In the spirit of the Gregorian calendar’s February 14th and the Jacobin calendar’s 27 Pluviôse, I have decided to doubly celebrate hazelnuts!

I’m celebrating 27 Pluviôse, Hazel Tree day of Rainy month in the French Republican Calendar a little early so that our two hazelnut recipes are back to back. They both use the same hazelnut paste as their base, so if you’ve made the paste, might as well make this tart as well! I will circle back to some of the dates I’ve skipped over in Pluviôse in the next few posts. So, today, we will be using some more of that hazelnut paste and making Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Tart. Could be good for a Valentine’s treat, just sayin’.

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart 

Crust 

4 tbs butter

2/3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tbs sugar

1/2 cup of hazelnut paste

1/2 large egg, whisked

1/4 tsp vanilla

In a food processor, pulse together the sugar and butter. Then add the hazelnut paste and mix for 10 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and pulse until blended.

Spread the dough in a tart pan and push it up the edges. Dust the dough with flour. Refrigerate for an hour.  Preaheat the oven to 375. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove, let cool completely.

Filling 

3/4 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup hazelnut paste

1 tbs of muscovado sugar or dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

In an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until thickened. Put the whipped cream in a bowl and in the mixer, whisk the cream cheese, hazelnut paste, sugar until smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Beat in 1/4 cup of whipped cream. When mixed, then fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Spread the filling in the baked tart crust. Refrigerate for an hour.

Ganache Glaze

4 ounces semi sweet chocolate

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs heavy cream

2 tsp Frangelico

In a small saucepan, warm the cream. When simmering, add the chocolate and turn off the heat. Whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the Frangelico. Let the glaze cool completely before spreading over the filled tart.