mentally prepared myself from there.

Look how excited Chef Arthur is to try it.
A dessert without wasabi, created using a
few of his wise preparation tips. "Thank you,
Sensei." *bows and kisses feet*
I was pretty nervous about this recipe, not only because my job as desert preparer for Passover was on the line, but it seemed like a pretty complex recipe with lots of technique needed. Brenden and I started the endeavor the night before, by toasting the hazelnuts. We woke up early the next day to get the baking done before the oven was consumed with brisket and veggies and other yummy things. To my excitement, everything went swimmingly. Brenden helped me determine if my soft and stiff peaks were up to snuff and my friend Lauren came over just in time to help with the assembly and pretty frosting factor (note her awesome record cake stand).

Soon enough it was time for desert; the moment of truth. My confidence was shaken by the wasabi ghosts of last year, or maybe it was just the taunting that had been coming my way, from both sides of the table, all night. But, it was a hit; the texture was great, one cousin commented. The hazelnut was flavorful, the chocolate mixed perfectly in each bite and the whipped cream was a simple compliment to the rest. This torte was honestly really delicious, well worth the effort, and a lot simpler then the daunting recipe seemed. You just have to break it up into steps. The torte was almost gone by the end of the night. I am glad to know my job of dessert maker is safe for one more year. Now the pressure is really on!

Hazelnut Macaroon Torte
Recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com, Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon Torte

 Ingredients
  • Macaroons:
    • 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
    • 2.5 cups whole hazelnuts, skinned
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 6 egg whites
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • Chocolate filling
    • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • Whipped frosting
    • 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
    • 3 Tbsp grabulated sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Decoration
    • 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar
Directions
      
     A. Toast the hazelnuts (I did this the night before):
    1. Bake in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 9-12 minutes.
    2. Shake the tray to roll the nuts twice throughout time to allow them to toast evenly.
    3. Make sure to let the hazelnuts cool completely before moving on (if they are not cooled, they could turn to hazelnut butter, like peanut butter, when you are processing them).
      B. Make the macaroons:
    1. Outline four 8-inch circles on individual pieces of parchment paper. Turn each sheet of parchment paper over so you ink or pencil lines do not seep into the macaroon later on. Place each piece of parchment in the center of baking sheets. Lightly coat each piece of parchment with baking spray, oil, or butter (a good method is to spray and then wipe excess off with a paper towel until thee is only a sheer coating).
    2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, positioning the oven racks in the top and lower thirds of the oven.
    3. Place the hazelnuts, 1 cup sugar, and salt into a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
    4. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form.
    5. Drizzle in vanilla extract, then slowly add remaining 2 Tbsp sugar.
    6. Beat until stiff but not dry peaks form.
    7. Fold nut mixture into egg whites in about 1/3 increments. Small increments are important so the nuts don't overtake the fluffy egg whites you just created.
    8. Spread 1/4 of the macaroon batter evenly within each of the for circles, filling the 8-inch circle completely.
    9. Bake the layers until golden and dry to the touch, about 16-20 minutes.
    10. Cool macaroons completely, removing from the baking tray, leaving parchment paper below macaroons.
      C. Make the chocolate filling:
    1. While the macaroons are cooling, heat half of the chocolate in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring until smooth.
    2. Once melted and smooth, remove saucepan from the heat and stir in the second half of chocolate until fully melted and combined.
    3. Spread a thin layer of the chocolate evenly over the tops of each cooled macaroon.
    4. Set aside or in the freezer to cool macaroons with chocolate until firm.
    5. Make the whipped frosting:
    6. With a clean, dry electric mixer, beat the heavy cream, slowly incorporating the sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.
      D. Assemble the torte:
    1. Gently peel the parchment paper off the back of each macaroon round.
    2. Arrange your first disc on your cake stand or serving plate (it may help to insert small strips of parchment paper under the edges of the macaroon to protect the cleanliness of the cake stand/plate while decorating).
    3. Spread 1/3 cup whipped frosting over the first macaroon. Layer second macaroon and repeat, and then again with the third. Finally place the fourth round on top.
    4. Frost the top and sides of the torte with a thin layer of whipped frosting.
    5. Place in the fridge for a while to "set."
    6. Remove from fridge after several minutes and spread a thicker layer of whipped frosting around the entire torte, using the remainder of the frosting. This should be the smooth, pretty layer.
    7. If desired use a cheese grater to scrape shavings of 2 oz of chocolate bar for decoration.
    8. Remove excess parchment paper if used, slice and devour (can be stored in fridge for a couple of days if necessary)!

You Might Also Like

0 comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)