Hazelnut Meringues With Lemon Cream And Blood Orange Syrup Recipes

HAZELNUT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place hazelnuts in single layer on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F. for 10 minutes or until skins begin to loosen and hazelnuts turn golden brown.
• Remove hazelnuts from oven; place on towel. Wrap towel around hazelnuts; let stand 10 minutes. Rub hazelnuts with towel to remove as much skin as possible.
• In food processor bowl with metal blade, combine hazelnuts and powdered sugar. Process until fine powder forms. Set aside.
• Reduce oven temperature to 200°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In large bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer at medium speed until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar. Increase speed to high; beat until soft peaks form. Slowly beat in superfine sugar. Continue beating until egg whites are glossy and stiff. Beat in almond extract. Quickly fold in nut powder.
• Place meringue mixture in large decorating bag or resealable gallon plastic bag fitted with 1/2-inch open star tip. Pipe meringue into star shapes onto paper-lined cookie sheets.
• Bake at 200°F for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until crisp. Cool on cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Gently remove from parchment paper.

HAZELNUT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Hazelnut powder:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly butter it, set aside.
• If hazelnuts are raw, toast them in the oven, and then rub the skins off in a clean, dry dishtowel. Blanch toasted hazelnuts in boiling water for 30 seconds and then immediately chill them in ice water. Squeeze the nuts through the skins.
• Grind the hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade with 5 ounces confectioners' sugar, until smooth and fine, approximately 10 to 15 seconds.
• Whisk together the hazelnut powder, 2 ounces confectioners' sugar, and flour lightly.
• In a standing mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed. When whites begin to foam, increase speed to high. When whites are at stiff peak, pour in the extra-fine sugar. Fold in dry ingredients in 3 additions.
• Pour meringue mixture into piping bag without a tip. Pipe teardrop shapes with 2-inch diameter bottoms onto prepared sheet pan.
• Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Meringues will puff and begin to burst when finished baking. Meringues will be crispy on the outside but soft in the middle.
• Serve immediately, or let cool and fill or top with ganache.
• In a small sauce pan heat the heavy cream, vanilla bean, and Frangelico to a simmer. Place chocolate into a metal bowl. Once the cream simmers, remove the vanilla bean and pour it over the chocolate, stir until smooth. Let it cool to room temperature. With a rubber spatula, scrape ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a medium size star tip, and pipe into Hazelnut Meringues.

HAZELNUT MERINGUES WITH LEMON CREAM AND BLOOD ORANGE SYRUP

Steps:

• For lemon cream:
• Place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Stir butter, lemon peel and remaining lemon juice in small saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Whisk eggs, yolks and sugar in medium metal bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in butter mixture. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not let bottom of bowl touch water). Whisk constantly until mixture is thick and thermometer registers 140°F for 3 minutes, about 8 minutes total. Remove from over water. Add gelatin mixture to hot lemon curd; whisk until gelatin dissolves. Chill until curd cools to room temperature, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Beat cream in large bowl until medium peaks form. Fold whipped cream into curd. Cover; chill lemon cream until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
• For meringues:
• Preheat oven to 275°F Line 17x11x1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving 1-inch overhang at short ends. Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups sugar, beating until stiff and glossy. Fold in nuts. Spread meringue in prepared pan.
• Bake meringue until firm and dry to touch and pale golden, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Immediately cut around pan sides to loosen. Pull parchment with meringue onto work surface. Trim meringue to 14x10 1/2-inch rectangle. Run knife under meringue to loosen from parchment. Cut meringue lengthwise into three 3 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut crosswise into twelve 3 1/2-inch squares. Cut each square on diagonal, forming total of 24 triangles. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container in single layers between sheets of waxed paper.)
• Place 12 meringue triangles on work surface. Top each with 1/4 cup lemon cream. Place second triangle on each, pressing slightly to adhere. Run edge of spatula around assembled meringues to smooth filling at edges. Sift powdered sugar over. Transfer each dessert to plate. Drizzle with Blood Orange Syrup.