Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Tart

So apparently Canadians are crazy. Don't worry, I have a logical complaint about why we are.
I had found a recipe recently that I wanted to make that involved hazelnuts. Of course with my luck we had none at my house. In the midst of grocery shopping we were looking for hazelnuts and it seemed as though there were none. Giving up, we ventured to an alternate store in hopes to find them. Still nothing! We asked an employee there to help us look and all I heard her say was, "The Filberts were here yesterday".
She pointed at a shelf, and what would you know, there they were, the almighty 'Filberts'. What??
Why do we call them that? It sounds like an old grandpa's name rather than the delicious nut that it is.
Anyways here is that Chocolate Filbert Mousse Tart you ordered.

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Tart

Makes one 15x4" rectangular tart

Hazelnut Crust

90g                            butter, softened
70g                            icing sugar
1 egg
30g                            hazelnuts, ground
pinch                          salt
50g                             all purpose (a.p) flour
150g                          cake/pastry flour

In an electric mixer, combine the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Do not beat rapidly. Add the egg and beat to combine. Next add the hazelnuts, salt and a.p flour. Beat to combine. Add the cake flour and combine. Transfer the dough into plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill, about an hour. Once chilled roll the dough to 1/4" thickness between two pieces of plastic wrap so it doesn't stick to the counter. Transfer the dough into the butter tart tin and press to get rid of air bubbles. Poke a couple holes in the bottom of the crust. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with rice or beans. This is called blind baking, it doesn't allow the bottom of the crust to rise. Bake for about 20 minutes, remove the rice and bake again for another 5 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool.

Hazelnut Praline Mousse

3/4 cup                      heavy cream
1/2 cup                      cream cheese
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp        hazelnut praline paste (here)     
1 tbsp                        brown sugar
1 tsp                          vanilla

Into a medium mixing bowl pour the cream and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Once chilled with a whisk attachment beat until it forms soft peaks. In another medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, praline paste, and brown sugar together. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the sides and add 1/4 of the whipped cream and beat in on low. Now fold in the rest of the whipped cream until fully incorporated. Pour into the cooled prepared crust and using an offset spatula smooth the surface so that it's level. Refrigerate for 1 hour before putting the glaze over it

Ganache Glaze

1/4 cup                      heavy cream
8 oz.                          bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp                          vanilla

In a small saucepan bring the heavy cream to a simmer whisking constantly so it doesn't form a skin. Meanwhile chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Once the cream has come to a simmer, pour over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Then add the vanilla and whisk until glossy.
Then pour the ganache over the top of the cooled hazelnut praline mousse. Spread it out with a offset spatula. Let it set.

Caramelized Hazelnuts (optional)


1/2 cup                     sugar
8-10 hazelnuts

Pour the sugar into a small saucepan. Stir it constantly until it becomes a liquid that's light caramel colour. Turn the heat off and remove it from the stove or it will burn. Use long wooden skewers to poke into the hazelnuts. Dip them into the caramel coating them thoroughly. Place newspaper into the ground under where the caramel may drip. On the edge of a counter so that they hang over the end, place the skewers under a heavy wooden cutting board so they don't fall off. Let them hang so that the caramel hardens and forms a long trail of caramel. Once cooled carefully remove the wooden skewers from the hazelnuts and place on top of your prepared tart. Serve right away and store leftovers in the fridge. Enjoy!

Tarts have always been my favorite. Mine certainly aren't perfect but quite enjoyable. The crust has always been the hardest part for me. I have learned a lot of tricks along the way and they are getting easier. Hopefully you too will try them out and see for yourself.
Hopefully it won't take you as long of a time to find those pesky 'Filberts'.

Elanne Boake