Gianduia Chocolates Recipes

GIANDUJA

Steps:

• Line an 8-in. square dish with foil. Place hazelnuts and oil in a food processor; cover and process until mixture forms a paste. , In a large saucepan, melt bittersweet chocolate. Stir in 2-1/4 cups hazelnut mixture. Pour half of mixture into prepared dish. Refrigerate until firm., Melt candy bars; stir in remaining hazelnut mixture. Pour over bittersweet layer. Refrigerate until firm., Reheat remaining bittersweet mixture if necessary; pour over candy bar layer. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

GIANDUJA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a baking pan, toast the hazelnuts until golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately transfer to food processor. Process until very smooth and runny, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl several times. While processor is running, add oil. Scrape down sides again. Add cocoa; process to combine.
• Mix corn syrup and sugar in saucepan, and place over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream until just combined; remove from heat. While processor is running, slowly pour in syrup. Transfer to small bowl, and let cool.

GIANDUJA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spread each of the brownies with 1 tablespoon of nutella. Sprinkle each of the brownies with 1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts. Top the nuts with 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips. Place the brownies on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the chocolate is starting to melt. Transfer the brownies to the refrigerator and let cool until the chocolate hardens, about one hour.

GIANDUIA CHOCOLATES

Steps:

• Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan and line with plastic wrap, allowing a 2-inch overhang.
• Toast and skin hazelnuts. In a food processor pulse hazelnuts until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Chop chocolates into 1/4-inch pieces, reserving 1 slightly mounded tablespoon bittersweet chocolate for tempering. In a double boiler or a metal pan set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt three fourths of chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and add remaining chocolate in 2 or 3 batches, stirring until smooth and allowing each batch to melt before adding next.
• When all of chocolate is melted, test its temperature: Put a dab of chocolate on the inside of your lower lip; it should be slightly cooler than your body temperature. If chocolate is too warm, add reserved chocolate, stirring until smooth.
• Stir hazelnuts and hazelnut butter into chocolate until combined well and spread mixture in pan. Chill confection, covered with plastic wrap, until firm, at least 2 hours. Lift confection out of pan and peel off plastic wrap. On a cutting board with a sharp large knife cut confection lengthwise into 1-inch strips and cut strips crosswise into 1-inch squares. Chocolates keep, covered and chilled, 1 month.

GIANDUIA GOLD CUPS

Steps:

• Stir milk chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until melted and smooth. Remove chocolate from over water. Whisk in Nutella and chopped hazelnuts.
• Stir bittersweet chocolate in another medium metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until chocolate melts and candy thermometer registers 110°F. (chocolate will feel warm to touch). Remove from over water. Using 1-inch-wide pastry brush, coat insides of candy cups with just enough chocolate to cover. Rewarm chocolate as necessary to maintain temperature. Place cups on baking sheet. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 15 minutes.
• Spoon enough hazelnut mixture into center of each chocolate cup to fill to within 1/8 inch of top (about 1 heaping teaspoonful in each cup). Refrigerate until filling sets, about 15 minutes.
• Rewarm remaining melted bittersweet chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water to 110°F. Spoon enough chocolate over filling to cover and to fill cups completely. Immediately top each with whole nut. Refrigerate cups until firm, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead; refrigerate in single layer in airtight container.) Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

GIANDUJA CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C.) Butter a 9 inch springform pan. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough in the pan. Tuck it into the pan and let the edges overhang the rim. Brush with butter and layer a second sheet of phyllo. Butter this sheet. Continue until you have used all four sheets of phyllo. End with butter. Use as little butter as possible. Cover the phyllo-filled pan with a damp cloth.
• In the top of a double boiler, heat gianduia chocolate and unsweetened chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
• In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth. When no lumps remain, begin to beat in the sugar a little at a time. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time incorporating each yolk completely before adding the next. Finally beat in the melted and cooled chocolates and the liqueur.
• Beat the egg whites until they just get stiff. Do not over beat. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the cheese mixture, then quickly fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Be careful not to deflate the whites as much as possible. Pour the filling into the phyllo-lined pan. Tuck the edges of the phyllo into the pan making a bit of a rim.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. It will still seem a little loose in the center. When the cake appears done, turn off the oven, prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon and let the cake remain in the oven for another hour. Then place the cake in the refrigerator until completely chilled.

GIANDUIA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts out on small baking sheet or in an ovenproof skillet and toast them in the oven until they are a deep toasty brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and set aside to cool completely.Melt the chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water over medium-low heat, stirring often.If serving the Gianduia immediately, place your bread in a 350 degrees F oven for 12 minutes.
• Grind the hazelnuts with the sugar in a food processor to a fairly smooth, buttery paste.
• Once the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from the heat and whisk in the cream and butter. Stir in the ground hazelnuts. The gianduia will thicken and become soft and peanut butter-like as it cools. Pour the mixture into small jars, or store in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
• Serve the gianduia with rustic slices of buttered toast.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Bring an inch of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Combine the cream and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. When the water boils, turn the heat to low so the water is barely simmering or just steaming. Set the bowl over the saucepan and melt the chocolate, gently stirring with a whisk now and then.
• While the chocolate melts, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer on medium speed. When the whites are foamy, add the sugar in a slow stream while whisking. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form. The whites should look glossy but not dry, and, when you lift the whisk from the mixture, a peak should form in the bowl and hold.
• Once the chocolate has melted completely, turn off the heat but leave the bowl over the saucepan. Holding the bowl with a kitchen towel, add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking after each addition. If the mixture looks broken, remove the bowl from the saucepan, cool for a minute, then add 1 tablespoon cream and whisk just until shiny and smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. (Don't worry if it still doesn't look completely smooth. It will come together in the next step.)
• Add a quarter of the beaten whites to the chocolate mixture and stir gently with a flexible rubber spatula until incorporated but still a little streaky. This will make it easier to fold in the remaining whites to create an airy mousse by gradually lowering the temperature of the chocolate (tempering) and making the mixture loose.
• Add the rest of the whites and fold them in by running the spatula from 12 o'clock on the bowl to 6 o'clock, then scooping up the chocolate on the bottom and gently folding it over the whites as you move toward 9 o'clock. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue folding just until the last streak of white disappears. It's OK if there are a few lumps of whites left. It's better to not deflate the batter by folding too much.
• Scoop into a pretty bowl or into individual cups or bowls for serving if you'd like. Otherwise, keep it in the mixing bowl. Refrigerate the mousse uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 more hours and preferably 24. The covered mousse can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
• If you'd like to serve the mousse with whipped cream, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. A cup or two of heavy cream is plenty for this amount of mousse. Serve the mousse cold, straight from the refrigerator, with the whipped cream.

GIANDUIA SANDWICH COOKIES (CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Mix 1/2 cup Nutella and the egg with an electric mixer until well combined. Slowly add 1 cup of flour until a wet dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a flour-dusted board.
• Knead gently, adding a bit more flour if necessary; dough will be sticky. Roll dough into 18 balls, flouring your hands as needed to make rolling easier. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet, several inches apart.
• Bake 12 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Split cookies in half horizontally using a sharp, serrated knife (see note below). Spread bottom with 1 teaspoon Nutella, replace top and press firmly. Let cool completely. Store in a tightly covered tin.
• Note on flour: I didn't have self-rising cake flour, so I mixed 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt with regular cake flour before adding it.
• Note on splitting the cookies: I had a problem with a couple of the cookie tops breaking a bit when I first started cutting them. I then tried it this way and had no more problems: turn the cookie on its side and carefully score the entire outside edge while turning it like a wheel, then gently cut the rest of the way through the middle.

CHOCOLATE GIANDUIA MARTINI

Steps:

• Fill cocktail shaker with ice.
• Pour ingredients into the cocktail shaker and shake it up.
• Strain mix into cold martini glasses.