Delice Aux Noisettes
Submitted by Aud
A French hazelnut tart with homemade nougatine and a creamy nut butter custard baked in a quiche shell. Topped with whipped cream, this is elegant patisserie made at home.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
75 minDelice aux Noisettes translates to “hazelnut delight," and that’s putting it mildly.
This French tart is built in layers of texture and flavor. First, toasted hazelnuts are ground into a rich nut butter in the food processor. That gets blended with cream and eggs into a silky custard, then poured into a pre-baked shell.
But here’s where it gets really interesting: more hazelnuts are coated in homemade caramel to create nougatine, those shattering, amber-colored candy shards. Those get scattered across the top before baking.
The result? A tart that’s creamy, crunchy, nutty, and just sweet enough. Finish it with clouds of vanilla whipped cream and prepare for silence at the table.
Chef Tips
- Watch the hazelnuts closely while toasting. They go from golden to burnt in seconds
- The caramel for the nougatine should be a light amber. Pull it off the heat the moment it turns color because it continues darkening
- Oil your baking sheet before pouring the nougatine. If you skip this step, you’ll be chiseling candy off the pan
- Process the nut butter patiently. It can take up to 10 minutes for the oils to release. Scrape down the sides often
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Whip ½ cup of the cream in a chilled bowl or over ice until soft peaks form, then add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat just to stiff peaks.
Place in strainer lined with cheesecloth and set over a bowl.
Place the hazelnuts on a tray in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Do not let them burn. Take them out and skin them.
Keep ½ cup of the nuts warm.
In a stainless steel or aluminum saucepan, heat ½ cup of the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water to boiling.
Add a pinch of cream of tartar and continue cooking to a light brown color.
Lightly oil a baking sheet with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil.
When the syrup is a light brown, pour the ½ cup of warmed nuts into it and stir with a wooden spoon to coat the nuts evenly.
Immediately pour them out onto the oiled baking sheet.
Let cool, 10 minutes, to make nougatine.
Grind the remaining 1 cup nuts with ¾ cup of the sugar in a food processor to form nut butter.
This will take from 6 to 10 minutes.
The food processor may have to be scraped down from time to time, but the oils must emerge and it must be somewhat like a peanut butter.
When the nougatine is cooled and hardened, chop it coarsely with a knife into pieces small enough to eat.
Mix 1 cup of cream and the eggs together, add to nut butter and pour into a quiche shell.
Sprinkle the nougatine over the top.
Bake 25 to 35 minutes until browned and set.
Serve the quiche tepid with dollops of whipped cream placed on the top with a tablespoon or decorate with whipped cream piped through a pastry bag.
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