Gianduja Mousse Recipes

GIANDUJA MOUSSE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the chocolate-hazelnut paste with the crème fraîche and brandy or hazelnut liqueur, at low speed until smooth.
• In another bowl, beat the heavy cream until firm peaks form.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the chocolate-hazelnut mixture until no streaks remain.
• Spoon the mousse into small bowls and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Serve with the chocolate wafer cookies.

MILK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE WITH HAZELNUT CRUNCH CRUST

Steps:

• For cake:
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Spoon off foam from top of butter and discard. Spoon clear yellow butter into small metal bowl, leaving water and milk solids in bottom of pan. Add vanilla to butter in bowl; set clarified butter aside.
• Sift flour and cocoa powder together 3 times into medium bowl. Whisk eggs and sugar in large metal bowl to blend. Place bowl with egg mixture in large skillet of barely simmering water; whisk constantly until egg mixture is lukewarm (105°F), about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from water. Place bowl with clarified butter in hot water in same skillet over low heat to keep warm.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until cool and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Sift 1/3 of flour-cocoa mixture over egg mixture and gently fold in with rubber spatula. Fold in remaining flour-cocoa mixture in 2 more additions. Fold 1 cup of cake batter into warm clarified butter until incorporated. Using rubber spatula, gently fold butter-cake batter mixture into remaining cake batter.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean and top springs back slightly when gently pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)
• Run knife between pan sides and cake to loosen. Invert cake onto rack; remove parchment. Using long serrated knife, trim top of cake horizontally, forming 3/4-inch-high cake layer. Using bottom of 8-inch-diameter springform pan as guide, trim around sides of cake to form 8-inch round cake. Set cake aside.
• For hazelnut crunch:
• Line bottom of 8-inch-diameter springform pan with parchment paper. Pour enough water into large skillet to reach depth of 1 inch; bring to simmer. Remove skillet from heat. Place gianduja in medium metal bowl; set bowl in hot water in skillet. Stir until gianduja is melted and smooth. Stir in cereal and nuts. Spread crunch evenly over parchment in pan. Place cake atop crunch layer, pressing to adhere. Chill until crunch is firm, about 1 hour.
• For mousse:
• Place gianduja in metal bowl. Pour enough water into large skillet to reach depth of 1 inch; bring to simmer. Remove from heat; place bowl with gianduja in hot water in skillet. Stir until gianduja is smooth. Remove bowl from water; cool gianduja to lukewarm.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream and salt in another bowl until very soft peaks form (when bowl is tilted, cream should be fluffy but still pourable and flow to one side). Mix 3 tablespoons water into melted gianduja. Pour whipped cream over and fold into gianduja just until incorporated (mousse will be very soft).
• Brush top of chilled cake with liqueur. Spread mousse over cake in pan. Cover and chill overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Run knife between cake and pan sides to loosen. Soak kitchen towel in hot water; wring out water. Wrap hot wet towel around pan sides and hold 30 seconds. Carefully remove pan sides from cake; smooth mousse with knife if necessary. Place cake on pan bottom on rack set over baking sheet. Sift cocoa powder lightly over top of cake. Using stencils such as snowflakes or stars, sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Transfer to platter and serve.
• *Many supermarkets sell pre-husked hazelnuts. if you can't find them, here's how to husk whole hazelnuts: Scatter nuts on rimmed baking sheet and toast at 350°F until skins darken, 12 to 15 minutes. Wrap warm hazelnuts in kitchen towel and rub together to remove skins.

GIANDUIA MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap bottom and side of pan with a large piece of heavy-duty foil to waterproof.
• Chop chocolates into small pieces and melt in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and stir in Nutella and hazelnut butter until combined well.
• In a large bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer beat eggs until frothy, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar, beating mixture at high speed until thick and pale and it holds a slowly dissolving ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 4 minutes if using a standing mixer and about 8 minutes if using a hand-held mixer. Pour chocolate mixture into egg mixture and stir until combined well. In a chilled bowl beat cream until it holds soft peaks and fold into batter gently but thoroughly.
• Pour batter into springform pan and put springform pan in a roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to reach halfway up side of springform pan. Bake cake in middle of oven 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn off oven and let cake stand in oven 40 minutes. Remove springform pan from water and cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Remove side of pan from cake. Let cake cool completely before serving.
• Serve cake with whipped cream. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Cake served at room temperature will have a texture reminiscent of mousse; chilled cake will be more fudgelike.
• Available at specialty foods shops and many supermarkets.
• ** Available for purchase from Dundee Orchards, P.O. Box 327, Dundee, OR 97115, (503) 538-8105.

GIANDUJA ROULADE WITH PRUNE-ARMAGNAC FILLING

Steps:

• Line an 11-by-17-inch baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside. Place the egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until pale yellow, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, and set aside. Wash and dry mixer bowl.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place egg whites in mixer bowl, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium high, and whip until stiff peaks form while gradually adding the sugar. Transfer egg-white mixture to a large bowl.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold egg-yolk mixture into egg-white mixture. Sift cocoa powder over top; fold in. Pour batter into pan; smooth top with an offset spatula.
• Bake until cake springs back when touched, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and immediately turn out onto a wire rack lined with parchment paper. Peel parchment paper from top of cake, and cool completely.
• Lay a clean piece of parchment paper on top of cake, and invert. Peel off and discard old parchment. Using an offset spatula, spread prune-Armagnac filling over cake. Spread Gianduja mousse evenly over filling.
• Starting at a shorter end of cake, roll cake into a roulade. Wrap in parchment; secure with tape. Freeze until set, about 2 hours.
• When ready to serve, remove parchment. Place roulade on wire rack set over a baking pan. Pour chocolate glaze over cake; tap pan on countertop, smoothing surface. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a serving platter; garnish with hazelnuts and sugared prunes. Serve remaining chocolate glaze on the side, if desired.