Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Ingredients

• 1½ cups cream
• 1 cup milk chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup Amoretti® Hazelnut Praline

• ¼ cup Amoretti® Natural Hazelnut Flour
• 1 cup + 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 tbsp hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Amoretti® Vanilla Madagascar Bourbon W.S. 2X
• 1 stick butter, cold and cubed in small pieces

• 1¼ cups cream
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup Amoretti® Hazelnut Praline

• ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped (for final topping)

Directions

1. Begin by making the topping first, as it should rest in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight before whipping.

2. Heat cream to almost boiling and pour over the milk chocolate.
3. Let sit for 3-4 minutes before whisking to combine.
4. Cover and chill for minimum 4 hours or overnight.

5. Place ¾ cup hazelnuts on a sheet pan and toast in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes. Place toasted nuts in a towel, rub back and forth to remove as much of the skins as possible.
6. For nuts to be used in crust, separate 2 tbsp and chop or pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. For nuts to be used as topping, chop roughly and set aside.
7. Combine Amoretti Hazelnut Flour, AP flour, sugar, salt and toasted hazelnuts in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
8. Add egg and Amoretti Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, mix briefly to combine.
9. Add butter and mix until a dough is formed.
10. Wrap and chill dough for 30 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 350°F.
12. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment dusted with flour.
13. This dough is very sticky and will soften quickly, so the colder it is the easier it is to work with.
14. Roll out to fit your tart shell.
15. Lightly spray bottom and sides of tart shell.
16. Place dough into tart shell, pressing sides and bottom to an even thickness. Chill 10 minutes in freezer.
17. Place a piece parchment paper into the tart shell and pour in pie weights (or beans or rice) and bake for 15-20 minutes.
18. Remove parchment and pie weights and return shell to oven for another 10-15 minutes.
19. Let cool.

20. Heat cream and sugar to almost boiling.
21. Pour over the bittersweet chocolate and Amoretti Hazelnut Praline.
22. Let sit for 3-4 minutes so the chocolate can melt.
23. Whisk until smooth.
24. Pour filling into tart shell and smooth top.
25. Chill for 1 ½ hours.
26. Stir topping before pouring into mixer, then whip to soft peak. This will whip up quickly, so keep an eye on it, you don’t want to over-whip it.
27. Remove tart from refrigerator and, using a pastry bag fitted with a tip of your choice, cover the outer edges of the tart.
28. Sprinkle the toasted, chopped hazelnuts down the center of the tart.

• Cut the chocolate into small pieces so it will melt quickly.
• Make the topping first. Preferably, the day before so it has time to chill in the refrigerator overnight.
• The dough is easier to work with when it’s cold.
• If you don’t have pie weights, use dried beans or rice.