Noisettine (kind of a difficult pie cake, but well worth it)

Noisettine
kind of a difficult pie cake, but well worth it

Roasted Nuts

3 oz about 3/4 cup whole hazelnuts

1-1/2 oz about 1/3 cup whole cashews

1-1/2 oz about 1/3 cup whole unblanched almonds

Ganache

3 cups heavy whipping cream

10 oz high quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Cake

3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp water

6 oz mixed roasted nuts from above

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp bread flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

6 egg whites, at room temperature

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup sugar

Assembly

3 oz high quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, bar, at least 1/4 inches thick, to make small chocolate shavings

8 oz high quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, bar, at least 1/4 inch thick, to make small chocolate shavings

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Roast the nuts

Preheat oven to 350 and position a rack in the center

Place the hazelnuts in a single layers on half of the baking sheet

Place the almonds and cashews on the other half of the sheet.

Roast for 15minutes

Turn off the oven

Transfer the almonds and cashews to another baking sheet to stop the baking process and cool

Wrap the hazelnuts in a dry dish towel (the steam created by the hot nuts will help loosen the skins)

When hazelnuts are cool, rub them between both hands to remove the skins

Set all the nuts aside in a small bowl

Make the ganache

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, bring the heavy cream to a gentle boil and remove from the heat

In a food processor, finely chop the chocolate

Pour the hot cream through the feed tube while the machine is running

Process about 20 minutes, until the ganache is smooth

Pour the ganache into a mixing bowl

Cool to room temperature and refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours

Make the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350

Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch round cake pan

Line the bottom with a 9 inch circle of parchment or waxed paper

Dust the sides of the pan with flour and tap out the excess

To make the noisette butter, in a small saucepan over medium high heat, bring the butter and water to a boil

Cook for about 2 minutes, until the mixture turns golden brown

Remove from heat and cool

In a food processor, grind the roasted nuts with the bread flour and baking powder to a powder

Do not over process or the nuts will form a paste

In a large, grease free bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at low speed until foamy

Add the salt and increase the speed to medium

Continue beating until the whites form soft peaks

Gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff, shiny peaks form

Gently fold in the nut/flour mixture

Finally, fold in the cooled, noisette butter

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared cake pan

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes

Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen and turn it out onto a wire rack

Carefully peel off the paper and invert the cake back onto another rack

Cool completely

Assemble the cake

To make the smaller chocolate shavings, hold the 3 oz chocolate bar in one hand (grip the bar with a paper towel so as not to melt the chocolate)

To get shavings rather than curls, warm the chocolate slightly by placing it about 6 inches from a lamp for 2 to 5 minutes, until it begins to soften

Using a bakers scraper or a chefs knife, and holding it at a slight angle, scrape the long edge of the bar to produce small, paper thin shavings

Make larger shavings in the same way, using the 8 oz chocolate chunk with a wider edge

Carefully transfer the shavings to 2 separate plates and refrigerate until ready to use

Place the cake layer on a 9 inch cardboard circle or a serving plate

In a chilled mixing bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks

Refrigerate until ready to use

Beat the ganache at medium speed for about 30 seconds, until it starts to thicken and is of spreading consistency

Do not over beat or the ganache will become grainy

Immediately mound the ganache on top of the cake layer and spread the sides of t he cake with a thin, even layer of ganache

The cake will be dome shaped

With a large spoon, gently press the small chocolate shavings into the sides of the cake

Coat the sides with the small chocolate shavings

Transfer the chilled whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip

Pipe a shell border on the top edge of the cake

Sprinkle the large chocolate shavings over the top of the ganache

Pipe a large rosette in the center of the shavings

Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve