Hazelnut Pastry Crust Recipes

HAZELNUT PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Pulse flour, hazelnuts, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Drizzle 1/4 cup ice water evenly over mixture, and pulse until it just begins to hold together (dough should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse.
• Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before rolling.

HAZELNUT PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Toast and skin hazelnuts. In a food processor pulse nuts with 1 teaspoon sugar until finely ground. Add flour, baking powder, and a pinch salt, pulsing to combine. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and pulse to combine. Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture, pulsing until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl lightly beat together egg, Frangelico or hazelnut extract, and vanilla. Add egg mixture to butter mixture, pulsing until mixture forms a dough. Dough may be kept, wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled, up to 3 days. Bring dough to room temperature before using.

SPINACH AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS PIE WITH HAZELNUT PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roast hazelnuts on a baking sheet until browned and fragrant, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer, with skins on, to a food processor, and pulse to make a coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour and salt. Add 3/8 cup butter; use two knives or a pastry cutter to cut into mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir with a fork, and gradually add 1/2 cup cold water, or more as needed, until dough is cohesive. Shape into 2 balls. (May be covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for 24 hours.).
• Butter a 9- or 10-inch pie pan. On a lightly floured counter, roll out each ball to rounds that are slightly larger than the pan. Place one crust in bottom of pan. Cover both crusts with plastic wrap. Set aside.
• Place a small skillet over medium heat, and add olive oil. Add onions, and sauté until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, potatoes, eggs, dill, tarragon, thyme and nutmeg. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add feta, and toss gently to mix. (May be covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for 24 hours.).
• Place brussels sprouts cut side down on bottom and sides of pastry-lined pan. Cover sprouts with spinach mixture, mounding it high in center. Place red pepper strips evenly across top, and press gently to compact mixture. Top with remaining pastry crust, crimp edges together, and flute rim. Cut several slits in top of pie to vent it.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pie from oven and dot crust with bits of butter. Return to oven until crust is lightly browned, about 30 more minutes. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.
• Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

APPLE TORTE WITH BREAD CRUMB AND HAZELNUT CRUST

Steps:

• To make the pastry dough, chop the toasted hazelnuts into small bits, about the size of barley or rice grains, using a chef's knife, or pulse in a food processor, in short bursts to avoid pulverizing. Mix the chopped nuts with the bread crumbs, sugar, and grated lemon zest in a big bowl.
• Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan just until the butter melts. Pour over the dry mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Let the very sticky dough sit in the bowl for about 15 minutes, so the liquids are absorbed by the crumbs. Scrape dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, enclose it, and press into a disk. Refrigerate the dough for an hour or more, until it is quite firm.
• To make the filling, peel, core, and slice the apples; you should have 6 to 7 cups of slices. Spread them in the saucepan; pour the sugar and the cider or wine on top; cover the pan, and set it over medium heat. Cook covered for about 10 minutes, gently turning the apples every few minutes, as they wilt and release their juices. Uncover the pan; adjust the heat to keep the liquid perking and slowly reducing. Turn the slices over frequently but carefully, so they stay intact. When the liquid has all evaporated and the apples are soft and nicely glazed, turn off the heat and let the apples cool.
• When you're ready to form the pastry and bake, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven (covered with a baking stone or tiles, preferably) and heat it to 375˚. Lightly butter the tart ring and removable metal bottom.
• Cut off a third of the chilled disk of dough for the top crust, and set it aside. On a well-floured surface, roll the remaining two-thirds of the dough to a 12-inch-diameter circle, almost 1/4 inch thick-more like a cookie dough than a pie crust. Flour the rolling pin and work surface as needed to prevent sticking. Lift the round and lay it, centered, on the tart pan. Press the dough down so it lines the pan bottom and sides, and trim the edges so there's an even 1/2 inch of dough over the rim of the tart ring, all around.
• Spread the cooled apple slices on the bottom crust, in an even layer. Roll out the smaller piece of dough into a 9-inch round, the same thickness as the first. Lay it loosely over the filling, and trim the outside edges to fit snugly inside the bottom crust, covering the apples like a lid. Fold the overlapping bottom crust over the top piece, and pinch and smooth the dough layers together, sealing the apples inside.
• Place the torta in the oven, and bake for an hour or longer, until the top crust is deep golden brown and the outer crust has separated slightly from the side ring. The top crust may crack open, and you should be able to see the apple filling bubbling inside. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool.
• When the torta has cooled and the crust has firmed up, remove the side ring. If you wish, use a long metal spatula to separate the bottom crust from the metal disk, and slide the torta onto a board or cake plate. Serve cut in wedges, warm with ice cream, or completely cool with powdered sugar and some kind of cream.

STRAWBERRY HAZELNUT TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170 fan/gas 5. Tip the flour and ground hazelnuts into the food processor and add the butter. Process until it looks like fine crumbs, then add the sugar and mix briefly. Add the egg yolk and 1-2 tbsp cold water, then pulse to a firm dough.
• Knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured surface, then roll out and use to line a 23-24cm loose-based flan tin. Using a sharp knife, trim off the excess pastry, then chill for 15 mins. Line pastry case with a round of baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins, then remove the paper and beans and cook for a further 5-7 mins until the pastry is cooked and pale golden.
• Put the toffees and milk in a small pan and gently heat, stirring until the toffees have melted and you have a smooth glossy sauce. Set aside.
• Beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar to loosen it. Whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then fold into the mascarpone. Slice half the strawberries and mix into the cream. Remove the pastry case from the tin and set on a serving plate. Spread two-thirds of the toffee sauce over base, then spoon over the mascarpone.
• Slice the remaining strawberries and scatter over the filling. Drizzle the rest of the toffee sauce over the strawberries and sprinkle with the hazelnuts.

THE BEST PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. Pour in water slowly; knead dough into a firm ball.
• Pour in additional water as needed if dough is too dry or additional flour if too moist. Divide batter into equal halves. Roll out dough halves into rounds on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin to desired thickness.
• Press one round into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Use the other round as a top crust or for a separate bottom crust. Bake according to desired filling instructions.

SPINACH AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS PIE WITH HAZELNUT PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roast hazelnuts on a baking sheet until browned and fragrant, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer, with skins on, to a food processor, and pulse to make a coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour and salt. Add 3/4 cup butter; use two knives or a pastry cutter to cut into mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir with a fork, and gradually add 1/2 cup cold water, or more as needed, until dough is cohesive. Shape into 2 balls. (May be covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for 24 hours.)
• Butter a 9- or 10-inch pie pan. On a lightly floured counter, roll out each ball to rounds that are slightly larger than the pan. Place one crust in bottom of pan. Cover both crusts with plastic wrap. Set aside.
• Place a small skillet over medium heat, and add olive oil. Add onions, and saute until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, potatoes, eggs, dill, tarragon, thyme and nutmeg. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add feta, and toss gently to mix. (May be covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for 24 hours.)
• Place brussels sprouts cut side down on bottom and sides of pastry-lined pan. Cover sprouts with spinach mixture, mounding it high in center. Place red pepper strips evenly across top, and press gently to compact mixture. Top with remaining pastry crust, crimp edges together, and flute rim. Cut several slits in top of pie to vent it.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pie from oven and dot crust with bits of butter. Return to oven until crust is lightly browned, about 30 more minutes. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

HAZELNUT PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Process nuts, flour, sugar and salt in food processor until nuts are finely ground.
• Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Sprinkle water over and process until just combined. Add more water if needed.
• Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, flattening into a disk. Chill 1 hour before using.