Bittersweet Chocolate-Hazelnut Filling
What started as a Wordless Wednesday Post made its way to the oven preheated at 350F, then roasted for 10 minutes. However, the rest of the journey proved to be more trying. Three recipes followed, with results not to my liking, and the tiny tastings left me with mild itching, burning, swelling in the mouth and throat. Although I am allergic to hazelnuts, I do not want the Little Man to miss out. To remedy the trio of disappointments, I now bring back one of my favorites from LA Times Food’s Test Kitchen: White Chocolate Ganache. I can see this being reinvented many times with different liqueurs, spices, fruits, and nuts. For today’s twist, bittersweet chocolate replaced white chocolate. I added hazelnut butter for flavor profile.
Bittersweet Chocolate-Hazelnut Filling
ingredients
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 ounces hazelnut paste
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
directions
- Grind hazelnuts and salt to a paste in a food processor.
- Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- Bring the heavy cream to a boil, and then pour it over the chocolate. Working with a whisk or spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together. Stir in the butter and hazelnut paste when the ganache is smooth.
- Cool the ganache by putting the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water. Stir almost constantly, so it doesn’t harden; when the ganache is thick enough to pipe and stay where it’s piped, spoon it into the pastry bag and fill the macarons.
