Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart

Cook Time: 1 hr
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped, and toasted hazelnuts
* 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
* 1 cup corn syrup
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 store bought frozen pie crust, defrosted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and the flour. Add the eggs,
hazelnuts, chocolate chips, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt.
Stir well. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 1 hour.

Cool the tart for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Hazelnut Crunch Cake with Mascarpone and Chocolate

Cook Time: 30 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 8 servings

Cake:
Ingredients

* 1 box chocolate cake mix

Crunch:

* 1 cup (about 4 1/2-ounces) hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup water

Filling:

* 2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature
* 1 cup cream
* 3/4 cup powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

* 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon orange zest

Directions
For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) cake pans. Prepare the cake mix according
to package instructions. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans and
bake according to package instructions. Remove from the oven and let
cool on a wire rack.

For the Crunch:

Place the toasted nuts close together in a single layer on a
parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the sugar and water in a small
saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the sugar mixture until
dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cook until the sugar is light
brown, about 8 minutes. Let the bubbles subside then pour the
caramelized sugar over the nuts. Place the baking sheet in the
refrigerator and let the sugar nut mixture cool until hard, about 30
minutes. When the sugar nut mixture is hard and cool, top with another
piece of parchment paper and pound into small pieces, or place the
sugar nut mixture on a cutting board and cut into small pieces. Set
aside.

For the filling:

Put the mascarpone cheese, cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a
large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer whip the cream mixture to
soft peaks. Fold the Crunch mixture into the whipped cream.

For the topping:

Place the chocolate, sugar and zest in a food processor. Process the
mixture until the chocolate is finely ground.

To assemble the cake:

Put 1 cake on a serving plate. Top with 1-inch of the whipped cream
crunch mixture. Top with the second layer of cake and continue
frosting the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream crunch
mixture. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the ground
chocolate. Serve.

Chocolate Sformato with Amaretto Whip Cream

Cook Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

* 2 cups whole milk, divided
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 packet gelatin
* 4 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 (12-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips
* 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
* 1 cup whipping cream
* 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon almond liqueur (recommended: Amaretto)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of the milk, the sugar, and
vanilla. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining 1/2 cup
cold milk and let dissolve for 2 minutes. Combine the cold milk and
gelatin with the hot milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve the gelatin,
about 5 minutes. (Heat the milk gently if the gelatin is not
dissolving easily.) When the gelatin is dissolved combine the eggs
with the warm milk, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring
cup or small pitcher.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over a double boiler. When the chocolate
is melted gradually combine the milk and egg mixture with the melted
chocolate, stirring between each addition to create a smooth chocolate
mixture.

Pour the mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the
top with the almonds. Place the casserole dish in a larger dish or
roasting pan. Add hot water to the outer pan until the water comes
halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the sides are firm
and the center is jiggles slightly, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven
and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, whip the cream to soft peaks in a medium bowl
using a whisk or electric hand mixer. Add the sugar and almond liqueur
and whip to combine. Spoon the sformato into individual serving bowls
and dollop the top with the almond liqueur whip cream.