Gianduja and Hazelnut Praline Tartlets

You’ve probably noticed that the blog has been running a little slowly since the start of the school year. This year, I’ve gone back to teaching full-time, so it’s a whole new routine to find, between work, the kids, after-school activities, baking, food photography and the blog… I’m trying to keep up a publishing rhythm on Instagram but I’ve neglected the blog a bit, I have to admit (it’s hard to be everywhere, as you can imagine).

But here I am again with a new, ultra-indulgent recipe, gianduja and hazelnut praline tartlets to die for. They are made up of a pâte sucrée, a hazelnut praline, a soft hazelnut sponge and a delicious gianduja ganache.

The next recipe will be a Yule log because I know many of you are already thinking about your festive dessert. In the meantime, you can browse the Yule logs and Christmas desserts section, you may already find something you like there 🙂

How do you make a hazelnut praline?

I have a preference for 100% hazelnut praline (my guilty pleasure) but you can very well make an almond/hazelnut praline. Either way, to make a good praline, you absolutely must roast the nuts, that is, put them in the oven at around 150°C for 10 to 15 minutes (some people push the roasting a little further, it’s up to you). This is very important because it’s what allows the nuts to release their aromas and gives them a more pronounced flavour. There are 2 methods for making a praline:

• Method 1: make a dry caramel, spread it on a baking tray and leave it to cool. Then simply put the cooled nuts and the caramel sheet broken into small pieces in a food processor and blend.
• Method 2: make a syrup with water, sugar and glucose, bring it to 118°C, add the nuts and let them caramelise (the nuts will first turn sandy, then you continue caramelising until you get a nice caramel colour). Tip it out, let the tray of nuts cool completely, then blend in a food processor.

Personally, I prefer the second method. Admittedly, it takes a little longer, but I find the result is better. Here, I used the first method because I was a little short on time (to get a better result, in this specific case, I push the roasting a bit further because the nuts don’t go back on the heat as with the second method).

Don’t hesitate to make extra praline, it keeps for months in an airtight jar at room temperature (you can also keep it in the fridge if you prefer). It will come in handy for lots of different recipes.

What if I don’t have any gianduja?

I usually use Valrhona’s milk gianduja, which is simply excellent. You can find it on the Valrhona Ensemble website. But if you can’t find any, you should know that it’s entirely possible to make it yourself. The recipe is actually really simple to make. I do however recommend using quality ingredients (such as Pariani Piedmont hazelnuts and a milk chocolate like Valrhona’s Jivara).

To make homemade gianduja, you need equal parts hazelnuts, icing sugar and milk chocolate. First, you need to roast the hazelnuts (always) in the oven at 150°C for around 15 minutes. Then rub them to remove most of the skins (it doesn’t matter if a few remain). In the bowl of a good food processor, put the hazelnuts and the icing sugar and blend until you get a fairly smooth paste (this can take a little while, it all depends on the power of your processor). Next, add the previously melted milk chocolate and blend again until you get a homogeneous mixture. You can use it straight away or pour it into a dish lined beforehand with cling film, it will then be easier to take it out of the dish and take the amount you need.