Today, 22 Fructidor, we celebrate hazelnuts! And, mes amis, this one took some experimenting. I attempted to capture a dark chocolatey/fudgy/strong hazelnutty moment and I think I finally ended up with it below. You’ll note this is not the first, nor the second time we’ve celebrated hazelnuts this year. Églantine incorporated hazelnuts three times into the French Republican Calendar – once as avelinier (14 Pluvôise), once as noisetier (22 Pluvôise) and now as noisette. Back in Pluvôise we made hazelnut ice cream and hazelnut tart.

Hazelnut Caramel Brownies

1 cup hazelnuts

For the brownies 

6 tbs butter

12 oz dark chocolate chips

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the caramel 

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350. In a medium pan, melt the butter. When it is completely melted, turn off the heat and add in the 12 ounces of dark chocolate chips. Mix well so that the chocolate completely melts. Add to the bowl of an electric mixer along with the sugar. Mix until well incorporated and then add in the eggs, one at a time. Mix on medium-high until the matter has paled in color and increased in volume. Add the vanilla, mix until incorporated. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until just incorporated. Add the 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix slightly. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with baking spray and then place parchment paper along the bottom with about an inch overhang on two sides. Spray the pan again. Add the batter and cook for 30 minutes.

While the brownies bake, make the caramel. In a medium pan, mix together the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Keep stirring and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let cool.

After removing the brownies from the oven, let them cool completely before adding the caramel and nuts. Chop the hazelnuts roughly. Mix the hazelnuts into the caramel sauce and spread over the cooled brownies. Enjoy!

 

Today, on 21 Fructidor, we celebrate the wild rose! In the French Republican Calendar, today is Églantier day, which is translated in the English version of the calendar as “wild rose.” Though, upon closer inspection, it seems as though it translates to wild rose generally but also to rosa canina / “dog rose” specifically. In truly amazing news, a cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany claims to have a “thousand-year rose” growing in its courtyard. And… it’s a dog rose. It is believed to have been planted in 815 and is found in early depictions of the cathedral. Here is a lovely video of the Tausendjährige Rosenstock in bloom.

The legend of the rose bush, according to the UNESCO, site naming the Cathedral a World Heritage Site and to Wikipedia is as follows: In 815 Emperor Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, became lost and disoriented while hunting in the Hercynian Forest. While deer hunting, he became separated from the other hunters and his horse. He searched for the hunting party and in his search came upon a mound covered with wild rose. He was carrying a reliquary containing relics of the Virgin Mary and prayed over them before falling asleep. When he woke, the blooming rose bush was covered in snow even though it was the middle of summer. His reliquary was covered in ice and stuck to the branches of the rose bush. When his hunting party finally found the Emperor, he pledged to build a cathedral on that spot to honor the Virgin Mary. The cathedral was built in a way to protect the rose which now grows at the apse.

In 1945, the city was bombed by the Allies and the Cathedral was completely destroyed. Seven weeks after the bombing, several sprouts were found growing from the roots of the rose bush. The Cathedral was rebuilt and the rose grows there to this day.

Thanks to Rose Levy Beranbaum, I was able to convince myself to use yet another amazing Nordic Ware pan – the rose-shaped bundt pan. Here is Rose’s full recipe, excerpted from The Baking Bible. Enjoy!