A few weeks ago, I set about making chef Ludovic Fontalirant’s hazelnut tartlets, a recipe published in issue #44 of Fou de pâtisserie magazine.
With the leftover preparations, I also made a little hazelnut tart. A bit simpler to make than the tartlets, this large-format version is made up of a pâte sucrée, a hazelnut cream, a hazelnut whipped ganache and homemade hazelnut praline. Pure indulgence!! What’s more, the photo was a big hit on Instagram and was reshared by Fou de pâtisserie, an honour <3
If the tartlet recipe somewhat scared you off with its length or its (possible) difficulty, then this 100% hazelnut tart recipe is totally made for you. There is less preparation (no praline crunchy layer, no hazelnut crémeux, no chocolate coating). It’s simpler and quicker to make; in short, here we’re going back to basics, but it’s just as good and indulgent.
I can only advise you, on the other hand, to make your own hazelnut praline. I assure you it’s disconcertingly simple. All you’ll need is a small food processor (and not necessarily the top-of-the-range model). If it’s any reassurance, I use the food processor from Lidl, which cost me €16 (and which I found far more effective than my previous €60 one). The hazelnut paste can also be made at home (it’s hazelnuts blended until you get a more or less runny paste, so there’s no sugar, unlike praline). But if you’re short on time, you can replace the hazelnut paste with the hazelnut praline.
Ingredients & Method
5 components · Full recipe
Hazelnut whipped ganache (make the day before)
Ingredients
- 190 g (6.7 oz) whole whipping cream (1)
- 90 g (3.2 oz) white chocolate
- 50 g (1.8 oz) hazelnut praline
- 50 g (1.8 oz) hazelnut paste (or hazelnut praline as a substitute)
- 4 g (0.1 oz) powdered gelatin
- 24 g (0.8 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatin)
- 190 g (6.7 oz) very cold whole whipping cream (2)
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatin in the water.
2
Make a ganache: melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie until it just begins to melt. Add the hazelnut praline and hazelnut paste.
3
In a small saucepan, heat the whipping cream (1). Off the heat, add the rehydrated gelatin.
4
Pour one third of the cream over the white chocolate praline mixture and stir to create an emulsion. Then pour in the second third, then the last third, to obtain a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
5
Add the very cold whipping cream (2). Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
Sweet pastry (start 2 days ahead or the day before)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) butter
- 95 g (3.4 oz) icing sugar
- 30 g (1.1 oz) almond powder
- 60 g (2.1 oz) egg (one large egg)
- 250 g (8.8 oz) flour
- a pinch of fleur de sel
- a knife tip of vanilla powder
- 1 egg yolk + 4 g (0.1 oz) whipping cream (for egg wash)
Method
1
Place the soft butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Add the almond powder, vanilla powder and fleur de sel and mix again.
2
Add the beaten egg and mix with a spatula.
3
Finish with the flour and mix with the mixer until a smooth dough forms. Do not overwork the dough. Bring the dough together into a ball without pressing too hard. Divide into 2 equal portions.
4
Wrap each portion in cling film, shaped into a flat rectangle. Refrigerate one overnight and freeze the other (for another tart).
5
The next day, roll the dough to 2–3 mm thickness. Cut out a 22 cm (8.7 in) diameter disc.
6
Grease an 18 cm (7.1 in) tart ring then line with the pastry, making sure to create a neat right angle at the base. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Baking the sweet pastry
Ingredients
- —
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F.
2
Once the pastry is well chilled, trim any excess dough flush with the ring using a small knife.
3
Place a sheet of baking paper on the pastry and fill with baking beads for blind baking. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beads and paper.
Hazelnut cream
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) soft butter
- 50 g (1.8 oz) icing sugar
- 50 g (1.8 oz) hazelnut powder
- 50 g (1.8 oz) eggs
Method
1
In the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, icing sugar and hazelnut powder and cream together.
2
Incorporate the eggs and mix until a smooth cream forms.
3
After the blind bake, smooth any imperfections in the pastry with a microplane grater, then brush the tart shell with the egg wash mixture for a shiny base.
4
Pipe the hazelnut cream into the tart shell, spreading it evenly without overfilling as it will puff up during baking.
5
Bake for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before unmoulding.
6
Once cooled, smooth any imperfections in the cream with the microplane grater.
Assembling the 100% hazelnut tart
Ingredients
- hazelnut praline (for decoration)
Method
1
Whip the hazelnut ganache like a chantilly (but not too firm) and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 16 mm round tip.
2
Pipe a little whipped hazelnut ganache into the tart shell (over the hazelnut cream) and smooth flush with a large offset spatula.
3
Pipe evenly-spaced balls of whipped ganache over the tart.
4
Using a melon baller, hollow out each ganache ball. Warm the spoon between each by dipping in boiling water and wiping dry.
5
Pipe a little hazelnut praline into each hollow, then finish by placing a few hazelnut halves on top.
Gallery
