Raspberry Hazelnut Torte

A hazelnut dacquoise torte with raspberry and vanilla pastry cream layers, with the subtle flavor of chives.

Ingredients

For the dacquoise:

For the raspberry-chive layers:

For the vanilla-chive pastry cream:

For the lemon gelatin layer:

For the hazelnut nougatine:

Method

Prepare the dacquoise:

In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts with the powdered sugar until finely ground. Empty into a bowl and sift the flour over it. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the egg whites and the sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the hazelnut mixture and the rose water, being careful not to deflate the egg whites but still to incorporate the nuts. Keep as much air in the batter as possible. Divide batter between two quarter sheet pans lined with parchment paper and bake until golden brown (about 15 minutes). Let cool and then flip over and peel off the parchment paper.

Prepare the raspberry-chive layers:

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the raspberries, sugar, and chives. Cook until the raspberries are reduced to a puree. Strain through a sieve and discard the seeds and chives, and then stir in the gelatin. Pour over two quarter sheet pans that are lined with parchment paper. Cool to room temperature and then freeze.

Prepare the chive-vanilla pastry cream:

Sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the cold water. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until very pale. In a saucepan combine the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chives and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Slowly pour the milk over the yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium low heat until thick. Pass the cream through a sieve to remove the chives. Take off the heat and stir in the gelatin. Cover the top with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool.

Prepare the lemon gelatin layer:

Do this about 15 minutes before assembling the torte. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Bring the lemon juice, water, and sugar to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the gelatin and cool to room temperature.

Assemble the torte:

Create an 8 inch by 8 inch square frame, about three inches high, out of tinfoil. Or, use a square frame or a square pan covered with plastic wrap (leaving 3 or so inches on each side) so it's easy to take out the cake once finished. Cut a piece of hazelnut dacquoise and place at the bottom of the pan. Cut a piece of raspberry jelly and place it on the dacquoise (don't worry if it falls apart, just spread it out evenly). Spread about a third of the pastry cream over the raspberry layer. Top with another layer of dacquoise, raspberry, and pastry cream. Use the remaining pieces of dacquoise to create another layer. Top with the rest of the pastry cream and then the lemon jelly. Let sit in the fridge for at least two hours, or best overnight.

Prepare the hazelnut nougatine:

Bring a third of the sugar and the light corn syrup to a boil and then add another third of the sugar once a light caramel colour forms. Cook, stirring frequently, until a medium caramel colour forms. Add the rest of the sugar and cook until the mixture is the colour of maple syrup. Add the nuts and the salt and stir to coat. Remove from heat and spread thinly on a piece of parchment paper. Let cool and then process in a food processor until finely ground. Preheat the oven to 325°F and sprinkle the powder in a small rectangle on your baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake for five minutes and then remove from oven, take the parchment off from the pan, place another piece of parchment on top, and roll as thin as you can. Place back into the oven for five minutes, and roll again. Keep on warming up and rolling until the nougatine is very thin. Cut into 2 by 4 inch rectangles, warming in oven if it is too hard to cut. Cool to room temperature.

Assemble the dessert:

Cut off the borders of the cake, and eat these when no one is watching. Cut the cake into 2 by 4 inch pieces and top with a piece of nougatine and fresh fruit (and perhaps some chives or mint).

Recipe by IronWhisk at http://www.ironwhisk.com/2012/08/raspberry-hazelnut-torte/