The preparation is challenging but the final result is worth every moment. It encapsulates the rich essence of hazelnut in various delightful textures.
Required recipes
Hazelnut praline - Can be prepared even more than 1 week in advance.
Chocolate marquise - It's recommended to be prepared one day in advance, but it's also possible to prepare it directly on Day 1.
Equipment
Outer mold. I'm using Sphere Ø 55mm by Pavoni.
Inner mold. I'm using Sphere Ø 45mm by Pavoni.
Round nozzle. Recommendation is to use Ø 4 mm.
Suggested schedule
Coating should be done one day before serving. This will allow all the creams to reach the perfect texture.
Day 1
Whipped hazelnut ganache
45g Heavy cream 35% fat (1)
20g Whole milk
45g Hazelnut praline
1 Gelatine sheet (platinum, 1.75g)
50g White chocolate
105g Cold heavy cream 35% fat (2)
Re-hydrate the gelatine in cold water
Add hazelnut praline, milk and heavy cream (1) to a saucepan on a low heat
Add the white chocolate and the re-hydrated gelatine and mix with a spatula
Add the cold cream (2) and mix with a hand blender. Target is just to incorporate (and not to emulsify) so a few seconds are enough.
Let to set in the fridge overnight.
Crispy gianduja cream
100g Gianduja paste. I recommend to buy a good artisanal one. You can also something more commercial and easy to find like Nutella of course. Don't give up just because you can't find something artisanal.
50g Hazenut praline.
100g Feuilletine. You can also use another crunchy element. In my case I'm using crispy chocolate pearls from Van Soest.
Mix gianduja and praline together with a spatula till you get a smooth texture. Adjust depending on the thickness of the two components.
Add the feuilletine and mix with a spatula.
Assembly pt. 1
Build the sphere. Pipe the hazelnut praline on the bottom, then place a thin disc of marquise and pipe the crispy gianduja cream on top. If you don't have a mold to build the entire sphere you can use a mold to build half spheres and combine them once they are frozen. This might be also required with a full sphere mold depending on the crunchy element that you are using with the gianduja cream (you might have troubles piping).
Freeze overnight.
Day 2
Assembly pt. 2
Whip the hazelnut ganache till it reaches medium peaks, then pipe it to fill half of the bigger sphere in the mold.
Place a sphere on the whipped hazelnut ganache and close the mold.
Push the sphere gently so that it reaches the proper position. This should also allow to distribute the whipped hazelnut ganache on the top part of the mold. You can still add some ganache if needed.
Day 3
Hazelnut tip
q.s. Whipped hazelnut ganache
Once the spheres are frozen, pipe a bit of whipped hazelnut ganache on top of it and shape a small tip. You might need to whisk the hazelnut ganache for a few seconds before using it to ensure a smooth texture and make shaping easier.
Freeze for a few hours. Since the tip is small, a couple of hours should be enough. Of course it's better to avoid doing this preparation in the late evening otherwise you might have to wait for the following day to proceed with further steps.
Hazelnut hat
q.s. Whipped hazelnut ganache
Use the outer side of the mold (or another mold with same size) as a surface to build the hat. For a more realistic effect use a round nozzle Ø 4 mm to pipe small dots of the ganache on the mold.
Freeze for a few hours. Same recommendations done for the tip also apply here.
Coating
We need three different coatings here, one for the body and two for the hat.
Brown (body) | White (hat) | Dark (hat) |
125g Cocoa butter 100g White chocolate 50g Milk chocolate 1g Yellow color (fat soluble) 0.5g Red color (fat soluble) | 80g Cocoa butter 80g White chocolate | 100g Cocoa butter 66g Dark chocolate 70% 1g Red color (fat soluble) |
Same preparation process applies to all of them:
Melt the cocoa butter on a low heat.
Pour over the chocolate and mix till smooth.
The mixture should be used at a temperature between 42°C and 44°C. If temperature is lower you can heat the whole mixture in the microwave at low power. Also, in order to keep the temperature at the right level you can use kitchen film to cover the container and remove it only when you are ready to dip.
Assembly pt. 3
Pour some white coating on the surface of the brown one (this will allow to create a more realistic effect when dipping).
Remove all the ganache excesses from the sphere so that it's perfectly smooth.
Use a skewer to dip the hazelnut body into the coating and remove it immediately. In a few seconds the coating will set and you can remove the hazelnut from the skewer with hands.
Leave it on a side and move to the hat coating.
Use a skewer to dip the hat into the white coating. Be careful here. The hat is very fragile and it's important to be gentle with the skewer.
Dip immediately into the dark one.
Use a bit of hazelnut praline to attach the hat to the body of the hazelnut, then gently remove the skewer and keep in the fridge overnight.
Day 4
Stem
q.s. Dark chocolate (whatever chocolate can be used)
q.s. Cocoa powder
Lightly melt the chocolate in the microwave to reach a flexible texture.
Roll the chocolate stem and wait for it to harden.
Place cocoa powder and the stem in a small bowl and shake gently so that the cocoa adheres.
Assembly pt. 4
Heat up (e.g. using a kitchen torch) a metallic skewer or similar tool.
Gently use it to increase the diameter of the hat hole so that the stem can fit. Be very careful here. Skewer temperature shouldn't be too high and you shouldn't push too much in depth (the coating of the hazelnut body should be the limit).